Special Dispatch | No. 2567, 2568, 2569, 2570, 2571, 2572 | September 30, 2009
Saudi Arabia/Reform Project
Reformist vs Extremist Voices in Saudi Arabia
The following are six Special Dispatches about Saudi Arabia and the issue of extremism. They include articles and statements in the Arab media by Saudi journalists and clerics, as well as a report on a Saudi culture war over public appearances by a woman poet:
*Special Dispatch No. 2572 – Reform Project
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat Editor: Extremism Is Destroying Saudi Youth; We Must Focus Intense Efforts on Combating Extremist Ideology and Incitement
In a recent editorial in the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, editor-in-chief Tareq Al-Homayed points out that despite Saudi Arabia's intense efforts to combat terrorism and its ideological underpinnings, extremism is still rampant in the country, especially among the youth. He calls for focusing intense efforts on eradicating the sources of extremist incitement in Saudi Arabia, and on national dialogue aimed at immunizing the youth against extremist ideology.
To read excerpts from the article, visit http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD257209.
*Special Dispatch No. 2571 – Reform Project
Liberal Saudi Columnist: With Wahhabism as State Religion, There's No Chance of Reform for Saudi Schools
In an article on the reformist website www.aafaq.org, liberal Saudi columnist Mansour Al-Hajj, who resides in the U.S., discusses the Saudi school curricula, which include incitement to violence and hatred of the other. Al-Hajj, himself an alumnus of the Saudi school system, argues that as long as Wahhabi Islam remains the country's state religion, there will be no chance of meaningful reform in the Saudi curricula. He also questions the American policy of demanding reform in Saudi schools while at the same time allowing Wahhabi religious curricula to be taught in the U.S. itself.
To read excerpts from the article, visit http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD257109.
*Special Dispatch No. 2570 – Reform Project
Saudi Columnist: The Gun and The Pen Should Not Speak the Same Language
In a recent column in the Saudi daily Al-Jazirah, Ramadhan Jaridi Al-'Anzi argues that the Arab discourse has for centuries been saturated with violent rhetoric, resulting in a violent culture steeped with hostility for the other. He then calls on Arab intellectuals to bring about a "linguistic awakening" by replacing this violent rhetoric with language that is more moderate and objective.
To read excerpts from the article, visit http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD257009.
*Special Dispatch No. 2569 – Reform Project
Extremists in Saudi Arabia Set Fire to Culture Club to Prevent Woman Poet's Public Appearance
A culture war has been raging recently in Saudi Arabia's Al-Jouf province over a poetry reading with liberal woman poet and columnist Halima Muzaffar. After the province's culture club announced its intention to hold the event, unknown individuals threatened its managers, demanding that all cultural events featuring women be cancelled. Later, they set fire to the club, forcing the managers to postpone the reading. When the event finally did take place, Islamist extremists disrupted it and made further threats against the organizers.
To read details and excerpts, visit http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD256909.
*Special Dispatch No. 2568 – Reform Project
Prominent Saudi Preacher Calls to Denounce and Reject Salafi-Jihadis and Their 'Ignorant Leaders Hiding in Caves'
Saudi sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Sa'd Al-Suhaimi Al-Harbi, who is a preacher at a Medina mosque, an Islamic Affairs Ministry instructor of preachers, and a former lecturer at the Islamic University of Medina, has issued a response to the August 27, 2009 assassination attempt against Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Naif, carried out by an Al-Qaeda suicide bomber.
In his response, posted on his website (www.al-soheemy.net), Al-Suhaimi calls the assassination attempt "a shameful act perpetrated by the enemies of Islam," and harshly denounces all adherents of the Salafi-jihadi stream, saying that they are Khawarij and that their leaders are "ignorant [sheikhs] hiding in caves." He states that with this assassination attempt, the Salafi-jihadis have, as far as the Islamic Shari'a is concerned, placed themselves in the same category as suicides, killers of innocent Muslims, hypocrites, those who violate the sanctity of Ramadan, and those who repay kindness with cruelty.
In an attempt to combat the spread of the Salafi-jihadi ideology, Al-Suhaimi calls on imams, preachers, educators, and writers to protect the youth from this ideology, and to explicitly and unequivocally condemn its proponents. He also calls on parents to keep a close watch on their sons and daughters, lest they be tempted to follow this stream, and to ban writings that inspire it – by Sayyid Qutb, Ahmad Al-Rashed, Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, and others – and also audio and video recordings that incite to jihad.
To read excerpts from the statement, visit http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD256809.
*Special Dispatch No. 2567 - Jihad & Terrorism Studies Project
Saudi Salafi Cleric Sleiman Al-Dweish Curses Arab Liberals, Explains Why He Refuses to Send His Children to School
Following are excerpts from an interview with Saudi cleric Sleiman Al-Dweish, which aired on Al-Daleel TV on April 21, 2009.
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2111.htm.
To read this dispatch, visit http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD256709.
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