While the Saudi Cabinet assures all that the border with Yemen is now secure, Saudi media write about the presence of foreigners among those captured and detained in the troubled Jizan border region. The presence of foreigners might mean an escalation of the military action—Afghans and Somalis—or simply being caught up in an event that exploded around them—an Egyptian and Pakistanis.
Saudi Gazette reports, basing its article on materials from its sister-paper Okaz:
Foreign fighters among infiltrators
JIZAN – The military offensive against infiltrators at Mount Dokhan and Mount Al-Doud in Jizan entered a new phase Sunday with armored vehicles advancing in the surrounding areas, according to Okaz newspaper.
Okaz reported Monday that some 200 infiltrators were killed in air and artillery bombardments over Sunday night and into the early hours of Monday after groups had penetrated the border and were cornered in a valley.
Further clashes took place at the villages of Al-Raha, Umm Al-Darq and Al-Qomah, which had been evacuated less than 48 hours earlier.
Okaz also said that an unspecified number of foreign fighters had been arrested, as were some persons who attempted to cross the border dressed in pilgrim “Ihram” attire.
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Asharq Alawsat has a more thorough article, noting that among the Somalis are those who are economic refugees who found Yemen a better place to be than Somalia. This piece also notes that the border incursion was not accidental or spontaneous. Rather, information is coming to light suggesting that the attack on Saudi border posts was coordinated and had been planned months in advance.
Asians, Arabs with Huthi Links Arrested- Saudi Military Sources
Mohammed al-Kaabi and Hadi FaqhiJizan, Asharq Al-Awsat- A Saudi Arabian military official confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Huthi infiltration of Saudi territory is not something that occurred spontaneously but that this was an operation that had been planned in advance. Evidence of this can be seen in the Huthi insurgents shelling specific targets in an organized manner, such as targets located in a small village in the al-Harith region east of Jizan.
The source added that it has become clear that the Huthi insurgents are working to meet specific and predetermined military objectives, and this can be seen in their shelling of specific targets, as well as in the organized manner in which they engage Saudi forces.
According to military information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, a number of people suspected of collaborating with the Huthi rebels have been arrested since the beginning of the conflict. Those arrested are said to be Asian and Arab nationals. Sources confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that a number of Pakistani nationals who were working at a bakery in al-Harith were arrested on suspicion of collaborating with the Huthi insurgents. Sources also revealed that an Egyptian national was arrested on suspicion of having ties to the Huthi rebels.
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Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid asks (and answers) a good question:
Mshari Al-Zaydi raises an interesting point in his column today. He notes that while the Houthis are members of the Shi’ite Zaidi sect, that is not their only identity. They are also a tribe, the Houthi, who have issues as a tribe, not as a religion. He points out that to conflate the two is an error of logic, much like the paradox of the barber who shaves everyone in town who does not shave himself. If that is so, who shaves the barber? The resolution to to understand that a person or group can occupy more than one category space. The barber shaves himself as an individual, not as the barber. So too, the problem the Houthi have with the Yemeni government can be a problem any tribe might have, regardless of whether it follows Sunni or Shi’a ritual.
Don’t Confuse the Huthis with the Zaidis
Mshari Al-ZaydiThe biggest mistake that could be made with the Huthi crisis in Saudi Arabia is portraying these clashes as a confrontation between the Sunnis and the [Shiite] Zaidi sect.
In this article, I intend to speak about doctrinal and sectarian issues, rather than political issues, because the doctrinal or sectarian mentality is the mentality that dominates the Arab world. This issue should also be discussed because while it is not wrong to avoid broaching the subject of sectarian violence under the pretext of not inflaming the situation, the situation is already inflamed.
Therefore falling into the trap of initiating a Sunni – Zaidi conflict is exactly what those who have unleashed the Huthis wish to happen. The internal divisions in the [Shiite] Zaidi sect have escalated to the point that the Huthis have completely taken over the Zaidi structure that has existed in Yemen for centuries. The Zaidi sect has existed in Yemen since the Rassid Imamate, and the first Imam of Yemen, al-Hadi Yahya Bin al-Hussain Bin al-Qasim ar-Rassi, settled in Yemen in the 9th century AD. The Rassid Imam’s were the descendents of Imam Zaid Bin Ali Bin al-Hussain Bin Ali Bin Abu Talib, whose lineage can be traced back to Caliph Ali, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law.
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According to this Arab News article, the quality of English language instruction in Saudi Arabia leaves a lot to be desired, it appears. It’s so poor that the Ministry of Higher Education is halting its scholarship program to the UK because the students it’s sending can’t manage the course work. There’s no mention of other scholarships to other Anglophone countries, which is puzzling: is it just UK-bound students who have weak skills?
