Sunday, May 01, 2016

Saudi regime punishes a Saudi student for her views on religion

"Haifa Alshamrani, 29 and her husband Abdullah, 36, have filed for asylum after a claiming they were threatened by Saudi officials in the UK. Glasgow MP Patrick Grady said his door is “always open” to the couple, who came to Glasgow last year with their two young children. Mrs Alshamrani had been hoping to complete a pre-medical course at Glasgow University, but her scholarship from the Saudi Government was withdrawn.  The family claim it is because Mr Alshamrani refused to help Saudi students in Preston with religious activities, and say they were not told why the funding had been withdrawn. The couple now hope to claim asylum in the UK with their children Mohammed, 10, and Gadah, seven, as they fear persecution when they return to Saudi Arabia. Mrs Alshamrani is an atheist after leaving Wahhabism, an orthodox version of Islam, when she married her agnostic husband.They are concerned their non-religious beliefs will not be tolerated at home."