It is normal human psychology to see the world through the prism of personal prejudices. Very rarely do we see more than what our mind allows us because human brain enables an individual to pick-up the familiar and the comfortable only. Hence, we tend to look at things in black and white and come to definitive conclusions, which are often far from reality.
Every time we turn on the television set, images of extremism and human agony in the Middle East makes us feel nauseated and agitated. In fact, the live footages of those savageries, perpetrated by terror organizations like Daesh, help mold the popular perception across the globe. Round-the-clock bombardment of our living room with horrific pictures of on-camera hostage execution makes people believe that the unique Arab culture pampers violence and extremism and society in west Asia remains nomadic and feral in modern times.
It is this chronic misperception, thanks to constant media propaganda, that leads to a lack of appreciation of the rich and diverse cultural and historical heritages of the Arab world. In fact, no country on earth is more subject to this gross misrepresentation than Saudi Arabia. Regrettably, superficial interpretation of Arabic way of life prompts people to make blanket judgments about Middle Eastern societies and the international media, with their outlandish propaganda stories, more often than not come in the way of our understanding of the complexities of Arab nations’ societal structure and cultural mosaic that we do not fully comprehend.
The problem is, the international community’s perception of Arabia boils down to a lack of respect for a cultural tradition that is no less vibrant. And as time flows, it is becoming egalitarian too. Even American politicians, despite the Kingdom being a trustworthy US ally for decades, spare no opportunity to target and humiliate the Arabs. Chris Murphy — a Connecticut politician representing the liberal Democratic Party — took a wild swipe at KSA, accusing it of incubating extremism, while addressing the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Unfortunate it is because the views of Sunni theological scholar Shaykh Muhammed Ibn Abd Al Wahhab, having relevance at a particular time in history, is being extrapolated out of context to link it with modern-day terrorism — a phenomenon largely controlled by the shadowy world of espionage to accrue strategic geopolitical-cum-economic dividend on behalf of respective nation states.
In the words of Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, every religion has perverts and psychopaths who try to hijack it and therefore linking Daesh with Islam is an unethical and motivated act.
The King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, Kingdom’s maiden co-educational public education initiative, bear testimony to the Saudi desire to pursue intellectual excellence and simultaneously embrace liberalism, without abandoning the basic character of the State — the repository of sacred Islamic values and principles. Indeed, there is no point in harping on the Saudi societal and administrative rigidity when more than half of the Kingdom’s college attendees are women, which in itself is no mean achievement for an essentially non-homogenized tribal society knit together by a visionary leadership. And most importantly there is no dearth of resolve, will power or inner strength in Saudi women, as they contribute positively in the country’s socioeconomic advancement. Moreover, the supposedly rigid country which we love to hammer, sitting miles away, actually encourages corporates to support female employees by providing daytime advanced nursery facilities for kids’ care in order to enhance productivity.
No doubt, the able Saudi leadership is leading the nation in its quest for peace and all-round prosperity and the Kingdom is well ahead on the path to becoming a more progressive nation.
The Saudis are not used to burying their heads in sand when winds of change are blowing all over the region. Very rightly, state-society dialogue as well as cordial interaction between various social constituencies of Saudi society was patronized through King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue (KACND). Since its establishment in 2003, KACND has made sincere attempts to bring together individuals affiliated to disparate Saudi ethnicities and encourage a healthy culture of open dialogue and debate on contentious socio-political issues, which even functional democracies often avoid assiduously.
Now that Riyadh is using its soft power to combat the scourge of extremism and lay the groundwork for a new future, the critical world must partner the Saudi leadership to drive the change and appreciate the country’s all-round progress as well.
