Anti-Terror Conference Takes Hard-Line Position
Ibrahim Al-Shiddi, Arab News

AL-HASA, 27 February 2005 — Parents, teachers and Islamic scholars were urged to ensure that children are protected from the deviant ideas of intolerance that lead to terrorism at an antiterrorism conference held at King Abdul Aziz Hospital here recently.

The International Anti-Terrorism Conference held in Riyadh a few weeks ago came out with some very positive developments as was noted here earlier (see Riyadh Declaration). Some critics, though, thought this was just something for foreign consumption. This conference shows that the Saudi anti-terror efforts are domestic as well.

I’ll look for articles with more details on this and, if I can find them, post them later.

Kingdom Ratifies UN Convention
M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Arab News

RIYADH, 27 February 2005 — In a major move to reaffirm its commitment to fight organized crime in partnership with the UN member states, Saudi Arabia has ratified the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and submitted the ratification document with the UN secretary-general.

“The endorsement of this UN convention is a commendable initiative on the part of the Kingdom, which has won international appreciation for curbing organized crime,” said El-Mustafa Ben Lamlih, UN Resident Coordinator.

As we’ve been learning over the past few years, there can be a very close connection between organized crime and terror. Especially since the major money channels have been interrupted, terrorist organizations have been turning to criminal activity–drugs, counterfeiting, trafficking in persons–to fund their activities.

Previously, Saudi Arabia was not terribly concerned about these sorts of crime because they had little impact on the country. Now that they are linking up with terror, it’s a different matter.

The crime rate in Saudi Arabia remains low, in all categories, for numerous reasons. But by signing onto this accord, it gives Saudi authorities another tool to get at terror.

Foreign Ministry to Appoint 36 Women
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News

JEDDAH, 27 February 2005 — In a significant first, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry will appoint 36 Saudi women to a variety of jobs in the political, economic, women’s rights and computer departments, press reports said yesterday.

“The appointments will occur within three weeks,” said Prince Khaled ibn Saud, director of the department for financial and administrative affairs. He said a large number of women had already applied for the jobs.

Last week, Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal announced that women would be getting jobs in the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He’s acted upon that quickly with this announcement.

Unless you’d been in a Saudi embassy, you wouldn’t know that Saudi women were already working there, in support staff jobs. Now, in addition to support positions, they’ll be getting what our State Dept. calls “substantive” positions.

Note that this is a step the government can take without having to deal with too much conservative flack. There’s still too much resistence–and social awkwardnesses–for them to be doing it at home at present. They probably could have made this change years ago, but at least they’re doing it now.

Rain Chaos in the Capital
Mohammed Rasooldeen, Arab News

RIYADH, 27 February 2005 — Heavy rains that lashed the capital on Friday flooded roads causing traffic chaos. The flooded roads and stranded vehicles crippled the flow of traffic to the ongoing Janadriya cultural festival. The drive to Janadriya took nearly three hours instead of the normal 45 minutes from the city. Some motorists took sandy byroads to avoid getting caught in the traffic.

The underpass of Exit 12 on the airport highway and the main road to Al-Kharj near the Industrial zone were under water and traffic police guided motorists to take a diversion.

But the rains helped fill the dams in Al-Kharj, Sharg, Majma, Zulfi, Muzamiyah, Do-Admi, Maradh and Diraiyah. The downpour also helped refresh the vegetation and grasslands in the Central Province.

Riyadh, it seems, has gotten rains on the order of those that hit California last week. The link provides a picture that’s probably more meaningful if you know the particular location, but streets under water, in a city that normally gets less than two inches of rain a year, is pretty remarkable.

To the Minister of Information
Abdullah Al-Fawzan • Al-Watan

It is true that newspapers in the Kingdom are fully owned and operated by the private sector. Notwithstanding this fact, they are all controlled by the Ministry of Information through the publication law. This law gives the ministry the right to hire and fire editors and because of this law, the government exercises control of the media and, instead of maintaining a relative distance from it, is in fact drawn to it.

In addition to the law that guarantees the government’s awareness of what is being said in the media is another factor which is equally important. This other factor constantly fuels allegations, both inside and outside the country, and it provides all our critics with a strong reason for believing that the media is directly controlled by the Ministry of Information.

