Google Doodle for Raif Badawi

There isn’t one yet, but one atheist activist (who is choosing to keep their name out of things) recently started a push for one. If successful, it would mean both direct PR pressure on Saudi Arabia and encouragement to Google users to talk to their own governments about the problem.

If you’d like to encourage Google yourself, here is the sample email being shared.

Dear Google Doodlers,

On June 17, Raif Badawi–the world-renowned Saudi blogger–will have been in a Saudi prison for 3 years. He was publicly flogged and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 1000 lashes for “insulting Islam.” What he really did, though, was to speak up for human rights in Saudi Arabia.

I’m writing to ask you to please create a Google Doodle in honor of Raif Badawi.

June 17th would be an ideal day for it to run, but any day would be good.

Sincerest regards

Send it or your own letter to [email protected]. If you want to see more of a call to action from them than a doodle, you can include a link to this information from Amnesty International on how to help.

If a Google doodle feels frivolous to you? That’s fine. We all decide where to put our limited energy. In that case, however, maybe check out the Amnesty International suggestions or figure out whether your local atheist group is doing anything for June 17. Badawi won’t be getting any help from Saudi Arabia without intervention. Their courts just upheld his conviction and sentencing.

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Google Doodle for Raif Badawi
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2 thoughts on “Google Doodle for Raif Badawi

  1. 1

    And I want to make the case that the google doodle is not frivolous. The number of people who see it is equal to the amount of people from several countries.
    This action really has a high impact/effort ratio, and not just because the effort is so small.

  2. 2

    Thanks so much, Stephanie! I just heard that the Saudi Supreme Court has again upheld Raif’s sentence.

    Clarification: I didn’t start this, I’m just spreading the word. I don’t particularly need anonymity.

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