The need for the Kingdom to have law schools teaching the legal profession has become a pressing necessity. In the past law schools were luxuries, but it is no longer the case. With globalization now removing the barriers between countries and competition so fierce that only those coping with the new realities can expect to survive, the need to have law schools is greater than ever.
It is unfortunate that because we don’t recognize it as a separate discipline, we refuse to teach law in our universities in specialized faculties and continue to treat it as if it were a plague.
Law schools in developed countries are protectors of freedom and human rights. In our case, law is viewed with suspicion and fear. It is this kind of thinking and this culture of fear that has prevented us to this day from having law schools. The problem is that this fear is not confined to a particular group but has spread and permeated society. Those who may not be hostile to the idea of having law schools will thus hesitate to express a supporting opinion.
In the meantime we continue our policy of manipulating words and expressions. Such words as “system” or “commercial jurisprudence” are used in place of “law.” We seem to forget that no matter what changes we introduce, the outcome will be the same. A ruling which is based on a “law” or “system” will always remain a ruling. The twisting of words and expressions is something in our nature that characterizes us and separates us from others.
Who would believe that the opposition to law schools has extended to universities, the very institutions supposed to spread knowledge and understanding? A case involving King Saud University in Riyadh is a good example of how the attitude of rejection has influenced the group entrusted with leading progress and modernization.
The university management was presented with a comprehensive project for upgrading the section teaching law to a full-fledged faculty in order to cope with the country’s rapid economic, social and legal developments. The proposal was rejected by the management which saw no need for upgrading the section into a faculty. Instead, it proposed that the section be merged with another one teaching Islamic studies and form a new college that has nothing to do with teaching law. If this happens, we will see even more confusion in the conduct of academic and administrative bodies running our higher education institutions. To breathe life into these institutions, we must have a higher council for each university which plans, lays down and implements strategies.
