Apparently troubled by terrorism in his country, a Saudi lawyer from Jedda examined the question, “what are the causes for the problem of terrorism that Saudi Arabia is now facing?” His conclusions are that Saudi society needs “reform and change.”
However, in the same article, he declared apologetically, “Saudi Arabia is clearly a victim of terrorism, and not a nation that supports it. ...It must be remembered that terrorism is not confined to a certain country or religion; it has become a global phenomenon affecting all communities — Islamic, Christian, and Jewish. Terrorism now extends from Jakarta to Dakar and from Oslo to Cape Town in South Africa. Every religion has extremists within it who foster terrorist activities whether they are Jews, Christians, or Muslims. Even within our Arab community....”
The lawyer, Dr. Khalid Alnowaiser, presented his analysis in the English-language Arab News of Saudi Arabia on January 10.
Admitting that it is only a partial explanation for the existence of domestic Saudi terrorism, the writer blamed “the lack of effective participation of individuals in building civil society, the non-existence of civil institutions and the stark contradiction between formal statements and reality. We did not learn from experience. At least the second Gulf War should have highlighted the need for both reform and change. ...Another factor may have been the government’s insistence that the Kingdom remain a closed society or be opened very gradually for fear that the country’s identity might be lost or compromised. To this should be added rising levels of poverty, unemployment, lack of balanced economic development, and an educational system that fails to meet the needs of a more global environment. Moreover, marginalization, intellectual void, foggy planning for the future, and hard-to-attain hopes have contributed to the problem of a significantly important stratum of Saudi youth.”
The terrorists, argued Alnowaiser, feed off of Saudi Arabia’s closed society, “because there are no political or other institutions allowing them to express their views and have those views challenged by others in an open and public forum.”
Similarly, on the intellectual level, “a certain intellectual heritage... has prevailed in Saudi society and taken away its freedom and will by confining thinking to certain preset boundaries. It is precisely this kind of outmoded thinking that makes it impossible for us to accept new and progressive ideas. This school of thought that has monopolized our thinking during the past decades has caused many negative consequences, because change and progress comes only when new ways of thinking are encouraged and embraced,” the Arab News contributor explained.
So, what is the solution? Alnowaiser breaks it down into several parts:
1. “The first step toward such a solution is to publicly acknowledge that we face a number of serious problems that allow terrorists to exist and engage in their murderous activities.” The target of such an intellectual project, he wrote, is “young people in Saudi Arabia (consisting of more than 65 percent of the population)... in a particularly desperate need of intellectual guidance in a spirit of brotherhood and equality, so they can become responsible and will not simply take orders from others. One who has intellectual integrity is much less likely to blindly follow the charismatic leader of a terrorist group.”
2. The writer continued, “The Kingdom needs clear-cut and balanced political, economic, social, and cultural development at all levels; the kind of development that begins and ends with the individual and one that rids our society of the problems of poverty, destitution, unemployment and social injustice.”
3. Another cause of terrorism, which must be eliminated, according to Alnowaiser, is unemployment: “Unemployment has become an appalling nightmare that needs to be addressed immediately. A solution to this problem requires that the Kingdom think beyond Saudization. More must be done than simply placing Saudi nationals in jobs currently occupied by foreigners. Our young people must receive the right kind of education to qualify them for the highly technical jobs that the government’s modernizing efforts will require.”
4. On another front, “Saudis need to initiate an open dialogue to challenge those who have held themselves out as the guardians of society. In reality, these thought-controllers have hurt the nation by encouraging people to be self-centered and seclude themselves from a world that knows no limits. Moreover, they think of their views and judgments as incontestably legitimate. It is high time they vacated the intellectual arena they have been forcefully occupying for so long.”
5. “Granting women a more significant role to play is essential for our nation to progress. We should neither fear them nor coddle them nor, indeed, treat them as if they were creatures from a different planet. It is high time our women joined men in improving Saudi society provided that it is done within the framework of Islamic laws. Since the dawn of Islam, women have always played significant roles in society. We have to free them from being a hostage to habits and customs that have caused the rest of the world to think of us as if we are living in the Stone Age.”
The Saudi writer concluded that the time to start is now: “Confrontation today is much easier than tomorrow when it might be an unavoidable option. Time is of the essence, and these issues can no longer be ignored in the vague hope that society may some day become ready for change and greater openness. History, experience and logic teach us that this will not happen; closed societies never move forward unless their leaders make big and courageous decisions.”
