Special Dispatch | No. 2670, 2671 | November 27, 2009 | |
Saudi Arabia |
Special Dispatch No. 2671
SAUDI LIBERAL: THE MUSLIMS' SENSE OF MORAL SUPERIORITY IS UNFOUNDED
In a recent article in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa, Saudi liberal Muhammad Jamil Kutbi wrote that the Arabs and Muslims are unjustified in regarding themselves as morally superior to the West. He argued that although Islam champions values such as equality, justice and charity, the West actually surpasses the Muslim world at implementing these values.
Following are excerpts from the article.[1]
"We Falsely Accuse the Westerners... of Being Liars, Forgers, and Criminals"
"...We Arabs and Muslims see the Jews and Christians as people who do not acknowledge or fear Allah, and are not ashamed before Him. We also falsely accuse the Westerners, the Christians, and the Jews of being liars, forgers, criminals, and money lenders who charge usurious interest rates.
"But when we look reality in the face and follow the developments [in the world], when we examine the facts as they are and investigate the Muslim and Arab reality in which we live – including all the exaggerations, [empty] statements, faults, flaws and problems – we discover that, though we are called Muslims, we do not truly embody the qualities, values and principles of Islam...
"We claim that the Westerners love money and material things, while we Muslims are better than they are: we are ascetic, pious and charitable. As an example, we present one of the Prophet's companions, 'Abd Al-Rahman bin 'Awf, who was known to possess great wealth but donated half of it to the cause of jihad for the sake of Allah. We Muslims take great pride in his example.
"But today there is a Westerner named Bill Gates, owner of the world's richest and most powerful computer company, who gave away all his wealth, leaving only $3 billion for himself. [The rest] he donated to the poor and the needy, and to social organizations. Now, in the Arab and Muslim world there are hundreds of wealthy people like him, who appear on the list of the world's billionaires.
To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD267109.
Special Dispatch No. 2670
SAUDI PRINCE: A CURSE ON ANYONE WHO SEEKS TO INSTITUTE WESTERN DEMOCRACY IN SAUDI ARABIA
In an op-ed in the Saudi daily Al-Watan, Saudi Prince Saud bin Mansour bin Saud bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz [2] took on Saudi and Arab liberals and reformists and the Western ideal of democracy. Without naming names, he said that these people were promoting Western democracy despite all its flaws and despite the fact that Islam is vastly superior. Calling democracy "demo-khratiyya" (i.e. "demo-mendacity"), the prince said that writers who criticized Saudi Arabia needed an "ideological bloodletting" to purge them of their corrupt ideas.
Following are translated excerpts from his article: [3]
Unfortunately, Some Arab Media Are Trumpeting Democracy Instead of Islam
"Democracy according to their interpretation [that is, that of the Arab reformists] is a Western social regime that works for the interests of the majority, under many protections and conditions, in order [to enable] political stability, development and advancement, as well as reduced corruption, poverty and hunger, and freedom of expression. This freedom is always plastered like a placard on the wall of democracy – in [full] knowledge that Plato called it the rule of the people for itself and by itself.
"Most unfortunately, some of the Arab media mouthpieces are trumpeting [democracy] as a means of [progress], forgetting that democracy's principles include that of separation of religion and state. They enslave the term [i.e. democracy] to their own twisted interests, and to their prattling that gives their listeners a headache.
"Have the owners of these mouthpieces [i.e. the Arab media] forgotten that Islam laid out an order that is incompatible with foreign ideology, and that it is a sound and pure religion – and that the respect for the individual in Islam... is supreme? [Have they forgotten that Islam] is the best source for the appropriate freedom and for [ideals of] humanity, and that it is the best protector of mankind?
To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD267009.
[1] Al-Siyassa (Kuwait), October 24, 2009.
[2] The prince is the great-grandson of the founder of the Saudi kingdom 'Abd Al-'Aziz (ruled 1932-1953) and the grandson of King Saud (ruled 1953-1964).
[3] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), October 19, 2009.
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