I was in the Gulf Express customer lobby the other day, waiting as my car oil and service was being routinely handled. King Abdullah’s journey to China and India was being televised on one of the news channels. Seated next to me were two other customers, who with the banter that often arises in such settings introduced themselves as Gasem from the Sudan, and Saleh, a Saudi from Abha.
“I love King Abdullah!” gushed Gasem out of the blue as we watched a procession of dignitaries calling upon the king in New Delhi. “Just look at him. What a good man. And look what he is doing for the Islamic world. He is singularly fighting this negative image that has been spread by our enemies against the Islamic world. And he is not only doing it with words, but deeds. What a great man.”
While I couldn’t help agreeing with Gasem, I wondered how he could arrive at such a conclusion from just watching a news clip. “No, no, Mr. Tariq. This visit is just a continuation of the great policies he has adopted once he took over. And to those doubters in India and China about Islam and their perceived notion of Muslim extremism, there he is in person reassuring them that extremism has no place in Islam, and that India is his second home. There is a purpose behind his visit. What a great man,” he repeated.
Saleh, the Saudi added. “You know, he came to visit us in Abha. The tribal leaders all welcomed him with great love and admiration. Even with his declared war on terrorists on our soil and elsewhere, he was not fearful to mingle with all the chieftains. Mind you, each was adorned with all his weaponry; daggers, muskets and all, yet Abdullah strode in among them like a brother would when he is with family. There was no fear for his life, nor did the customary royal guard surround him. It’s like he was letting us know he was one of us. For me, that is a sight I will never forget.”
Listening to them, and from what I had heard on numerous other occasions, I could not help but appreciate that the love for this man is swiftly spreading across many divides. From housewives to office workers, from laborers to chief executives, rarely did I encounter a negative word. And this esteem is very apparent and very genuine.
“You know something, Gasem and Saleh? What I find most positive and refreshing about the king’s trip are the numbers of Saudi women that are accompanying him in his delegation. And each woman is qualified in her own right. There, you see them on television. Seated right beside him. Partners in our growth as a nation rather than a forgotten or subservient entity.”
“Wives, mothers, and sisters who want to play an effective role in developing their country, Saudi Arabia. Such women should not be restrained because of their gender, or because of extreme views from a few of our brethren. All of us would be losers if it came to that,” I continued.
“Abdullah is letting us know he understands that. He has been very aggressive since he took over as king in promoting women’s rights. And the various factions that make up our society are increasingly appearing to rally behind him. And those rights are not alien to Islam. The proprietary right of a woman to run her business, to work in a profession of her choice, to travel, to drive or move about etc. were something handed down ages ago with the advent of Islam. The king in a subtle way is telling them he listens to the will of the people, all the people.”
Just then, the shop foreman came in to tell us our vehicles were ready. “God bless King Abdullah, and grant him a long and healthy life,” we all said simultaneously and unrehearsed as we got up to go about our business.