I know that for many (most?) Saudi students studying in the US, a four-year BS degree generally takes five years, with the first year being spend on getting the students up to speed in English. That appears to be the case in the UK as well, as the Ministry complains about the expense of English instruction. The Ministry will require that Saudi students study English at government-approved institutes in the Kingdom, in the future.
I don’t quite understand the concern about ‘over-crowding’ in British universities. It appears to be that too many Saudis are choosing (or are being accepted at) too few British schools. This leads to Saudis grouping together, speaking Arabic, to the detriment of their English. Spreading students among more universities would solve this to some degree, but it needs to be balanced against the academic goals of the students–and the Ministry which is paying the bills.
Saudi scholarships to Britain halted
Walaa Hawari I Arab NewsRIYADH: Scholarships to the UK have been stopped due to students learning an unsatisfactory level of English, said Dr. Mohammad Al-Hizan, spokesman for the Ministry of Higher Education.
Al-Hizan said that another reason for putting a stop on scholarships to Britain is the overcrowding of students in British universities, which can affect the level and quality of education they receive.
“When a Saudi student is in a class where there are many other Saudis, the real benefit is at stake here as they will form groups and will not rely on using the language as they should,” Al-Hizan explained.
“The scholarship was only stopped in the fifth stage, as there are over 16,000 Saudi students in Britain; it will hopefully resume in the sixth stage,” said Al-Hizan.
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What’s going on on the Saudi-Yemen border, and what it might mean for the US are the major topics of this article from Small Wars Journal, republished at Foreign Policy Journal online. Saudi Arabia, driven by the specter of 175K refugees and a border incursion, felt compelled to react. Oddly, the piece makes no mention of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s use of Yemen as a launching pad for terrorist acts against the Kingdom.
The author believes that the incidents and the Saudi reaction may be signaling the beginning of an effective Sunni Arab alliance to counter Iranian expansionism. This, he writes, would fit well with an American policy of containing Iran.
The piece also discusses the conflict between Tamil insurgents and the government of Sri Lanka. While that conflict is putatively over, unless Sri Lanka takes positive steps, it could be sowing the seeds of a new conflict within the camps in which it is holding many of the LTTE supporters.
The Upside of the Proxy War in Yemen
The Saudi-Iranian proxy war escalates: good news for the U.S.
ROBERT HADDICKA sectarian rebellion in northern Yemen has now become an open contest between Saudi Arabia and Iran for influence over Yemen and the Gulf of Aden region. This week the Saudis brought their air and naval power to bear against Yemen’s Houthi rebels — Shiite insurgents very likely supported by Iran – after a Houthi incursion into Saudi territory. Iran responded by warning Saudi Arabia to stay out of the conflict. What remains to be seen is whether this conflict will create and harden a Sunni-Arab alliance that might someday effectively contain Iran.
According to the New York Times, the Houthis captured a strategic mountain near the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border and clashed with a Saudi border patrol on Nov. 3. The Saudi response was a sustained air and artillery campaign against Houthi positions inside Yemen. On Nov 10 Saudi naval forces began a blockade of Yemen’s coast in order to cut the Houthis off from resupply.
The Saudi and Yemeni governments believe that Iran is supplying the rebels with weapons, though Tehran denies it.
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Here are two opinion pieces that fall on decidedly different sides of the arguments about Maj. Nidal Hasan, alleged to have killed 13 people at Ft. Hood.
Marc Lynch, arguing on the pages of Foreign Policy, points out that refueling the ‘clash of civilization’ that puts Americans against Islam is probably not where we want to go. Questioning the loyalty of American Muslims would play exactly into the game designed by Al-Qaeda, he says.
Ft. Hood and the Clash of Civilizations:
Security vs political correctness revisited
Marc LynchSince the Ft Hood atrocity, I’ve seen a meme going around that it somehow exposed a contradiction between “political correctness” and “security.” The avoidance of Nidal Hassan’s religion out of fear of offending anyone, goes the argument, created the conditions which allowed him to go undetected and unsanctioned in the months and years leading up to his rampage. American security, therefore, demands dropping the “political correctness” of avoiding a confrontation with Islamist ideas and asking the “tough questions” about Islam as a religion and the loyalty of Muslim-Americans.
