I was invited to a gathering where the New York Times journalist, Thomas Friedman, met a number of Saudi intellectuals, businessmen and officials. Since that meeting I have decided not to read anything by this malicious columnist.
I recall his saying that it was not his aim to write facts about the Kingdom. Instead, he wants to attract readers by writing about provocative subjects. He also admitted that he targeted Saudi Arabia because he disagrees with its stance on Israel. And he also disagrees with the Kingdom’s reluctance to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). However I was optimistic that he would change his style when he said he had learned a great deal about objective thinking among Saudis by being with us.
In spite of this, I felt uncomfortable with Friedman’s attitude and the way he handled the conversation with others. He was arrogant and tried to give himself importance by pretending to know more than he actually does. Without shame, he tends to exaggerate his encounters or chance meetings with ordinary people and attribute “facts” or “quotes” to people who don’t even exist.
One of his stories that evening came out when he switched the conversation to the Kingdom’s educational curriculum. To give himself more status than he actually possesses, he said that he was happy to hear from a senior official in the Ministry of Education that the Kingdom was keen to develop its curriculum and he implied that this was because of the events of Sept. 11. In reality the Kingdom is constantly reviewing the contents of its educational curriculum to suit the needs of its society. Unfortunately Friedman, as an American, writes only to please his people and the paper he works for — the New York Times. For instance, he always insists that Arabs and Muslims hate Israel and America. This claim may now be correct to a large extent and it is certainly not surprising. But Friedman cowardly avoids acknowledging that this hatred is not rooted in our souls but is a circumstantial phenomenon caused by the actions of Israel and American support for them.
Sadly, Friedman uses childish comparisons in his writings. For example, he questions why we hate Israelis and we don’t hate Hindus who have also murdered scores of Muslims! The clashes between Muslims and Hindus are based on historical religious tensions — not a Hindu occupation of Muslim land or vice versa. Even sillier is Friedman’s claim that the Saudi peace initiative was launched to improve the Kingdom’s image. Why should Saudi Arabia need to improve its image? The fact is that Saudi Arabia is known for its dedication to peace, stability and coexistence. Yes, I agree that nations or countries which support and encourage the theft of other people’s lands need some image improvement. Of course, the lies of pro-Israel pens will continue to write.
I call for developing a mechanism to build public relations bridges with new writers and writings that have appeared recently in the American media. Many of them have contributed positively to our world in the past. Our direct communication and relations with them may be through the Internet, to refute incorrect claims or clarify ambiguity to readers in other parts of the world. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Information and Chambers of Commerce spare no time inviting such Americans as Friedman to come to the Kingdom to teach us what they think we should do.
