Category Politics

Women and Reformist Lawyer Arrested

Following their demonstration outside a state security HQ in Qassim, Rima al-Juraish and four other women were arrested today. Moreover, Abdullah al-Hamid, a well-known reformist and attorney of Rima al-Juraish’s husband Mohammed al-Hamily, was also arrested. Al-Hamid, who was previously jailed in the past after demanding constitutional reforms but was later pardoned by King Abdullah, has asked the authorities to allow his family to bring him his medicines. Read more here and here (Arabic).

UPDATE: The Interior Ministry have issued a statement confirming the arrests, claiming they took place after a search for weapons at Juraish’s home which uncovered three machine guns, three revolvers and some ammunition. However, it is said that it was the security forces themselves who brought the weapons when they raided the house at dawn, then planted them in a sofa and under floor tiles before arresting the group.

Women Demonstrate in Qassim

Fifteen women and seven children have demonstrated outside a state security HQ demanding a fair public trial for their husbands, stop torture, and transfer them back to a local prison. Fouad al-Farhan, the blogger who has been on hiatus for a long time and now is back, broke the story on his blog.

This is important because it is the first time for women to hold a public demonstration in protest in Saudi Arabia. I doubt that mainstream media would actually cover the story, and hence it is important to spread the word online in blogs and forums. Go to Fouad’s blog now and sign your name in support of these women, and make sure this reaches as many people as possible.

UPDATE: Reuters confirmed the story.

RIYADH, July 16 (Reuters) – Wives of Saudi men detained on suspicion of links to militant groups complained to the authorities on Monday, saying their husbands should be released or face a public trial, families said.

“Our husbands and sons are in prison … We have sent telegrams and we’ve gone to the Human Rights Commission but it’s useless. So we are staging this sit-in,” Rima al-Juraish said by telephone. She said she was speaking from outside a state security headquarters in the Qassim region north of Riyadh.

She said the women wanted cases involving their families brought to court, legal representation for the men, an end to “mistreatment” and their return to a local prison.

Juraish said the detainees, who have been held for periods ranging from two to five years, were removed to Riyadh last month for induction in a “correction” programme run by clerics that authorities say has led more than 700 suspects to “repent”.

Will They Abide?

So the government have cautioned the the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. “The Ministry of Interior has instructed commission members to strictly abide by the law and hand suspects immediately over to the custody of police,” Arab News reported today.

The statement comes after a July 1 royal directive stating that commission field members must abide by a 1982 order that they have no authority to detain or process suspects. How come this order has been ignored for this long time is beyond my comprehension, but it is obvious that the Commission and those who support them are finally feeling the heat. They should. Unfortunately, it has taken the death of two innocent men for such thing to happen.

I should say, however, that such statement does not necessarily mean that members of the Commission will abide. I mean it has been there since 1982, right? What happens when you put a low and then don’t enforce it is that people start to ignore it and then simply lose their respect to the law afterwards.

For Sale…

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, former Saudi ambassador to the United States and current National Security Adviser, has listed one of his properties there for sale. The property, called Hala Ranch, is a 95-acre estate built in 1991 and it is located in Aspen, Colorado. But since he is not spending as much time in the United States as he once did, he decided to sell it. The NY Times describes the ranch as “the most expensive single-family residential property in the nation on the market.”

halaranch

How much does it cost, you ask? Just $135 million.

Two Books from Saudi Arabia

While working on this blog over the past three years, many people have complained to me about the small number of available resources on Saudi Arabia in English, online and offline alike. I think this is one of the reasons behind the increasing popularity of Saudi blogs, mine included. The few books written about this country were mostly by foreigners, and they vary in type of content and quality. But for those interested in reading more about the Kingdom, this summer promises to carry at least two good titles.

girlsofriyadh The first book is Girls of Riyadh, a translation for the controversial novel by dentist Rajaa al-Sanea, who currently pursues a masters degree in the United States. When it was first published in 2005, the novel caused quite a stir for stepping in some taboo areas of the Saudi culture, and was banned for sometime. But today the smash hit is widely available that you can find it even in supermarkets and gas stations. After reading the Arabic edition I wrote that Banat al-Riyadh is certainly not good literature, but it is a good read nevertheless and the writer’s courage to tackle such sensitive issues and standing by her opinions later on are respectable and admirable.

