A steady drum beat of pressure has influenced the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to triple it's initial pledge to aid relief efforts for tsunami victims.

The Saudi Arabian increase pledge came on the heels of a similar American increase. President Bush, who has never made a mistake or changed his position, tacitly admitted his mistake while changing his position on aid. American aid efforts, initially limited to $15 million have ballooned to $35 million under pressure from groups who claimed the United States was a rich and compassionate nation that should do more to help the victims of the tsunami.

The Saudi aid efforts, initially limited to $10 million have ballooned to $30 million (plus over $60 million in private contributions) under pressure from groups who claimed that Saudi Arabia was a rich but uncompassionate nation that would not do more to help the victims of the tsunami because charity was a Western, Judeo-Christian concept foreign to Muslims.

January 7, 2005

Saudi Tsunami Fundraising Drive Raises over $30 million in First Day

Saudi Arabia Television held a fundraising drive for the victims of the tsunami and raised a little over $30 million on the first day. Saudi Arabia's per capita income is about $8500 per year according to the Atlas method, and there are about 15 million Saudi citizens. The one-day donation total equals $2 per citizen in absolute terms. Given the difference in per capita income and population, it is as though private US donors gave over $3 billion in a single day.

Saudi telethon raises more then $60 million for tsunami victims as of 4pm EST

An ongoing national fundraising event on Saudi television has raised more than $65 million in cash as of midnight Riyadh time (4 p.m., Thursday, EST) to donate to the victims of the tsunami. Proceeds from this fundraiser, held January 6, are in addition to the $30 million in aid Saudi Arabia has pledged thus far. This amount does not include in-kind contributions from Saudi citizens and companies. The first planes carrying relief supplies began arriving in the region on Sunday, January 2.

Also today, the Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank pledged $500 million in aid to countries affected by the tsunami. The package will be used in relief operations and reconstruction of devastated areas.

The establishment press has been dutifully chronicling the disaster relief contributions of Western nations in the wake of the South Asia tsunami disaster, where victims were overwhelmingly Muslim.

But almost nobody seems concerned about how Muslim nations themselves are doing in the tsunami aid competition.

Top radio talker Rush Limbaugh stepped into the breach on Tuesday, detailing for his audience the relatively stingy response from brother nations.

Saudi Arabia - $10 million. "That's like an afternoon shopping spree in Paris for a member of the Saudi royal family," noted Limbaugh.

Muslims do not have much at all to be proud of. But they don't seem to care. That should put alot into perspective.

They will say "Mekhtoub!(It is written!") It is the will of Allah!"

Wow...I can't wait until Kofi jumps on this and Rather, Brokaw and Jennings report it. This will really stir things up on the national news tonight. whappp...thud...pound Now that I knocked some sense into myself, I guess maybe we will be lucky if Fox mentions it.

So much for charity being one of the pillars of islam.

There are only three true pillars of Islam. 1. Kill Jews 2. Kill Christians 3. Kill each other. The Muslims are proving #3 in Iraq now.

Theyve given nothing to society for 1000 years. They are a bankrupt people. Ask yourself...If some of their countries didnt have oil..what would be their contribution to mankind? ZERO!

Charity is mostly a Western, JudeoChristian concept. Why do we expect people who do not share our worldview or values to see things our way??

We need to give more tsunami aid. By that I mean we need to help create additional tsunamis. They are our best ally in the war on islam.