EGYPT: Doctor jailed and whipped in Saudi Arabia

Almost 20 ago, Dr. Raouf Arabi flew from his home in Egypt to Saudi Arabia for a job in the world's richest oil country. It never occured to him that he might end up whipped and in jail.

Several weeks ago, Egyptians awoke to the news that the doctor was sentenced by a Saudi court to seven years in prison and 750 lashes on charges he prescribed high doses of morphine to a Saudi princess, who eventually turned into a drug addict. Upon his appeal, the sentence was doubled to reach 15 years in prison and 1,500 lashes. Egypt then learned that a second Egyptian doctor in the same case was sentenced to 20 years and the same number of lashes.

"How can I breath or take a sip of water while my husband is being whipped in the middle of the street there?" Fatheyya Shehata, Arabi's wife, said in tears on a private satellite channel this weekend. Shehata denied the allegations brought against her 53-year-old husband.

The incident has provoked rage across Egypt, reigniting questions about the laxity of the government in protecting Egyptian expatriates against the need for Saudi petrodollars.   

Human rights advocate Negad Borai was quoted in the local press as saying: "The Egyptian government feels inferior to Saudi Arabia, and this gives it and other Gulf countries the chance to humiliate Egyptians living there."

Whipping is standard punishment in the Saudi kingdom, whose judicial system follows fundamentalist Wahhabi doctrines. Such practices have long been a bone of contention between Riyadh and international human rights organizations.

"The tragedy of the two Egyptian doctors shows the level of humiliation that Egyptians have become subjected to in and outside Egypt due to the corrupt and unjust ruling regime; however, it also shows the brutality and hypocrisy of alternative religiosity," wrote prominent novelist Alaa Aswany in El Destour weekly.

He continued: "The allegation is valueless and imprecise and needs a specialized impartial medical investigation especially that the princess had been already addicted to drugs before she received treatment from the two doctors. Anyway, any suspect has the right to a fair trial but the Saudi authorities believe that the princess's complaint is the truth; the princess is held infallible.... If these two doctors were British or American, would the Saudi authorities dare to whip them or arrest them? Of course not, Westerners are treated differently from Arabs and Muslims in Saudi Arabia."

The Egyptian doctor's syndicate condemned the verdicts as worse than death and addressed a letter to President Hosni Mubarak calling on him to intervene in order to put an end to this tragedy. The association also called for a demonstration next week in protest of the verdict.

"President Mubarak should withdraw the Egyptian ambassador in Saudi Arabia to save the dignity of Egyptians and to respond to this bloody verdict that contradicts God's laws and logic. Otherwise, the president's s dignity as well as his people's would be easy to breach," wrote Mostafa Rashed in a comment posted on the website of the independent daily Al Masry al Youm.

— Noha El-Hennawy in Cairo

Photo: Arabi's wife weeping on Dream TV this weekend.

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Comments

[Jobs In Pakistan]

I dot agreed above one comment,I think the Suadi Arabia is full Islamic country.

[Jobs In Pakistan]

Nice posting I like this types of article.

[April]

Some generalizing going on here? Not ALL Saudis are the same, so to say "I didn't know Saudi people were so wicked," is unfair. The system itself is perhaps wicked. It is certainly EXTREME. There is a big difference between adultery and rape as well as selling crack-cocaine on the street and over prescribing a legal pain reliever. Perhaps they were afraid to say NO to the princess. Either way, the sentence is extreme. In Canada, doctors can lose their license for over prescribing a narcotic medication. They don't go to prison for 15-20 years, nor would they be whipped 1500 times!! That is barbaric and abusive. For shame.

[Said Gamal]

To the proud Saudi .With my respect , do you believe that an Egyptian doctor will start to make ofenses after spending a whole " 20 " years in SA. ? Corrupt people start corrupted . If they were bad people , it should have shown from the start !!!! & what do you say about " doubling " the punishment after the appeal ???? That was sensible ? or childish ?

[ahm09]

proud saudi.. im surprised that you replied to liz's comments and not Al steves comment .. as a "proud saudi" i thought you would stand up for the saudi royal family.. but personally i think that Al Steves is absouletly right

[A proud Saudi]

I am shocked by how emotions of most readers blind their eyes to basic logic. What if they are guilty!!!! Are you willing to support rapists!!! drug dealers!!!
I am sure that the egyptian government did look at the documents and the proceedings of the trial.

And to whoever called herself Liz; your reply is so pathetic. It reflect your ignorance of the basic human values and no respect for other cultures. Get a life!!!!

I am open to engage in a respectful dialog that aim at finding the truth.

[Al Steves]

Here is the deal....I lived in Saudi for a while back in the 90's (almost 6 years) and I tell you, them royals and get away with murder. They drink, take drugs and womanize but at end of day, expats are the ones who pay the price...