This is an open letter to the new Minister of Information, translated from the Arabic daily Al-Watan. That means that it was directed at Saudis who speak Arabic, i.e., nearly all of them. It’s not an instance saying to foreigners what they’d like to hear, as some allege of the Saudi English-language media.

It’s a clear indication that Saudis want more transparency in their lives, a move that should surely be applauded and encouraged.

Several readers have e-mailed me, asking why I haven’t written about the connection between the Saudi Academy in Northern Virginia and Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, the guy recently extradited from Saudi Arabia to stand trial in the US. Some blogs, like The Jawa Report seem to support a direct cause-and-effect analysis.

The reason I haven’t posted is that I didn’t think it was that big a story.

The Saudi Academy was established by the Saudi government to provide the equivalent of a Saudi education for Muslim students–primarily Saudi. The school followed the same curriculum as the state schools within Saudi Arabia.

There’s nothing untoward about that, in itself. The US government helps establish and subsidizes schools in foreign countries that follow an American curriculum for foreign students–primarily American. This can be through schools operated by the Department of Defense (I’m the product of one of those, in Ankara, Turkey), or an “International” or “American” school operated by private entities. This is sometimes done through a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), sometimes through requesting the host government’s permission.

It’s not surprising that people who are living abroad want their kids to get an education that will serve them when they return home. The children of diplomats, the military, scholars, and businesspeople tend to move around a lot. They cannot learn a new language just to go through grade school or high school. They also need a consistent curriculum that they can use in the next school they show up in.

Foreign schools on a country’s soil often present problems for some people. “Why,” they ask, “are students being taught things that do not accord with our local system?” There are Saudis who resent the fact that there are students learning “un-Islamic” things in a classroom sited in Saudi Arabia. They object to Pakistani schools that follow a Pakistani curriculum and Indian schools that follow an Indian curriculum. They really don’t like a secularist American education. They object, too, to having boys and girls in the same classes. They want the schools shut down.

The problem in the Abu Ali case, of course, is that the Saudi national curriculum, until very recently, was a bad one. Even the Saudis eventually recognized that and have changed the curriculum and their texts, and are working on overhauling their entire theory of education. A system that had required nothing much more than repeating what the student had been told is being changed to one that instills critical thinking skills. A curriculum that had been far too narrow is being expanded to permit students to learn about the world at large.

These changes should have been made years ago. The lousy curriculum should never have been instituted in the first place. That, though, is a situation that normally is not our business. In this case, though, we are concerned about the Saudi education system because it seems to have somehow led to acts of terror against Americans.

Some people see a connection between the “education” that Abu Ali got at the Saudi Academy and his inclination to join Al-Qaeda. Maybe. I do think that an education that demonizes the “other” for no reason more than being different, is a dangerous education. An education that encourages students to think of others as less than human because they follow a different religion can certainly be use as a basis for more extreme thinking and behavior.

But before a causal link can be made between that education and terror, something needs to be explained.

Thousands of students have gone through the Saudi Academy, maybe tens of thousands.

If the education they received makes them into terrorists, then why are not those thousands of students also terrorists?

I can find no source that identifies a single other Saudi Academy graduate who has been arrested, indicted, or even reported as being involved in an act of terror.

The attempt to create a causal linkage is weak because it is based on a sample of one. This is the same weakness that appears in many arguments about social conditions leading to different crimes.

How is it that the brothers and sisters of a criminal, raised in exactly the same environment, are not always also criminals?

Sure, there are “criminal families” in which many, if not all, siblings end up criminal–Frank & Jesse James, Ma Barker and her sons. But that’s not the normal case. How did Ted Koczynski end up as the Unabomber and his brother David end up turning him in? They had not only the same basic education, but the same parents, lived in the same house, hung around with the same kids in the same neighborhood.

Why are not all siblings of a drug offender also drug offenders? They share the same environment, the same education, but they don’t all turn criminal or drug abusers.

The facts don’t support the supposition that an education in the Saudi Academy, however poor that might have been, leads to terrorist behavior. Millions of Saudis have gone through Saudi schools with the same curriculum. At most, there seem to be a few thousand who have turned to terror. Why is the country not comprised entirely of terrorists?

The facts do support the view that–for some people–an education that limits one’s ability to deal with the real world can be used as a starting point toward radicalization.

I do believe that the Saudi education system, until very recently, was conducive toward extremist thinking and that extremist thinking can lead to extremist acts. Changes have been made and they may–or may not–be enough to avoid that outcome. But the education that Ahmed Omar Abu Ali received cannot be used to “explain” the roots of terror.