This framing of the issue is almost 100% wrong. There is a connection between what these critics are calling “political correctness” and national security, but it runs in the opposite direction. The real linkage is that there is a strong security imperative to prevent the consolidation of a narrative in which America is engaged in a clash of civilizations with Islam, and instead to nurture a narrative in which al-Qaeda and its affiliates represent a marginal fringe to be jointly combatted. Fortunately, American leaders — from the Obama administration through General George Casey and top counter-terrorism officials — understand this and have been acting appropriately.
It’s worth walking through the connection once again, because how America responds to Ft. Hood really is important in the wider attempt to change the nature of its engagement with Muslim publics across the world. Get the response right, as the administration thus far has done, and they show that things really have changed. Get it wrong, as its critics demand, and the world could tumble back down into the ‘clash of civilizations’ trap which al-Qaeda so dearly wants and which the improved American approach of the last couple of years has increasingly denied it.
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Writing in The Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer has a problem with a media narrative that turns Maj. Hasan from a criminal into a victim. He points out that of the hundreds of other medical practitioners treating soldiers wounded in war, no other has found it necessary to turn a gun on his or her colleagues. He adamantly argues that media treatment of the story is Political Correctness run amok.
Medicalizing mass murder
Charles KrauthammerWhat a surprise — that someone who shouts “Allahu Akbar” (the “God is great” jihadist battle cry) as he is shooting up a room of American soldiers might have Islamist motives. It certainly was a surprise to the mainstream media, which spent the weekend after the Fort Hood massacre playing down Nidal Hasan’s religious beliefs.
“I cringe that he’s a Muslim. . . . I think he’s probably just a nut case,” said Newsweek’s Evan Thomas. Some were more adamant. Time’s Joe Klein decried “odious attempts by Jewish extremists . . . to argue that the massacre perpetrated by Nidal Hasan was somehow a direct consequence of his Islamic beliefs.” While none could match Klein’s peculiar cherchez-le-juif motif, the popular story line was of an Army psychiatrist driven over the edge by terrible stories he had heard from soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
They suffered. He listened. He snapped.
Really? What about the doctors and nurses, the counselors and physical therapists at Walter Reed Army Medical Center who every day hear and live with the pain and the suffering of returning soldiers? How many of them then picked up a gun and shot 51 innocents?
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Good news for Saudis and expats alike: Riyadh has, over the last five years, reduced traffic accidents resulting in death by 50%! Injuries resulting from motor vehicle accidents are markedly down, by almost 60%. This is the result of greater enforcement of existing laws, this Saudi Gazette article reports, and new traffic regulations should reduce the numbers further. Now the same traffic schemes need to be exported to Jeddah, Dammam, and the smaller cities across the Kingdom.
Riyadh road deaths down by 50%
RIYADH – Road deaths in Riyadh fell by over 50 percent between 2004 and 2008, with an even greater drop registered in motor accident injuries, a traffic safety committee heard on Wednesday.
The Higher Committee for Traffic Safety, chaired by Prince Sattam Bin Abdul Aziz, Acting Emir of Riyadh, was meeting to review the five-year plan which concluded last year and heard that the death rate fell from 35 persons per 100,000 vehicles to 17 during the period of the plan. Injuries fell from 125 to 52 per 100,000 vehicles.
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Arab News reports that Saudi government employees will receive a 15% raise, staged over the next three years. The raise is intended to offset the effects of inflation, now running at around 5%/year in the country. This is the second salary raise state employees will have received since King Abdullah ascended the throne. It was nearly 20 years since the last raise. There is no mention whether certain categories of employees are excluded, so it appears that this applies to all state employees.
Govt employees to receive 15 percent inflation allowance
P.K. Abdul Ghafour | Arab NewsJEDDAH: Government employees and non-Saudi government contractors will receive a 15 percent inflation allowance from the beginning of the next Hijrah year, corresponding to Dec. 18, 2009, informed sources said.
Ministries and government departments have already moved the file of government employees to complete the procedures for including the allowance in their monthly salaries, an Arabic newspaper said.
The Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, approved the inflationary allowance in January 2008 as part of measures taken by the government to counter inflation.
The Cabinet said government employees would receive an allowance of five percent of the basic salary in the first year, 10 percent in the second year and 15 percent in the third year.
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I’m taking the liberty of republishing this opinion piece by Tariq Al-Maeena, from Arab News. I couldn’t say it better, so I’m allowing him to say it…
Islam is not about fundamentalism
Tariq A. Al-Maeena | talmaeena@aol.comShortly after the Fort Hood shootings in which the lives of 13 US Army personnel were senselessly wasted by a killing rampage by one of their own, a US radio commentator called me up for my take as an Arab and a Muslim on the incident.
