I have written previously about the struggle in our schools. I have explained that there is a real war on in them and that it knows neither truce nor mercy. It is a war between those claiming to be the advocates of love, compassion and deep devotion to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and those who want to go to war with the world and invade every country, using cowardly and deceptive terrorism, orphaning children and widowing women. It is a war that aims at breaking the bones of the opponent and causing him as much misery as possible. Today we have the case of Muhammad Salama Al-Harbi which provides a most outrageous example of the war I am speaking about.
The problem of the chemistry teacher Mohammad Al-Harbi is that he loves the subject of nationalism and is willing to teach it as an extra assignment. There are those who call this “a pagan subject” and of course it is from that narrow and intolerant viewpoint which has produced both terrorism and terrorists.
Al-Harbi, on the other hand, hates terrorism and terrorists and in the school where he worked, he put anti-terrorism articles by Saudi writers on the bulletin board. This is Al-Harbi’s sin. It is because of his stand against terrorism and against those sympathizing with it that he has been subjected to harassment, beginning with anonymous threatening phone calls and then having his car shot at. The education administration took the step of transferring him from his job in Al-Bakiria in Al-Qassim region to an administrative job; the story, however, did not end there. Some of his former students filed a complaint in court against him and on Saturday, Al-Harbi was tried and sentenced. His sentence was 3 years and 4 months in prison with 750 lashes — even though there is a Hadith in which the Prophet states that a person should not receive more than 10 lashes unless he has committed an enormous crime.
Al-Harbi was accused of the following:
1. Mocking religion by scorning and ridiculing beards.
2. Posing a threat to students and their beliefs.
3. Shutting the windows during the call to prayer.
4. Fostering heresy.
These are all accusations the judge upheld based on witnesses’ testimony. The court evidently failed to follow the procedures which should be implemented according to the Saudi judicial system. Add to that the additional confusion that the accusations themselves are unclear and indefinite.
Many teachers close windows during the call to prayer, especially if they are in the middle of an explanation which needs to be finished as quickly as possible. As for mocking religion, this too is very vague and imprecise. Many present-day Saudis tease their bearded relatives about their beards and then they all go and pray together. No one calls this mocking religion but beards have become a subject of debate today; some will tell you that anyone who jokes about beards is mocking religion and is not a follower of the Prophet.
In fact, if we were fair to the subject and to ourselves, we would admit that this beard business has simply got out of hand. Based on what are surely allegations and claims rather than solid evidence, the education administration in the region where Al-Harbi works has become his opponent, just as the extremists who threatened and harassed him are his opponents.
Surely it is clear from this that we need a teachers’ association that stands up for teachers’ rights and, in such cases, defends them as well as getting lawyers for them in cases which require lawyers. Al-Harbi was very fortunate in having a prominent lawyer, Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, volunteer to take his case.
The accusations against Al-Harbi are strange and unusual. We never heard of any action taken against those who distributed — and hung on the walls of mosques — pamphlets which called certain Saudi intellectuals “non-believers.” Nothing happened to them even though they caused real problems and damage to people and their lives. This kind of illogical and unanswered criticism was never a force during the time of the Prophet; it is a much later development and one which holds us back rather than helping us move forward. We should get rid of it as soon as possible and certainly not allow our children to accept it as part of a normal and accepted lifestyle.
The Kingdom has joined the WTO and what is happening to Al-Harbi and the reasons for its happening will surely do us no good in front of the entire world, whether Muslim or non-Muslim. There are religious laws and rules that we must follow and they are not determined by the personal decisions and prejudices of individual judges. If that were true, what kind of future could we expect? Much bigger problems are coming if we do not look closely at things that apparently need to be changed within our judiciary and also make sure that existing procedures are followed and adhered to.