Coming Home With New Perspectives and Values
Dr. Khalid Al-Seghayer, alseghayer@yahoo.com

When I decided to pursue my education abroad nine years ago, my father called me in to an important meeting on the night of my departure. He addressed me, saying, “Consider yourself an ambassador on behalf of your whole country and thus act accordingly.” He added: “I want you to seek every opportunity to learn what is good and tell people there by your actions how good we are.”

On my arrival in the Kingdom nine years later, the first questions my late father asked me were, “What have you learned over the course of the past years from one of the leading Western societies, and how are you going to benefit your own people from the seemingly good things you have learned?” I have been asked the same questions by my close friends, colleagues and relatives since I returned to the Kingdom.

My answer has always been that I have learned many positive things. Among these are retaining an open mind, respecting people other than my own and learning the art of argument.

Having an open mind was the first thing that I learned, and I will make an effort to convince my own people to make it part of their mindset. The importance of having such an attitude lies, in my view, in the fact that it makes you ready and willing to receive favorably any thoughts, attitudes and customs without prior judgment as to whether they are good or not.

Furthermore, open-mindedness does not limit your horizons to what is within your own reach. It allows you to accept what comes from your surroundings, and more precisely, the values with which you have been taught and raised. In addition, it is an avenue through which you can actively explore opportunities that are invisible to narrow-minded people.

I emphasize that I am not for acceptance of everything in an anarchistic revolution of morals and modes; rather it is not to limit our acceptance of others’ ideas to where our traits or experiences end.

This is a very nice article. In it, the writer tells of the important lesson he learned in an unnamed country. The name of the country is unimportant because what he describes is human, across most countries.

Sadly, that not always the case in Saudi Arabia, where xenophobia truly colors the way people interact.

It’d be great of Dr. Al-Seghayer can pass on some of what he’s learned, beyond his medical skills, to his patients.

Foreign Ministry to Appoint Women for First Time: Saud
Khaled Almaeena

LONDON, 24 February 2005 — It was a cold day in London, but the near zero degree temperature did not chill the second day of Saudi-British conference, where the two nations’ chief diplomats reflected on eight decades of warm relations between their two peoples and charted an equally amicable course for the future.

Addressing the conference, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal announced plans to appoint women to the Foreign Ministry for the first time this year. He pointed out that successful political reforms required “an evolutionary process.”

…In his keynote address, Prince Saud said the role of Saudi women was changing rapidly. “Our educational reforms have created a new generation of highly educated and professionally trained Saudi women who are acquiring their rightful position in Saudi society. I am proud to mention here that this year we shall have women working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the first time,” he said.

A small, but necessary step is taken here. The Saudi government cannot, by itself, move the country faster than the citizens want. But it can make reforms within itself, as it is now doing. This measure is late; there’s not question about that. But this is a case of better late than never.

Breaking the Cultural Barrier
Raid Qusti, rqusti@arabnews.com

Minister of Labor Ghazi Al-Gosaibi caused uproar at the Jeddah Economic Forum when he said that his ministry was finding difficulties hiring women because they demand segregated workplaces. He said he had received many letters from Saudi men saying that their wives or daughters would not work in a mixed environment and if that were the only choice, the women would be better off staying at home without a job. The minister’s remarks were not well received by many Saudi women who said his explanation was a pitiful excuse for not employing women.

If we look back at events of last year, we will see that a law was passed by the Council of Ministers which states that all government departments must create separate women’s departments within a year. The year is now almost up and we still have not heard of new women’s departments in government departments. The minister of labor has so far made no comment about this matter. The questions that are crying out for answers are: What happened to the law that was passed last year? Why isn’t it being implemented?

You have to give Raid Qusti some credit: he goes where many fear to tread.

This article is an interesting one because of the way it shows the conflicts within Saudi society–including among women–about just what their role should be in a modern country. I’d suggest that rather than enjoying a knee-jerk reaction, one read the piece and think about it.

Here’s a fascinating opportunity for full-time classroom teachers in grades 1-12, who teach social studies and library media, have three years teaching experience, and who teach in California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Texas or the District of Columbia. It’s being run by the Institute for International Education–which also operates the Fullbright Educational Exchange Program–and appears to be funded at least in part by ARAMCO Services Company.

