Occupational hazards

In an extreme case, a federal district court ruled that a helicopter pilot could be required to convert to the Muslim religion in order to fly over certain areas of Saudi Arabia that are closed to non-Muslims. The court ruled that the requirement was a bona fide occupational qualification justified by safety considerations because Saudi Arabian law prohibited non-Muslims from entering Mecca, and non-Muslims who did so risked being beheaded if caught. [Kern v. Dunalectron Corp, 577 F.Supp. 1196 (N.D. Tex. 1983), aff’d 746 F.2d 810 (5th Cir. 1984).]

In Bagley & Dauchy., The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Business Law, 2nd ed.

14:21 EST | permalink | /world/saudi_arabia

How Deposing Saddam Cuts Terror Now

One of al-Queda’s perennial rallying cries was the insult to Islam posed by the presence of the kuffar American troops in the holy land of Saudi Arabia. Osama Bin Laden’s statement after the September 11 attacks closed with a threat concerning those very forces:

As to America, I say to it and its people a few words: I swear to God that America will not live in peace before peace reigns in Palestine, and before all the army of infidels depart the land of Mohammad, peace be upon him.

You can blame Raed Abdel-Hamid Mesk for delays in the former. But thanks to our presence in Iraq, we’ve accomplished the latter. As the US no longer needs to keep bases in Saudi Arabia, a few days ago, the US military presence was removed:

The last few American combat troops pulled out of the Prince Sultan Air Base here earlier this month, officially closing the Persian Gulf headquarters used by the Air Force during both Iraq wars and concluding a nearly 13-year run of extensive United States military operations in Saudi Arabia.

Yup. Terrorism was just a smokescreen. The war was nothing more than an oil grab.

17:25 EST | permalink | /world/saudi_arabia