DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS

 

King of Saudi Arabia

meets

President Barack Obama

 

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia visited President Barack Obama in June 2010 to discuss among other major topic the prevention of violent extremism, referred to as "radical Islam" by the previous Bush administration. Mr. Obama reaffirmed the with the king to continue the Bush doctrine by accepting more Saudi students arriving by the thousands into the United States in an effort to keep that country's youth away from the influence and recruitment by al-Qaeda.

And what of that open wound—the historically chasm dividing Arabs and Jews? The Arab-Israeli conflict is the most important, most intractable problem for the U.S. president in the Muslim world.

King Abdullah ibn Abdel Aziz al-Saud while in New York City late in 2008 for an Interfaith Conference at the United Nations, took fresh steps in the thousand-mile journey to find peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. While at the U.N. the Saudi king, who asked Israel to join the interfaith conference, had refused to sit at the same dining table with the country’s president, Shimon Perez.

Going to the Mid-East is to come into the orbit of Muslim mores and centuries-old ethnic traditions and religious ethos that mirror the primeval society of pre-Islam. Here, the U.S. president faces a deeply ambiguous, convoluted society holding on to its past while attempting to break out anew.

Within the past week, a man who murdered an 11-year-old boy was publicly beheaded; his decapitated body put on display as a lesson for what happens when you murder a child.

Into this deeply complex zeitgeist, Mr. Obama must tread lightly. On the one hand Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry confirmed the arrests of scores of suspects in an anti-terror sweep, involving attacks on senior officials and government oil facilities, military and security installations that involved a Saudi guard dying while successfully thwarting a suicide bombing.

On the other hand, a judge said that husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly ...a Saudi Arabian court sentenced a 75-year-old Syrian woman to 40 lashes, four months imprisonment, and deportation from the Kingdom for having two unrelated men in her house ….a (teenage) female victim of a gang rape was sentenced to a jail term and flogged for violating her country’s strict sex segregation laws.

The clerics issuing these edicts later divested of their power by King Abdullah, broad actions as these had replaced much of the nation's clergy earlier in the year as part of recent domestic reforms that include installing the first female Saudi minister in the country's history, while increasingly dismantling the calcified puritanical agents of the country's medieval draconian practices. The scale of domestic violence and abuse coming into focus is exponential with the rights of women aggressively championed by the Saudi king, pushing hard against the prevailing cultural norms.

Saudi judge Sheikh Habib Abdallah al-Habib declined to vacate the marriage of an 8-year-old girl to a 47-year-old man; the marriage arranged by the girl’s father to settle a debt with “a close friend”. The only provision the judge required was that the girl's husband sign a pledge in which he swore not have sex with the child until she reaches puberty.

There's no chance that President Obama's meet-and-greet with King Abdullah will turn into a grip-and-grin, but here are a few pointers along with a little history:

Alcohol and drugs are not only prohibited inside Saudi Arabia, the punishment for production and distribution can include death.

The Saudis are sensitive to Western criticism of the Arab world.

The Saudis highly value hospitality.

Never place the sole of your shoe facing toward another person—this is a great insult.

The Saudis have definite ideas about what constitutes proper masculine and feminine behavior. A close friend will be greeted with an embrace and multiple kisses on the cheek; and it’s not considered unnatural for two men to hold hands. But homosexuality they consider a sin and a great crime.

Religious affiliation is essential for every person. Saudi society does not make allowances for either atheist or agnostic.

Saudi culture is divided between the cultured city-dwellers and more primitive villagers. There is a cast system which is observed and a hierarchy that is unbreakable.

The Saudis are very security conscious as a national interest, yet their commitment to sound planning, principles and preventive measures is lacking. Their military tradition is not accustomed to hard labor, and does not like taking orders or wearing a uniform.

Never use your left hand. Traditionally, the left hand is used to wipe after using the toilet and is considered unclean.

On the other hand (no pun intended) it's very polite to accept anything that is offered you to eat or drink; but impolite to ask anyone to share with you.

 

FROM REEL TO REAL ...for real

For decades a friend of the Bush family, King Abdullah and the Saudi royal family have become increasingly critical of the political and military posturing of President George W. Bush in the Middle East; so the king's government remains cautious in its dealings with the United States.

However, what most Americans know about Saudi Arabia comes from watching Hollywood movies.

THE KINGDOM (2007) strategically packaged with rapid-fire editing and breathlessly upbeat vibes for a generation of attention deficit disorder, a terrorist attack on an American housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has FBI agents on a tight lease and with little help from Saudi security in a constrained five-day investigation of the murder scene. Hollywood keeps the story simple, and as "entertainment" it succeeds. The film had a Saudi technical advisor, but actress Jennifer Gardner as a lone female among men ...and showing way too much. Well, giving movie-makers advice is all you can do.