Gary specifically wanted to know if there was any hint of sympathy in the Kingdom for the actions of Maj. Nidal Hasan, the 39-year-old military psychiatrist responsible for the carnage that included at least 31 injured at the military base in central Texas.
My response was immediate. This was a dastardly act by a psychopath, a person who apparently flipped and let loose. “But he shouted Allah-o- Akbar (God is Great) before he started firing,” interjected Gary, the implication being that Islam was somewhat connected to the event.
“Whether he did that, Gary, or recited the whole Qur’an or a thousand Hail Mary’s before the shooting spree does not absolve him of the crime in the eyes of God, and there would be no paradise waiting in the hereafter. This was an indiscriminate act of killing, and one made more bizarre by his turning his gun on his own colleagues. Islam clearly forbids the destruction of innocent lives.
“Rest assured Gary, that we are just as shocked and outraged at these events. Speaking as a Muslim, I can tell you he is not one of our own and to tie Islam to such a horrific act is in itself an offense. Pick up a newspaper today and you’ll read of acts of violence just about anywhere in the world. Whether they are committed by Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists or whatever, they are still acts of crime. And inexcusable at that, regardless of whatever distorted ideology they chose to follow.”
“But Tariq, initial reports coming out point to his having some connections to a radical imam with connections to Al-Qaeda back in D.C.”
“Gary, Al-Qaeda is not an Islamic organization. Al-Qaeda has indiscriminately killed or injured many, including Muslims I might add. They are nothing short of being terrorists, full stop! Their ideology is fueled more by the greed for power than any religious affiliation. Granted, the majority of them seem to recite some holy verses before setting off on their murderous activities, but this in no way should cast a shadow on a religion that promotes peace and tolerance.
“The Kingdom itself has not escaped unscathed against such acts of terrorism. Al-Qaeda has gunned down scores of Muslims, be they security officers or civilians. Where does Islam factor into all of this?
“And as for fundamentalism, we are well aware of the dangers they pose to society in general. The Kingdom is actively promoting interfaith dialogues around the world to lessen the misunderstandings that have taken off in recent times. This is not for cosmetic purposes, but for enhancing understanding between various faiths. At home, the authorities vigilantly ferret out those with suspected extremist ideologies and lock them up. There is hardly any sympathy or tolerance. The “hellfire and brimstone” variety of preachers that could also be found practicing in the backwoods of Louisiana under different faiths are being reprogrammed or else face prison sentences.
“And while it’s still a little early to tell whether this major was psychologically or religiously motivated, let me honestly say that I doubt there is a squad of cheerleaders in the Kingdom rah rahhing him up.”
“And Gary, a little bit of advice before we sign off. Read up a little more on Islam to have a better perspective on this great religion. Only then you will understand that what this major did had very little to do with the religion as we know and practice it. Islam is not about fundamentalism.”
Here’s a piece from Slate, onlline magazine. The writer discusses the various definitions of ‘terrorism’ that are used in different contexts and wonders were Maj. Hasan, the alleged shooter at Ft. Hood last week, falls. The article exactly lines up with my view. Do read the entire piece.
Is Nidal Malik Hasan a “Terrorist”?
Figuring out what to call the accused Fort Hood shooter
Juliet LapidosA Rasmussen poll released on Wednesday found that 60 percent of respondents want the Fort Hood shooting “investigated by military authorities as a terrorist act,” while 27 percent “want the incident investigated by civilian authorities as a criminal act.” Former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Sen. Joe Lieberman are on the 60 percent side—they’ve both referred to the massacre as “terrorism”; but President Obama has so far avoided using the term. Was the Fort Hood shooting spree technically a terrorist act, or a criminal one?
It’s semantic. There’s no precise, internationally accepted definition of terrorism or who qualifies as a terrorist. One 1988 study identified 109 definitions for terrorism, and it’s a safe bet there are now many more. The U.S. Code contains several classifications of varying scope. Perhaps the most wide-ranging is the one the government uses to exclude possible immigrants, wherein a terrorist is anyone who uses an “explosive, firearm, or other weapon or dangerous device (other than for mere personal monetary gain), with intent to endanger … the safety or one or more individuals or to cause substantial damage to property.” That is, anyone who’s committed an armed crime for a reason other than money. In a criminal context, the definitions are narrower. To garner a domestic-terrorism charge, the assailant must intend “to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.” As for international terrorism, the actions must furthermore either occur outside the United States or “transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished.”
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This opinion piece in the Israeli daily Haaretz is substantially similar to an op-ed I co-wrote (with David Perlmutter) that appeared in Asharq Alawsat back in 2007.
