( CNN ) '' The Kingdom ... strongly condemns and denounces this cowardly terrorist act that is rejected by true Islamic religion as well as the rest of the religions and beliefs . '' So reads the statement issued by Saudi Arabia , where I grew up , the day the offices of `` Charlie Hebdo '' came under attack , with the loss of 12 lives . Last Sunday , to show further solidarity with the victims , the Saudi ambassador to France joined other world leaders in Paris for a unity rally to celebrate free speech . This is consistent with the face Saudi Arabia presents to the outside world . Visitors to the website of the Saudi embassy in Washington are invited to `` learn ... how the Kingdom 's political system is rooted in Islam 's traditions which call for peace , justice , equality , consultation and respect for the rights of the individual . '' Just two days before the Paris rally , my friend Raif Badawi was removed , in shackles , from a mini-bus outside the Al-Jafali mosque in Jeddah as a large crowd gathered around him after Friday prayers . According to eyewitnesses , he closed his eyes and raised his head skyward as a security officer approached him from behind with a large cane and started to beat him . Witnesses say Raif was lashed 50 times . Afterwards , he was taken back to prison where he is serving a 10-year sentence—for blogging . Raif 's next flogging was set to take place today , but Saudi authorities postponed it due to medical advice , his wife said . She expects he will be flogged again next week—and every following week—until his sentence of 1,000 lashes is complete . Raif is officially charged with `` adopting liberal thought , '' `` founding a liberal website , '' and `` insulting Islam . '' He has become the latest symbol of the two-faced policy his country takes towards human rights . Saudi Arabia is a strong American ally that has enjoyed virtually unconditional support from the United States for decades . President Bush famously held hands with its monarch , King Abdullah , as the two strolled through his Crawford , Texas ranch during the King 's 2005 state visit . President Obama was widely criticized for appearing to bow to Abdullah at a G-20 summit in London . In the same month that ISIS horrified the world with its brutal beheading of journalist James Foley , Saudi Arabia publicly beheaded 19 people , for crimes ranging from smuggling cannabis to sorcery . Limb amputations for theft are sanctioned by the state religion . In addition to oil , Saudi Arabia is the world 's leading exporter of Salafism , an ultra-conservative strain of Islam . The country touts itself as the birthplace of the religion of peace—yet underlines the Islamic declaration of `` Shahadah '' on its flag with a sword . Osama bin Laden was a Saudi citizen , as were 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 . Why does a world outraged by the horrific actions of ISIS and the Taliban turn a blind eye to the way this country treats its own citizens ? The first reason is obvious . It is n't just our governments . Every time we fill our cars with gas , we all bow to the Saudi king . The second is more complex . Online videos of Raif 's flogging show worshipers from the mosque , including young children , running excitedly towards the square to watch the beating . Afterwards , the crowd erupts into cheers and applause , chanting `` Allahu Akbar ! '' ( God is Great ! ) in unison . This is n't surprising . The public likely considers Raif guilty of blasphemy and apostasy . A 2013 Pew Research poll found that large numbers in Muslim countries favor the death penalty for leaving Islam—including 88 % of Egyptian and 62 % of Pakistani Muslims , as well as majorities in Jordan , Malaysia , Palestine , and Afghanistan . Of course , these views do n't represent all Muslims . But contrary to what we 're usually told , they are n't just held by a fringe minority either . Many of these countries do n't have populations willing to rally en masse to support free speech and pluralism the way France did . The change has to first come from within . Raif has sacrificed a great deal to make this change happen . The world must support him and call Saudi Arabia out on its hypocrisy . Some time ago , just 50 miles east of where Raif is being held today , another dissident once spoke of change , of challenging the status quo , of radical new ideas that would ultimately transform his society . He was ostracized , persecuted , and eventually driven from his city by those wanting to kill him . He was Mohammed , the Prophet of Islam ; his persecutors , the Quraysh tribe of Mecca . Muslims endeavor to emulate the life of Mohammed . Saudi Arabia has instead chosen to emulate the Quraysh . This week , Raif spent his 31st birthday imprisoned and wounded . With enough awareness , we can put enough international pressure on the Saudi government to ensure that he spends his next one with his wife and their three beautiful children .
Saudi Arabia condemned the attack on the Charlie Hebo offices in Paris as a `` cowardly terrorist act '' But Ali A. Rizvi writes that days later the Kingdom flogged blogger Raif Badawi for crimes including `` founding a liberal website '' Rizvi says the world turns a blind eye to this `` hypocrisy '' from a country where he says change needs to come from within .