 

 Between the epic sweep of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) and the rapid-fired delivery of THE KINGDOM is ensconced the politically charged conundrum of SYRIANA (2005) wherein the CIA needs a scapegoat when it's plot to kill the Emir-apparent of a Mid-East monarchy (Saudi?) fails.

Meanwhile, an American economist parlays the death of his son into a contract to advise that same Emir.

Bottom line: All roads lead to the oil fields.

What the cinema doesn't say about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is how the nation has consistently opposed the leftist democratic movement within its borders (ever since the Persian Gulf War), as well as the political extremist known as al-Qaeda, or the ways by which the Kingdom promote Sunni Islam that plays a pivotal role in the Muslim world.

Saudi foreign policy objectives are to promote and maintain cooperative relationships with other oil-producing countries (OPEC) and with major oil-consuming countries like the United States, with diplomatic relations between the Saudis and the U.S. having been historically strong; but strained of late over oil prices, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the war in Iraq.

The center of great wealth, thanks to the discovery of oil by the mid-20th Century, has allowed the royal hierarchy of Saudi Arabia to enjoy an extremely high standard of living. But economic realities in the past two decades have forced the ruling class to re-evaluate their years of overspending and exercise greater financial responsibility. Defense and security, however, are still high priority expenditures. But in response to pressures from both progressive and conservative factions within Saudi society, King Abdullah has introduced some controversial policies, such as allowing minority Shi’ite Muslims to participate in the political process, and having held the country’s first election in early 2005. Although the king has in these instances exercises sole authority, he consults with a committee of ministers.

Assuming all political responsibilities, King Abdullah has been portrayed as an honest broker for cultural change within the country, a traditional man seeking to reestablish the legitimacy of the Saud family in the wake of growing domestic discontent. In reaction to high unemployment levels, falling living standards, and a rapidly changing social landscape, many Saudis are demanding significant social and political reforms. To strengthen the Kingdom’s economic base, King Abdullah also stepped up implementation of the government’s “Saudization” program, aimed at decreasing the high percentage of expatriates in the workforce by 2010, employing Saudi citizens in 70% of all jobs.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy ruled by the al-Saud family that governs in accordance with Islamic Law known as Sharia. The country has no written constitution, no parliament—but has “five pillars” that form the basis of Muslim life: Faith, Prayer, Charity, Fasting and Pilgrimage. Saudi also has a very keen, global interest in the spread of Islam throughout the secular world.

Islam is not just their religion but a total way of life, proscribing behavior of the individual, codifying all laws, familial relationships, business etiquette, dress, food, personal hygiene and much, much more.                                          

 

During the war, Lawrence fought with Arab irregular troops in extended guerrilla operations against the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire, convincing Arab leaders to co-ordinate their revolt in aiding British interests. In 1917 Lawrence arranged a joint action with the irregulars and other forces against the strategically located port city of Aqaba, when the city fell to Arab forces.

The final weeks of the war, Lawrence was involved in the capture of Damascus and instrumental in establishing a provisional Arab government under Emir Faisal, a son of Sherif Hussein of Mecca. Faisal's rule as king, however, came to an abrupt end in 1920 when French Forces entered Damascus and dashed Lawrence’s hope for an independent Arabia.

In the early 20th Century, the Wahhabi-oriented Saudis mounted the movement for Arab nationalism, conquering then unifying various provinces on the Arabian Peninsula between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

In this process they founded in 1932 the House of Saud and the modern day Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, their power soldified by taking control of the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina that would later endow the newly formed state with influence over other cultures throughout the Muslim world.

Discovery of the Persian Gulf oil fields, which after 1975 allowed the Wahhabi to promote their interpretation of Islam by using tens of billions from oil export revenue—vast wealth which since has provided a base for funding foreign missionary activities.

But the problem is not Islam, argues the editorial page of The Washington Post, but clerics and weak-willed potentates who stunt the skills and abilities of Saudi women to compete in the Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) proudly affirms the fundamental principles that every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport without discrimination of any kind in the Olympic spirit.

Discrimination based on gender is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement, so argues the IOC and cautions with multiple tabs on its website championing women in sports.

America has a four-million strong Arab population. (Keep in mind that all Arabs are not Muslims, most Muslims are not Arab, and only 20% of Muslims are in the Middle East.) And since 9/11 the U.S. government has mostly wasted a great deal of taxpayer dollars spent on public diplomacy in the more moderate Muslim world promoting democracy.

