The following is an excerpt from OpinionJournal.com’s “Best of the Web” written by the editor, James Taranto.
Our Friends the Saudis
“Hardline Saudi clerics have called on the government to ban women from appearing on television and to prohibit their images in print media, which they called a sign of growing ‘deviant thought,’ ” Agence France-Presse reports:
“Our faith in you is great to carry out media reform, for we have seen how perversity is rooted in the ministry of information and culture, on television, radio, in the press, literary clubs, and book fairs,” the letter said.
It cited an alleged plan to “westernise” Saudi women by “reducing their rights to a question of removing veils, wearing makeup and mixing with men.” . . .
“There should be no Saudi woman on television, in any case,” they said.
“There is no doubt that this is religiously impermissible.”
This is fanatical and barbaric. It should appall anyone who values freedom of expression or respects women.
Although we’ll admit, we could do without “The View.”
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