An Israeli ambassador in Riyadh
Yehezkel DrorAn examination of the Arab-Israeli conflict from a historical perspective and in light of current developments leads one to the clear conclusion that Israel is in need of a new diplomatic paradigm. Time is not on our side. “Managing” the conflict based on the concept of “more of the same” will not do. No interim arrangement featuring “a kind of Palestinian state on a portion of the territory of Judea and Samaria” will prevent the constant erosion of Israel’s situation.
That is also the verdict with respect to the “Mofaz Plan,” which continues to focus on the Palestinian issue, with the added element of “opening the road to diplomatic arrangements and regional peace,” instead of thinking first about a regional framework.
The significant security dangers do not stem from the Palestinians or Syria, and Iran alone is subject to containment as well as deterrence. However, the continued basic hostility on the part of Islamic forces to our existence as a Jewish state and our exclusive control over Jerusalem’s holy sites is thriving in Islamic regions and is fraught with long-term existential dangers.
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I think this opinion piece in Al-Hayat is worth pointing out. It discusses the way Saudi Arabia traditionally takes a non-confrontational role in dealing with international disputes, trying to play the role of mediator. When it is directly involved, as in the case of the recent clashes on the Yemeni border, it can and will take a stronger stand. The country faces pressure, and indeed danger from the presence of Al-Qaeda on its southern border. The article calls for Arab support for Saudi Arabia in its current self-defense efforts.
From Patience to Determination
Ghassan CharbelAnyone who knows the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia knows the rules that govern its foreign policy, whether with its neighboring countries and within the Arab and Islamic world or on the international level in general. It is a quiet and patient policy based on cooperation and the principle of an extended hand despite the differences, as well as on honesty behind closed doors and the avoidance of any initiative to take conflicts out into the open. It is also based on averting media wars and campaigns except in cases when it is the final straw and retaliation is necessary. According to the dictionary of the Saudi foreign policy, crises and conflicts are considered to be fleeting events that are bound to pave the way for a cooperation comeback.
As a journalist, I had the opportunity to follow during the last years some of the crises that affected inter-Arab relations, some of which Saudi Arabia was a part of. Even at their most critical, I heard the Saudi side make sure that these conflicts never reach a point of no-return. This stance was a prelude to the call made by King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz at the Kuwait summit for burying conflicts. We then witnessed its practical implementation at a later stage.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy was often blamed for its lack of animosity. Indeed, it always deals with the crises among other countries, and sometimes inside these countries, as an advisor, helper, and supporter of settlement, understanding and mutual compromises. It intervenes based on the request of the conflicting parties and enter countries through their legal gateway. This is a truth acknowledged by the Lebanese, the Palestinians, the Somalis, and others.
Anyone who knows Saudi Arabia also knows how keen it is on the autonomy of its decision and its refusal to yield to any dictations from friends or foes. Saudi Arabia’s relations with the great countries are filled with evidence on the above, but these stances remain in the framework of the diplomacy that does not promote its stances.
When a country that has such political and economic weight on the Arab, Islamic, and international level adopted a policy based on the option of stability and cooperation, this made it a great target of destabilization policies. It is no secret that Saudi Arabia was the primary target behind the September 11 attacks, and a mere look at the team that was entrusted with the execution reveals Al Qaeda’s intentions. Since the Saudi weight is one of the main pillars of stability in the Middle East, its role was expected to be targeted by those attempting to strike a blow against the pillars of stability there or lead an upheaval on the balances that curb some of the rash ambitions in the region.
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Thanks to commenter ‘Sparky’ for pointing me to the blog Girl Solo in Arabia. This blog is the multi-year effort of Carolyn McIntyre, who is following the path(s) of the great Arab traveler Ibn Battuta. Ibn Battuta traveled much of the Islamic world during his 14th C. CE life, ranging from Tangier in modern-day Morocco to China. His travels were documented in the famed Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling, often abbreviated to The Journey. While often edited down to a more manageable size, you can buy the entire work in the 1929 translation by H.A.R. Gibb on line.
The blog is a travelogue. Somewhat similar to Travels with a Tangerine: From Morocco to Turkey in the Footsteps of Islam’s Greatest Traveler, the writer does his/her best to follow the convoluted path that took Ibn Battuta to the ends of the Islamic world.
‘Solo Girl in Arabia’ is fun to read. It’s not scholastically deep, but relays much common information (and misinformation) about the places Ibn Battuta found interesting. Simply locating some of those places, 600 years later, is a market achievement. McIntyre’s style is light and entertaining. I definitely suggest you take a look.