Many on this Board have accused me of having a dislike of Muslims and Arabs. I actually have profound respect for them, as the below two articles (one of which is from a socialist source), which I have excerped, amply demonstrates:
The Prince and His Palace (link):
A 6,400-Square-Foot Getaway That Flies (link)</a>
New York Times -
PARIS, Nov. 12 — He may be only the world’s 13th-richest man, but Prince Walid bin Talal of Saudi Arabia will soon be able to claim the bragging rights to the world’s largest private jet.
Putting an end to months of speculation, Airbus announced Monday that the Saudi billionaire had become the first V.I.P. customer for the A380 superjumbo jet, the winged colossus that the European plane maker prices at just over $300 million.
Prince Walid, who currently makes do with a customized Boeing 747-400, signed the contract for a new flying palace at a ceremony with senior Airbus executives at the Dubai air show.
He expects to take delivery in 2010.
With its 240-foot double-deck fuselage and 262-foot wingspan, the 560-ton A380 dwarfs the rides of the world’s most powerful leaders. In comparison, Air Force One, the presidential jet, is a relatively modest conveyance, a Boeing 747-200 weighing just 333 tons.
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Issue 258 of SOCIALIST REVIEW Published December 2001 Copyright © Socialist Review
Capitalism and war
THE DESERT DICTATORSHIP (link)
(snip)
A feudal monarchy with oil
Life for most people in Saudi Arabia is grim. Saudi women are virtual prisoners in their homes, are forbidden from driving and are barred from most jobs. Slavery, officially abolished in 1962, continues through the enslavement of the country's 7 million migrant workers (a third of the population). These workers are often not paid, and are frequently beaten and sexually abused, and deported or imprisoned if they complain.
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Just south of the glistening air-conditioned tower blocks, marbled palaces and pristine hospitals of central Jeddah are sweltering sprawling slums where prostitution, drug and alcohol addiction, destitution and disease are rife.
One of the richest states in the world, whose economy is fully integrated into international capitalism, is run by an absolutist feudal monarchy. The ruling class consists largely of the offspring of lecherous kings. The working class is almost entirely migrant labour.
A vast pool of educated Saudis are as bored as they are ludicrously controlled by the state.
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