However, in the same article, he declared apologetically, “Saudi Arabia is clearly a victim of terrorism, and not a nation that supports it. ...It must be remembered that terrorism is not confined to a certain country or religion; it has become a global phenomenon affecting all communities — Islamic, Christian, and Jewish. Terrorism now extends from Jakarta to Dakar and from Oslo to Cape Town in South Africa. Every religion has extremists within it who foster terrorist activities whether they are Jews, Christians, or Muslims. Even within our Arab community....”
The lawyer, Dr. Khalid Alnowaiser, presented his analysis in the English-language Arab News of Saudi Arabia on January 10.
Admitting that it is only a partial explanation for the existence of domestic Saudi terrorism, the writer blamed “the lack of effective participation of individuals in building civil society, the non-existence of civil institutions and the stark contradiction between formal statements and reality. We did not learn from experience. At least the second Gulf War should have highlighted the need for both reform and change. ...Another factor may have been the government’s insistence that the Kingdom remain a closed society or be opened very gradually for fear that the country’s identity might be lost or compromised. To this should be added rising levels of poverty, unemployment, lack of balanced economic development, and an educational system that fails to meet the needs of a more global environment. Moreover, marginalization, intellectual void, foggy planning for the future, and hard-to-attain hopes have contributed to the problem of a significantly important stratum of Saudi youth.”
The terrorists, argued Alnowaiser, feed off of Saudi Arabia’s closed society, “because there are no political or other institutions allowing them to express their views and have those views challenged by others in an open and public forum.”
Similarly, on the intellectual level, “a certain intellectual heritage... has prevailed in Saudi society and taken away its freedom and will by confining thinking to certain preset boundaries. It is precisely this kind of outmoded thinking that makes it impossible for us to accept new and progressive ideas. This school of thought that has monopolized our thinking during the past decades has caused many negative consequences, because change and progress comes only when new ways of thinking are encouraged and embraced,” the Arab News contributor explained.
So, what is the solution? Alnowaiser breaks it down into several parts:
1. “The first step toward such a solution is to publicly acknowledge that we face a number of serious problems that allow terrorists to exist and engage in their murderous activities.” The target of such an intellectual project, he wrote, is “young people in Saudi Arabia (consisting of more than 65 percent of the population)... in a particularly desperate need of intellectual guidance in a spirit of brotherhood and equality, so they can become responsible and will not simply take orders from others. One who has intellectual integrity is much less likely to blindly follow the charismatic leader of a terrorist group.”
2. The writer continued, “The Kingdom needs clear-cut and balanced political, economic, social, and cultural development at all levels; the kind of development that begins and ends with the individual and one that rids our society of the problems of poverty, destitution, unemployment and social injustice.”
3. Another cause of terrorism, which must be eliminated, according to Alnowaiser, is unemployment: “Unemployment has become an appalling nightmare that needs to be addressed immediately. A solution to this problem requires that the Kingdom think beyond Saudization. More must be done than simply placing Saudi nationals in jobs currently occupied by foreigners. Our young people must receive the right kind of education to qualify them for the highly technical jobs that the government’s modernizing efforts will require.”
4. On another front, “Saudis need to initiate an open dialogue to challenge those who have held themselves out as the guardians of society. In reality, these thought-controllers have hurt the nation by encouraging people to be self-centered and seclude themselves from a world that knows no limits. Moreover, they think of their views and judgments as incontestably legitimate. It is high time they vacated the intellectual arena they have been forcefully occupying for so long.”
5. “Granting women a more significant role to play is essential for our nation to progress. We should neither fear them nor coddle them nor, indeed, treat them as if they were creatures from a different planet. It is high time our women joined men in improving Saudi society provided that it is done within the framework of Islamic laws. Since the dawn of Islam, women have always played significant roles in society. We have to free them from being a hostage to habits and customs that have caused the rest of the world to think of us as if we are living in the Stone Age.”
The Saudi writer concluded that the time to start is now: “Confrontation today is much easier than tomorrow when it might be an unavoidable option. Time is of the essence, and these issues can no longer be ignored in the vague hope that society may some day become ready for change and greater openness. History, experience and logic teach us that this will not happen; closed societies never move forward unless their leaders make big and courageous decisions.”