Durham Mayor Bill Bell is going to Saudi Arabia on the Saudi dime. According to the story in The News & Observer:
The mayors will learn about the Saudi economy, educational system, culture, people and government, the city said in its announcement. They will meet Saudi business people, government officials and students and also visit an oil field.
“This mission will make it possible to learn more about this important long-term ally of our country,” Bell said in a statement from the city.
While learning about the Saudi culture, will any of the mayors ask about human rights abuses, the amputations and floggings that are carried out under Sharia law, the persecution of gays, the discrimination against women, and the lack of religious and political freedoms? There’s about as much chance of that as President Obama criticizing the lack of freedom in Cuba and Venezuela.
But imagine if a group of mayors had visited South Africa in the 1980s. Would any so-called liberal city father have neglected to bring up apartheid? Not on your life.