The second book might prove to be even more controversial. Understanding Wahhabism is an attempt to reread Saudi history in the context of an interesting argument: Wahhabism is not a religious movement; Wahhabism is a political movement. The author is Khalid al-Dakhil, professor of sociopolitics at KSU. But this description is probably not accurate. Because al-Dakhil, in addition to other liberal academics such as Hatoon al-Fassi and Matruk al-Faleh, are not allowed to teach any courses. Why? That’s another post.

Al-Dakhik will fly soon to the States, where he will stay for a year teaching at Michigan State University, and some observers here say he could be moving for good. He said in a TV interview last month this is unlikely, but he did not brush off the option completely. It is a pity how this country can be so repulsive to its thinkers and artists.

UPDATE: Also worth mentioning is If Olaya Street Could Talk — Saudi Arabia: The Heartland of Oil and Islam by John Paul Jones, who was a Medical Corpsman during the Vietnam War, and came to the country thinking he would only stay here for a few months, but he stayed here for 25 years where he got married and raised a family. “For the thoughtful reader desiring a solution to the current conflict, this book should serve as a useful counterpoint to such works as “Hatred’s Kingdom,” “The Prince of Darkness,” as well as the titillation of a title like “Saudi Arabia Exposed,” the writer said in an email.

Who Else Wants a Good Textbook?

Secularism on the ethical side means chaos and mocking religion and virtue (…) Democracy is the political expression of secularism i.e. secularism is the origin and democracy is its branch in the political domain (…) The democratic system contradicts in its origin and essence the Islamic system

One of the courses I’m taking this semester is 104 SLM aka Political System in Islam. The textbook of this course has been revised several times over the years, and the latest edition in our hands today was authored by no less than six faculty members of the Islamic Studies department at KSU. Unfortunately, however, when start reading it, it falls miserably short as you would think this is some political party manifesto, not a textbook that is supposed to be fair and unbiased. The mentioned above quotes are just few examples of the gems that fill the textbook of choice for a mandatory course that all students in KSU, males and females, must pass in order to graduate. So much for raising political awareness in the youth.

Whatever Happened to Balanced Development

I watched Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum on television announcing the new national strategy for the United Arab Emirates last week. He was confident and direct, and not afraid to say the truth no matter how painful or embarrassing it could be. The way he talked about the ministry of justice for example was just unbelievable.

Few months ago, Mohammed bin Rashid, a true visionary, has locked the members of his new cabinet in a fancy resort in Dubai and told them they won’t leave the place until they come up with a clear strategy of the country for the coming years. Obviously, after making Dubai the miracle that it is today, he now wants to take the rest of the emirate with him to the future. Is there any doubt he would do it? I, for one, have no doubt. All the best to our brothers in the UAE.

Now moving to our magic kingdom, I guess I wasn’t the only one to be disappointed that the king’s speech to the Shoura Council carried no major announcements. The major news came later last week was launching a number of new projects worth US$31.5 bn in Riyadh. Amazing. That was my immediate reaction while watching the presentations on television. However, this also made me wonder about the “balanced development” agenda that many people were hailing the government for promoting last year.

Just last year, the media was abuzz with the news about the King’s visits to different corners of the country to launch new megaprojects in regions that were admittedly neglected and underdeveloped, including six economic cities that are expected to change the face of Saudi Arabia.

But probably our Najdi brothers got jealous seeing other parts of the country getting a little share of the development cake and decided to do something about it. I bet the rest do not envy the central region; I bet they are genuinely happy for their counterparts there; and I bet this leaves them wondering: was balanced development a true promise or merely a temporary slogan?