Of course, it's obviously easier for President Obama to argue for the best ways to deploy American military power as well as humanitarian aid in combating terrorism in the Mid-East. The problem is that it’s too easy to punish an extremist about what’s on his minds rather than what's in his bones.

 

WAHHABI

It's a term that conjures up images of Saudi Arabia; a locally authentic form of indigenous Islam, injecting nationalism into spiritual discourse by raising the specter of

“religion police” and other practices of the conservative Sunni Muslim, wherein the rights of women are severely restricted by Western standards.

Considered neither a branch nor a sect,"Wahhabism" as it's referred to by the West and attributed to Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, an 18th century scholar, advocated a return to the practices of the first three generations of Islamic history, thereby answerable to no school of law, observing instead the rites of early Islam.

The primary doctrine of Wahhabi is the unique unity of God, preaching against “perceived moral decline and political weakness” in the Arabian Peninsula. Wahhabi theology treats the Qur’an as fundamental texts filtered through the first three generations of Muslims, further explaining itself by way of various commentaries.

The most important of these oppose any school of thought or authority that questions Wahhabi, which denounces blind adherence to any scholarly interpretation of the Qur’an and acceptance of practices passed on within a given family or tribe.

From its oil wealth Wahhabi developed insurmountable appeal and sway by globally funding mosques, schools and philanthropic foundations.

However, in Saudi Arabia he faith does not simply urge Muslims to follow the religious duties of Islam, such as prayer, but compels them to do so with established authority of the Commission for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice or “religious police” without formal sanction yet tacit approval of the state to enforce rules of behavior.

A line can be drawn to distinguish what’s called deeply conservative Saudi Wahhabi from what has come to be known as "political Islam" such as al-Qaeda.

                         

Wahhabi's influence in the Islamic world followed the tripling of oil prices in the mid-1970s. Having the world’s largest reserves of oil but a relatively small population, Saudi Arabia funded with tens of billions of dollars the promotion of Wahhabi throughout the Islamic world (often referred to as “petro-Islam") being the Olympian benefactor of hard-line Islamist organizations.

But contrary to Western popular belief, Wahhabi opposes “jihadi” resistance against Muslim governments and assassination of Muslim leaders. This is due to their devout belief that any decision to wage jihad lay with the ruler and not an individual believer like Osama bin Laden.

 

THE NEXT GENERATION

Though they do not disagree with the orthodoxy of their elders, neither does the new generation of Saudis derive “the answer” to difficult questions of social and political behavior about society within the severe restriction of Islamic jurisprudence.

A scholar’s purpose is to accept no ready answer, if consensus suggest otherwise, but to inquire and research beyond a single source.

Open to discussion with less constrained interpretation of the Qur’an offers the next generation, attached to tradition, the best tool to revise and reform commentary about Sunni Islam.

Changing the face of Wahhabi by becoming empowered through education and modernization, the children of Saudi Arabia are the economic future and will become the face of the kingdom as viewed outside the Middle East and by the Western world.

As mentioned...Saudis are sensitive to Western criticism of the Arab world.

On August 6, 2008 The Washington Post reported that the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union represents 1,200 workers at a Tyson Foods poultry plant in the state of Tennessee, where Somalis account for 250 to 400 of the plant’s employees.

The union had negotiated a contract that substitutes a Muslim holiday in exchange for Labor Day, as one of eight paid holidays.“You are a union proud of achieving a Muslim holiday and prayer room?” one person wrote the union, according to Post reporter Steven Greenhouse.

“A union in the U.S.A., a country based on Christianity,” the protest continued.

“You call yourselves Americans? Have you forgotten 9/11?”

Greenhouse also quoted another who said, “You had no right to drop Labor Day. Muslim employees must integrate Labor Day into THEIR lives if they are going to live in America.” Anti-immigrant bloggers, conservative demagogues and others berated Tyson Foods for the perceived insult.

Nonetheless, a Tyson spokeswoman pointed out that the plant has three Christian chaplains as well as prayer rooms for Muslims and Christians alike.

America, contrary to common belief, is by constitution not a “Christian” nation, though clearly one guided by this dominant ideology.

However, the acrimony shown is symptomatic of a much wider and deeper intolerance and hostility toward Islam. Canonized or demonized, religion has historically served as the pawn for opportunist to troll the spiritual spectrum in gathering an angry mob of jingoists; or firing up a xenophobic population already ticked off about an issue and growling like The Incredible Hulk from the opposite side of the cultural divide.

Meanwhile, an "inter-faith truth and reconciliation" between Christians and Muslims in the United States will more than likely come in time, and with future generations of both Americans and Saudis, and not by presidential fiat or divine right of kings.

 

By Frederick Louis Richardson
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