I was disturbed by news that a university professor banned a student at King Abdul Aziz University from entering the exam hall a couple of weeks ago because he was wearing pants and shirt. The professor said that the student was not wearing the national dress.
Let me pause here for a second.
When a Saudi citizen wears pants and a shirt, for whatever reason, does that make him less Saudi than his fellow citizen who wears a thobe and shummagh?
It seems that this professor thought the Saudi student was intentionally offending the dignity of the university premises by following what he called a “Western dress code.”
Nowadays many young people wear pants and shirts in Saudi Arabia, especially in the age group between 15 and 25. The clothes are worn in most countries in the world. The do not belong to a certain country and do not represent a certain culture. Many young Saudis feel comfortable wearing them. Others think They are more practical than a thobe, which is white and can easily be wrinkled or stained. And some think that they are just trendy.
Having just read the last two issues of Al-Majalla, a sister publication of Arab News, I have been contemplating nationalism all week. Last week’s edition showed a Saudi on the cover and above it a title which read: “Who are we?” This week’s edition talked about the National Forum for Dialogue that took place here in Riyadh last month. Under one roof, and for the first time in Saudi history, Saudis from all different backgrounds gathered to discuss the urgent matter of national unity.
The magazine published a photo of Sheikh Hassan Al-Saffar, who was wearing a turban because he is a Shiite leader. Yet he was asked to join the forum.
The thinkers, intellectuals, religious scholars, educationalists and minority leaders gathered in the forum as Saudi citizens to discuss matters that related to national unity. Their recommendations stressed the recognition that Saudi citizens have different ideologies. They also agreed that there are cultural differences between the citizens of this land.
We were waiting for such a forum to make these points. The fact that this forum was convened by the crown prince makes it even more important. But we have not achieved anything if the recommendations of the forum are stashed away in some drawer in a government department.
The government should start a campaign to educate all Saudis that we as a nation come from different backgrounds. That Saudis have different ideologies. That people should respect others who follow different Islamic schools of thought. And lastly, that there are cultural differences between citizens.