Sad to say......

[why]

why are tey doing something cruel like this , where is the world ?

[Liz]

A woman on my bus to work told me about this. As an American, I don't know what to do, but I am going to call my Congressman. I had no idea the Saudi people were so wicked. Do they also use inquisition tools like the Iron maiden, thumb screws, and the rack? I hope those pirates steal more of their ships. I can't wait until USA turns totally to ethanol, wind, and solar energy. Its coming. That's hows you get at them. Those Saudi people will be less than 0, medievel, and deserving of it.

[aya amer]

um really shocked,,,, we dont have pride anymore... Reallly not to that extent... !! Y is egypt so stagnant, r we that cheapppp...!!! r we worthless to that extent.. this country can do much better ... I swear...
Bas... WE should break the SPIRAL OF SILENCE !!

[goldie]

The girl (Princess or whatsoever she may be) has an obligation to speak in the defense of the doctor therefore enabling his release.

How inhumane this whole situation is.

[rawna]

i wanna ask i question where is the president of egypt where are the resposible people in egypt ? and this king abdullla ..and his familly u think u are in a islamic country if u know islam u will know that the( most lashe is 100 )lashes not 1,500 lashes.... and 70 every 10 days ....when the two doctors start to breath after 10 days they will start again .......i think that its so unfair ....and u hisham have all the right inshalla king abdulla will meet the same end of sadammm inshalla... by the way they didnt have any lawyer exept in the rejudge

[HISHAM]

all i can say to king absulla and the royal family .... ur a disgrace to islam and to all religions in the world .... enough is enough ..... u think u van buy the world because of oil ..... look what happend to saddam hussein ... he was a dictator like u ..... and look at his ending ....... one day u will get the same ending ......
inshalla

[ahm09]

This is so unfair! this doctor has been working for the royal family for over 20 years and now all of a sudden they turn on him for giving her morphine that was subscribed to her even before the egyptian doctor, they simply used him as a scapegoat because she got addicted. This princess was flown to the USA and to the UK to get medical treatment for a riding accident and BOTH countries prescribed high dosage of morphine to her. That judgement is unfair and being a muslim myself i feel that it is not islamic. I also feel that saudi arabia make all the arab and muslim countrys look bad with its "women cant drive" laws and the public beheading, their medival times laws has to change or they must stop calling it "islamic". Personally i dont know where Saudi Arabia would be without the oil, i dont think it would ever survive without it, because thats they've ever known, most of the doctors and teachers in Saudi Arabia come from surrounding arab countries. Well oil doesnt last forever so hopefully i will be alive to find out my answer.

[sweet girl]

I read this , maybe it is right or not... I do not think there are many rapists and molests on princess in hospital, clinics... look up and give the example, "The allegation is valueless and imprecise and needs a specialized impartial medical investigation especially that the princess had been already addicted to drugs before she received treatment from the two doctors. Anyway, any suspect has the right to a fair trial but the Saudi authorities believe that the princess's complaint is the truth; the princess is held infallible.... If these two doctors were British or American, would the Saudi authorities dare to whip them or arrest them? Of course not, Westerners are treated differently from Arabs and Muslims in Saudi Arabia." your last answer... but princess cannot see and blind, clearly.... this is a proof....

[Candide]

I would rather be a slave in Egypt than princess in Saudi. At least as a slave you are treated as a human being and not a piece of furniture. That 'Prince' had his pride hurt because he did not control his wife and had to put the blame on someone else. He knows it is his fault that she is miserable enough to turn to drugs.

[Phizik]

Everyone knows that KSA is very strict country. So, anyone who go to work there has no one but himself to blame for anything bad happened to him. It's simple as that.
FYI there is no such thing as Wahhabism.

[Lots Of Bullshitters]

Firstly, Saudi Arabia is not an Islamic country, its an old style kingdom down to the names(king, prince, princess..) Lets get something straight the so called fundamentalists are fighting this government. This ruling in particular is unislamic in that it gives preferable treatment to one human over another based on "royalty". Its kind of ridiculous to expect any sort of justice from either of these old time dictators.

[اهدى]

اللة مع المظلوم والصابرين وبشر الصابرين على كل بلاء ولاحول ولاقوة الا باللة
وحسبنا اللة ونعم الوكيل على كل ظالم ان المفروض يعلنوا ان هذا حكم من عندهم اذاكان الزانى والزانية الاوهية ابشع الذنوب لها 20 جلدة فليس لهم بحكم الاسلام فى شى وهم لم يفعلوا ايضا اى فاحشة فما هذا البهتان الظاهر والبين امام اعين الناس

[Marwa]

You are right < I am a Muslim myself and this not Islam at all ! They let their own grudges and personal favours to intervene in their judgment and they claim it i"Shari 'aa " Nooooooo , That's not true .