The year 2002 was a bountiful one for Saudi bashing in US media. Barely had one issue died down that another one surfaced; one promising to be more outrageously sensational and incriminating. And through it all, I could not just help but think how far off base those media reports were. In their quest to sell headlines, all those news broadcasts and column inches just seemed to have missed the boat somehow.
Extremism was a label of choice to affix to anything Saudi. Suppression of women’s rights was another target for Western media pundits. Our education curriculum was under attack, as was the pervasive corruption of officials. Much was made of our religion, the Islam we were taught as children to be a religion of peace and tolerance.
And now that 2003 is upon us, let us examine these issues as they really are, by one who lives within this society and culture and is certainly no mouthpiece for any government organ.
Yes, there are extremists within our society. As in any society in the world, they do exist, with their own ax to grind and feeding off of terror and misery. But I would think their numbers are small. I have not bumped into one in recent times, and I do bump into a lot of people across a broad spectrum of society. In that they capture all the headlines, that I do not doubt. For theirs is by far a more provocative message than what the majority of us could do or say.
And their sense of purpose is not along the same path of mine, and of a whole lot of other people who live here. If their message is one of hatred and destruction of Western values or institutions, then it is at odds with the masses that have enough on their plates to be obsessively contemplating what the West does or does not have or do.
On the suppression of women’s rights, I have for far too long advocated the liberalization of laws concerning issues pertaining to women. But even among the circle of women I have contact with, I find few voluntary takers. Either they are satisfied with the rights that currently govern them, or else, they are not overly concerned. Which makes me wonder.
Can I force change on a segment of the population when it is unsolicited and unwanted. And what about those women that have managed to grab attention in some Western media as being oppressed? Could they be anything else than headline grabbers? The majority of women here seem satisfied with the status quo, and change concerning women’s issues will only come when women really want it.
On the subject of our education curriculum, I do have personal issues as well. But not along the lines of what was reported in the Western media. My objections are to the relevance of much of what is being taught in today’s classroom. We have moved too far and too fast technologically as a human race to be mired down with archaic methods of teaching.
Children today must be prepared to live with far greater skill and proficiency than ever before, and our text books must carry that message across. We don’t need a nation of doctors and engineers that can’t change the tire on their cars, or replace a faulty switch. And we need to make our education one of understanding and interaction. Not one of redundant memorization. But that change must come because we want it, and not because an external party wants to impose it.
On the subject of corruption, it is gratifying to note that intolerance to such practices carried out by officials of public trust has led the government to replace many of them in recent times. While change is slow, it is surely happening. We also have to bear in mind, no matter what corner of the world we live in, that as long as money and power mix, the cocktail will be one of greed. It is one of the deadly sins.
And finally to the attacks made on our religion. If a small bunch of extremists anywhere twist religion to promote their mutated message, they cannot truly be called representatives of anyone except their own perverted groups.
Islam is not the property of any group or nation. It belongs in the hearts and minds of Muslims everywhere. And the Islam we grew up with taught us love and compassion, and not hate or vilification. We were not taught to dislike Christians or Jews, or to pursue their destruction. It is not for us to pass judgment on others. We are all the creation of one God.
— Tariq A. Al-Maeena, [email protected]
Arab News Features 4 January 2003