Sam Husseini Questions Saudi Prince Turki about Legitimacy of Saudi Regime

Sam Husseini was suspended from the National Press Club for this. For more: http://www.washingtonstakeout.com/index.php/2011/11/18/turki

Husseini: There's been a lot of talk about the legitimacy of the Syrian regime, I want to know what legitimacy your regime has sir. You come before us, representative of one of the most autocratic, misogynistic regimes on the face of the earth. Human Rights Watch and other reports of torture detention of activist, you squelched the democratic uprising in Bahrain, you tried to overturn the democratic uprising in Egypt and indeed you continue to oppress your own people. What legitimacy does you regime have -- other than billions of dollars and weapons?

Hickman: Sam, let him answer.

Unidentified speaker: What was the question?

Turki: [motioning Husseini to the podium] Would you like to come and speak here? Would you like to come and speak here?

Husseini: I'd like you to try to answer that question.

Turki: I will try my best sir. Well sir, I don't know if you've been to the kingdom or not?

Husseini: What legitimacy do you have, sir?

Turki: Have you been to the kingdom?

Husseini: What legitimacy does your regime have, other than oppressing your own people?

William McCarren [Executive director of the National Press Club, who had come up to Husseini and was literally-face-to-face]: Put your question and let him answer, we have a whole room of people.

Husseini [to McCarren]: He [Turki] asked me a question. He asked me and I responded.

Turki: No you did not respond.

[off audio, some back and forth continues between McCarren and Husseini, see below]

Hickman: Go ahead [Turki] --

Turki: Anyway ladies and gentlemen I advise anybody who has these questions to come to the kingdom and see for themselves. I don't need to justify my country's legitimacy. We're participants in all of the international organizations and we contribute to the welfare of people through aid program not just directly from Saudi Arabia but through all the international agencies that are working throughout the world to provide help and support for people. We admit this, as I said that we have many challenges inside our country and those challenges we are hoping to address and be reformed by evolution, as I said, and not by revolution. So that is the way that we are leading, by admitting that we have shortcomings. Not only do we recognize the shortcomings, but hopefully put in place actions and programs that would overcome these shortcomings. I have mentioned the fact that when you call Saudi Arabia a misogynistic country that women in Saudi Arabia can now not only vote, but also participate as candidates in elections and be members of the Shura Council. And I just refer you to your own experience to your women's rights, when did your women get right to vote? After how many years since the establishment of the United States did women get to vote in the United States? Does that mean that before they got the vote that United States was an illegitimate country? According to his definition, obviously. So, until, when was it -- 1910 when women got to vote -- from 1789 to 1910 United States was illegitimate? This is how you should measure things, by how people recognize their faults and try to overcome them.

Husseini: -- So are you saying that Arabs are inherently backward? --

Hickman: Sam, that's enough -- this lady to the right, you're next.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Saudi
• Sam Husseini
• Turki
• National Press Club

[oCean0220]

the Facts is :

If you find one hundred thousand Saudis don't support the policy of the Kingdom ..

there're tens of millions are supporters .. I'm one of supporters, my family too and all my friends ..

and I know I can say what I want here on youtube ..

So World, just let us live the life that we want and make us worry about our problems by ourselves for the god's sake ..

[meznahhh]

wow! Prince Turkey I'm impressed by your rhetoric and argument. Sam Hossieni has no right calling Saudi misogynistic! . We women obviously has a long way to be fully equal to men , but we are going forward! . You cannot deny the latest advancement regarding women right to be elected and the right to vote. Way to go Saudi women!.

[lopa9090]

Saudi king z the best

[salijanstar]

@oCean0220 the end of the comment is beautiful i must concede but..but..practically speaking and using the same logic, are u or ur most legitimate kingdom willing to refrain from intruding not just verbally but actually and physically in flesh, blood, tanks, weapons etc into the matters of other countries for example syria and bahrain and that too because u want to supppress the aspiration of the same tens of millions for the sake of one hundred thousands. here u 4get ur god!!

[Abo82Trab]

The non political answer is:we got our legitimacy from the British empire when it supplied us with weapons,British generals and British intelligence officers to fight the Ottomon Khaliphate because it was a threat to British control.After we controlled Najd (Riyadh), we moved west and spilled the blood of Hijjz (Mekkah & Madinah) people,including pregnant women and children.Later,we massacred Taif people.Then beheaded all the tribal leaders.Finally,Abdullaziz met roosevelt and we were Good Guys.

[gobuddyboy]

the saudi kings are bunch of fucking pigs. They oppress their people

[erkdyy]

and please notice that the women voting that he is talking about is voting for powerless to elect 4 of of the 12 municipality members for each city. They have no power in changing anything by their own.

[erkdyy]

if you notice the prince's response has nothing to do with what they have done to people in Saudi. However he only mentioned what the Saudi government has done to people in OTHER countries.

[erkdyy]

all people supporting the regime are getting illegal benefits from it and that's why they don't like democracy to be applied in the country because they will loose some of these privileges. Saudi Arabia is a very rich country but most of its people are poor. 80% of them are in debt. the 20% are the ones who have higher positions and therefore they support the regime!

[Tigris363]

@Viva2Rudy First before acussing people of this and that look at the hypocrites that rule your country. They call shia kaffir and yet they do every harram possible and their allies with the west and Isreal shuch a shame. Your truly pathitic everytime I expose the truth about hypocrites like you. You guys bring relgion into this, one of the techniques that ignorannt people use

[Cybron1]

@annoloki I can tell your an intelligent individual. Sadly, It takes an army to make change.