Thursday, October 25, 2012

losing Saudi citizenship

M. sent me this: "This is a video that was posted a few months back. This guy's father lost citizenship because their tribe's chief demanded 50 thousand riyals (I think that it officially costs around 50 riyals or so) so that he would issue them a Saudi ID (I've been told that in tribal areas the tribe's chief testimony is required for the tribe's members to get an ID). You have no idea how hard it is to live in Saudi without ID. If you're caught at a checkpoint without your ID you go strait to jail. I had a gun pointed at me by mabaheth (undercover police) when I was 14 because I refused to give them my name and ID...I didn't even know they were mabaheth."