Should We Be Careful Who Our Friends Are?

[wildwood]

America’s biggest Islamic ally in the middle east – Saudi Arabia -has sentenced a man to ten years in prison and 2,000 lashes for expressing his atheism on Twitter. Media URL: http://thinkaboutnow.com/2016/09/saudi-arabia-sentences-a-man-to-10-years-in-jail-and-2000-lashes-for-being-an-atheist/
Description:

[wildwood]

Oops, I got the feeling that there was an underlying reason for the severity of the punishment because the man is gay, but the article didn't actually say so.

[naomi24]

Was he?

[mibn2cweus]

^ Wouldn't they have stoned him to death on the spot?

[naomi24]

That's what I was thinking.

[vulcan42]

andy-hughes, for somebody who "walks away" you seem to spend a lot of time hanging around.

[naomi24]

^ :o)

[andy-hughes]

vulcan42 - Thank you.

[birdie1971]

Peter Pedant - “... two million syrians who are refugees and some have come here ! ...”


I'm always fascinated by the “refugee” argument.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the definition of a “refugee” someone who is fleeing their country of origin (or their adopted country of origin) in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster? If so, the first 'safe' country they come across would be the only country with which to first lay a claim of 'asylum'?

If such a claim were upheld and then said applicant chose to travel to a neighbouring country in order to find work (or for any other reason), he/she would – by definition – cease to be an asylum seeker/refugee? When that happened, he/she would – by definition – become an economic migrant. The logic of this is irrefutable. Once a person is accepted into a country as a refugee and then chooses to leave that country by their own volition, their refugee status is logically, legally and morally revoked.

They are then ex-refugees and by logical extension, migrants.

[askyourgran]

True fender62, I am still wondering how the boat refugees found upward of $10.000 each to escape to Europe. Or have I missed that.