In an attempt to find an explanation for certain trends among the Arabs, Iraqi social scientist Dr. Ali Al-Wardi argues that a dichotomy in desert civilization is at the root. According to him, there were two diametrically opposing forces operating in Bedouin culture which kept it balanced. Magnanimity in various manifestations served as the positive force while the tribal spirit and a penchant for fighting and plunder constituted the negative one. This theory has been substantiated by the region’s history. There was a fortunate fusion between the active Bedouin nature which goads man to push forward despite an austere lifestyle and a life of sedentary pursuits among town Arabs. Whenever a well-integrated Arab society emerged, a government or authority to put its affairs in order also appeared.
The experiment of the Ikhwan settlements introduced by King Abdul Aziz, founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was based on the principle of fusion between Bedouin and urban cultures. Allocation of land to Bedouins had far-reaching consequences. Nomadic Bedouins were settled and provided with a teacher to familiarize them with the rules and regulations of a new order. The teacher persuaded them to become farmers and desist from raids and the less attractive aspects of desert culture. They were also encouraged to build mosques to serve as centers of learning and worship. The king saw the settlements as a means to bring about far-reaching changes in the Bedouins. The integration of the desert tribes produced amazing results and served as major factors in the Kingdom’s evolution. The accompanying social changes were significant factors in the construction of the Saudi state along modern lines. The fusion of nomadic and urban life did not, however, prevent the tribes from preserving their dignity and freedom. Nomads with land had far-reaching consequences. The mere acquisition of land meant a transition from nomadic concepts of common ownership of land to individual ownership and the transition paved the way for other changes.
A state prospers only with the unity and loyalty of its subjects. The most favorable environment for a flourishing religion is security and stability. When a vast country with tribal and urbanized citizens coalesces into a single civilized community and the people get all opportunities for the worship of the Creator with all humbleness and peace, nobody would wish to return to the age of clashes and disintegration. The people, who have strong faith in the religion of peace and hope to achieve loftier levels of civilization, will never agree to drag back the religion and its followers to a state of conflict and backwardness reminiscent of pre-Islamic times.
A citizen should feel secure in his country. Otherwise the country is in chaos. Resorting to subversive activities or making provocative speeches under a religious guise with the sole objective of sowing the seeds of sedition among the people is selfish exploitation of the religious sentiments of the common people. Only a parasite on Islam and his country would venture to cast doubt on a country enjoying perfect peace and stability. If the attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center could be taken as a warning against the hidden forces that aim to throw people back to the Dark Ages, why, then, do people hesitate to condemn the attack? Endorsement of an appeal in the name of religion for irreligious goals is an act no less serious than turning our eyes away from other people’s sufferings caused by our own acts. Or are we those who will not recognize the value of what we have until we lose it?
(Suraya Al-Shehry is a Saudi writer. She is based in Riyadh.)
