Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights
Encyclopedia
The Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights (CDLR; Arabic: لجنة الدفاع عن الحقوق الشرعية) was a Saudi
dissident group created in 1993 which opposed the Saudi government as un-Islamic.
on May 3, 1993 by six scholars, the Committee served to "pass on the views of the Islamist opposition that was rapidly developing in the universities and mosques" of Saudi Arabia. In its Arabic language pronouncements the CDLR maintained a strict "Islamist line," claiming to defend "the rules laid out in the sharia
," while its English language statements denounced violations of human rights
in Saudi.
Following an interview by the BBC
of Mohammad al-Masari
, its official spokesman, the CDLR's "signatories and their sympathizers promptly lost their jobs and were thrown into jail." The organization was banned, and its members either left Saudi Arabia or went underground. The CDLR was described as "banned and defunct" by the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association
when the latter was created in October 2009.
Following a campaign by Amnesty International
, al-Masari was released from prison, and along with Sa'ad Al-Faqih
reestablished the CDLR in London
, United Kingdom
in April 1994. The group made "feverish use" of fax machines and later an Internet website to criticize the ruling family and deliver its message to Saudi Arabia. Their campaign was effective enough that the Saudi royal family threatened the British government with an end to "lucrative defence contracts and other commercial deals" if "Mr Masari was not silenced," and a court battle ensued over Whitehall's attempt to do just that. "In the end, Mr Masari won a legal battle ... but soon after that he faded from public prominence."
In 1996, Faqih broke with al-Masari, "arguing that the Saudi opposition should operate only within the strict boundaries of UK law," and created the rival Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia
(MIRA).
s issued by the regime's ulema
supporters." Al-Masari is also criticised for being two-faced, presenting himself as a fighter of human rights
abuses and corruption to English language audiences, while regailing Arabic speakers with attacks on Saudi for its lack of shari'a law enforcement and even pronouncing "takfir
against all Muslim
s who obeyed the laws of Riyadh
". In particular, his takfir "destroyed much of his support among [Saudi] dissidents."
In recent years the CDLR has been denounced by the U.S. government for expressing its "understanding" of the "bombings of U.S. military facilities in 1995 and 1996
and sympathy for the perpetrators." Its splinter group, the Islamic Reform Movement, has also been denounced as having "implicitly condoned the two terrorist attacks as well, arguing that they were a natural outgrowth of a political system that does not tolerate peaceful dissent."
In the US State Department's 2005 report, the CDLR is described as an extremist organization which seeks the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy by force.
Although blacklisted in the US
and many EU
countries, the CDLR does not appear on any US or UN
list of terrorist groups.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
dissident group created in 1993 which opposed the Saudi government as un-Islamic.
History
Founded in RiyadhRiyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
on May 3, 1993 by six scholars, the Committee served to "pass on the views of the Islamist opposition that was rapidly developing in the universities and mosques" of Saudi Arabia. In its Arabic language pronouncements the CDLR maintained a strict "Islamist line," claiming to defend "the rules laid out in the sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
," while its English language statements denounced violations of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
in Saudi.
Following an interview by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
of Mohammad al-Masari
Mohammad al-Massari
Dr. Mohammad Al-Massari is an exiled Saudi physicist and political dissident who gained asylum in the United Kingdom in 1994. He runs the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights and is an adviser to the Islamic Human Rights Commission....
, its official spokesman, the CDLR's "signatories and their sympathizers promptly lost their jobs and were thrown into jail." The organization was banned, and its members either left Saudi Arabia or went underground. The CDLR was described as "banned and defunct" by the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association
Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association
The Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association is a Saudi Arabian human rights non-governmental organisation created in 2009.-Creation:...
when the latter was created in October 2009.
Following a campaign by Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, al-Masari was released from prison, and along with Sa'ad Al-Faqih
Sa'ad Al-Faqih
Dr Sa'ad Rashed Mohammad al-Faqih , also known as Sa'ad Al-Fagih, Sa'ad Al-Fakih or Sa'ad Al-Faki is a Muslim Saudi national who heads the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia . He lives in London and was a professor of surgery at King Saud University in Riyadh until 1994...
reestablished the CDLR in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in April 1994. The group made "feverish use" of fax machines and later an Internet website to criticize the ruling family and deliver its message to Saudi Arabia. Their campaign was effective enough that the Saudi royal family threatened the British government with an end to "lucrative defence contracts and other commercial deals" if "Mr Masari was not silenced," and a court battle ensued over Whitehall's attempt to do just that. "In the end, Mr Masari won a legal battle ... but soon after that he faded from public prominence."
In 1996, Faqih broke with al-Masari, "arguing that the Saudi opposition should operate only within the strict boundaries of UK law," and created the rival Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia
Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia
The Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia , a U.K.-based Saudi oppositionist organization headed by Dr. Sa'ad Al-Faqih, who has been a key figure in the reform movement in Saudi Arabia since the Persian Gulf War. According to Dr...
(MIRA).
Criticism
Scholar Gilles Kepel has described CDLR and Al-Masari as "failing to raise any groundswell of support" within Saudi Arabia and "sadly lacking" in Islamic "doctrinal ... ballast", as became evident after "he was confronted by a barrage of fatwaFatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
s issued by the regime's ulema
Ulema
Ulama , also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law...
supporters." Al-Masari is also criticised for being two-faced, presenting himself as a fighter of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
abuses and corruption to English language audiences, while regailing Arabic speakers with attacks on Saudi for its lack of shari'a law enforcement and even pronouncing "takfir
Takfir
In Islamic law, takfir or takfeer refers to the practice of one Muslim declaring another Muslim an unbeliever or kafir...
against all Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s who obeyed the laws of Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
". In particular, his takfir "destroyed much of his support among [Saudi] dissidents."
In recent years the CDLR has been denounced by the U.S. government for expressing its "understanding" of the "bombings of U.S. military facilities in 1995 and 1996
Khobar Towers bombing
The Khobar Towers bombing was a terrorist attack on part of a housing complex in the city of Khobar, Saudi Arabia, located near the national oil company headquarters of Dhahran. In 1996, Khobar Towers was being used to house foreign military personnel.Al-Qaeda has incorrectly been described by...
and sympathy for the perpetrators." Its splinter group, the Islamic Reform Movement, has also been denounced as having "implicitly condoned the two terrorist attacks as well, arguing that they were a natural outgrowth of a political system that does not tolerate peaceful dissent."
In the US State Department's 2005 report, the CDLR is described as an extremist organization which seeks the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy by force.
Although blacklisted in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and many EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
countries, the CDLR does not appear on any US or UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
list of terrorist groups.
External links
- Asia Times Online - The dangers of silencing Saudi dissent Jan 21st 2005
- SAUDI ARABIA Human Rights Developments 1997
- Human Rights Watch - Human Rights in Saudi Arabia: A Deafening Silence December 2001
- Meria - State, Islam and Opposition in Saudi Arabia - July 1997
- The Washington Institute: Holier Than Thou executive summary