Aramco Services Company describes itself as a wholly owned affiliate of Saudi Arabian Oil Company, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia. Aramco’s headquarters are located in Houston, Texas with another U.S. office located in Washington, D.C. Aramco has been a part of the Houston community since 1974 and employs more than 450 people. Aramco Services Company specializes in engineering quality assurance and quality control; information technology; marine vessel services and logistics; purchasing and export of materials; financial services and management information; career-development programs for Saudi Aramco employees studying in North America as well as other training programs for U.S.-based employees; recruitment of North American personnel for Saudi Aramco; and the publication of various magazines and journals.

Any primary, middle, and high school teachers who meet the application requirements might very well want to consider this 10-day program in Saudi Arabia (plus a few days of orientation in Houston, by ARAMCO).

Aramco Teachers to Saudi Arabia Program–May 15 – May 27, 2005

The Aramco Teachers to Saudi Arabia Program aims to cultivate a greater awareness and understanding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in U.S. primary and secondary schools and communities. Additionally, the Aramco Teachers to Saudi Arabia Program seeks to encourage teachers to establish creative means of sharing this understanding with their students, colleagues and communities.

The Aramco Teachers to Saudi Arabia Program will examine Saudi education, culture, history and global relations through site visits, panel discussions and cultural activities in the cities of Dhahran, Riyadh and Jiddah. Upon returning to the U.S., participants will implement an interdisciplinary impact plan drawing on their program experiences.

Program Overview, Themes and Objectives
Program Calendar
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s On The Application?
Contact Us

Click Here to Register and Download the Aramco Teachers to Saudi Arabia Program Application

All applications and supporting documents must be received by March 2, 2005.

Editorial: Choices Before Qorei

Political crises are nothing new to the Palestinians. Power struggles between president and prime minister, threats of no-confidence votes in Parliament, of threatened and actual prime ministerial resignations were a regular feature of political life, especially in Yasser Arafat’s final years in office. Played out in public as these rows inevitably were and against a backdrop of accusations of institutional corruption, they did massive damage to the Palestinian cause. The image they conveyed was of chronic division and a leadership more interested in power, privilege and bickering among itself than in achieving justice for the Palestinian people.

It is on display once more. Just as a possible settlement hovers into view, when even Ariel Sharon and President George Bush seem committed to a deal, when the Palestinians themselves were just beginning to believe that a new dawn might actually be on the horizon, another row among their leaders threatens to blow away Palestinian unity, and with it Palestinian strength.

This is a good editorial from Arab News about the internal politics of the Palestinian cabinet struggle, at least from a Saudi perspective. If you’re following the situation there, including international pressure on Syria, you might be interested. (And, for the record, the Saudis think the Syrians were behind Hariri’s assassination.)

Women and Elections: Let Us Wait for the Next Phase

Suraya Al-Shehry

The role of women in the municipal elections and related political activities has been a topic of hot debates in Saudi Arabia over the past several months. The core of the issue is to determine whether Islam objects to or approves women taking up responsible political or social positions. Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowment and Propagation Saleh Al-Asheikh confirmed, while replying to a question on the issue during a recently concluded international conference in Riyadh, woman’s eligibility to participate in the elections both as a voter and a candidate. He further explained that as the municipal election was a novel idea in the Kingdom it necessitated certain regulations as an initial step and the scope would be widened to include women as well in the succeeding stages.

Anthropological studies show that the male domination is a major feature of the tribes and clans functioning on a patriarchal pattern such as the Saudi society. However, their travels to the Western countries for higher studies and other purposes following the oil boom in the seventies enabled the Saudi men to have a first hand knowledge of the modernization in those countries including the role of women in social and political life. The influence of the Western-educated people helped the country progress but without ignoring the tribal respect and regard for women’s status. Paradoxically, some other Saudis who also studied in Western universities were terrified of the consequences of loosening the restrictions on women.

Instead of making an effort to balance between the old and the new ways and putting the trust in the rulers, the conservatives in society decided to enforce stricter male domination as a means to escape the perils of giving more freedom to women.

This is another great article from a Saudi woman arguing for women’s right to vote. She takes a calm and measured tone to point out that this is all a sociological problem that needs to be sorted out, but that it’s far from impossible to do so.

What’s also noteworthy in this piece is her view of the expected role of the government. Read the whole piece; it’s very illuminating.