Islamic alliance and Saudi diplomacy

Since the day Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman ascended to the throne in the Kingdom, the country’s diplomacy took a new shape and became proactive at the regional and global levels.

In a very short span of time, the Kingdom has taken swift and decisive measures against various local, regional and global threats.

At a time when the world only believes in taking military action to resolve issues, Saudi Arabia is taking the lead in taking balanced initiatives to ensure peace and tranquility in the region. Saudi Arabia is not limiting itself to diplomatic efforts and issuance of statements of condemnation. In order to counter real threats, the Kingdom is ready to assume a proactive approach.

The Kingdom is also aware of the fact that the best way to fight the current threats is to form an alliance by exploiting its strong relations with Arab and Muslim countries. The formation of an alliance against terrorism is part of Kingdom’s efforts to fight this menace, which has become a great threat to the Arab and Muslim countries. The much-needed coalition headed by Saudi Arabia is a step in the right direction. It will ensure protection of the interests of the Arab and Muslim world.

Since the beginning of King Salman’s rule, Saudi Arabia has been actively working to find ways to fight terrorism and to ensure peace and stability in the region particularly the Arab and Muslim world.

Saudi Arabia’s military action against Houthi rebels in Yemen indicates the Kingdom’s will to put an end to the ongoing crises in the region and to contain all kinds of threats. Thanks to the wisdom and effective planning of the Saudi leadership, the military action gained international support. Truth be told, the effectiveness of this military operation paved the way for an unprecedented Arab-Islamic military alliance.

Saudi Arabia commands huge respect in the Muslim world. It is the natural leaders of the Islamic countries. It has always played a crucial role in the Muslim world. And during the reign of King Salman, the leadership of Saudi Arabia reached a new level. The establishment of a military alliance will have far-reaching consequences.

The creation of the coalition is yet another feather in the hat of Saudi diplomacy. It is no less than the military successes of the country against Houhti rebels in Yemen. The alliance made up of 34 Muslim countries is a welcome step. Some of the coalition members are known for their military prowess. The alliance aims at confronting current or future terrorist threats in the region, which necessitates unification of visions and stances between member countries in defining terrorism and how to deal with it.

— By Mohammed bin Saud Al-Jazlani

The power of Muslims

In addition to its military and demographic power, the new Islamic alliance has a geographical dimension whereby it could be rapidly deployed in a vast area to contain events and control situations.

The alliance covers the following geographical areas: western Asia represented by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Yemen; Eastern Asia represented by Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Malaysia; North Africa represented by Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, and Mauritania; Eastern Africa represented by Djibouti, Sudan, Somalia, and Comoro Islands; Western Africa represented by Senegal, Sere Leone, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali; Central Africa represented by Chad, Gabon, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, and Benin.

Through this new Islamic alliance, the Kingdom seems to be reshaping the map of the Islamic world. By forming this coalition, the Kingdom wanted to remind the international community about the boundaries and maps of the Islamic world and to remind those who transformed the Islamic and Arab countries into chaotic countries allowing their bloods to shed.

Russia and the West are trivializing Islamic religion and Muslims; some of them are thinking to prevent Muslims from entering America, Russia and Europe. Even some of the western countries are thinking of returning to the era of economic, cultural and overseas colonization and mega companies.

The alliance is not directed against anyone but it is supposed to fight terror. We, as Muslims, are ready to fight terror and the fake state called Daesh created by the enemies of Islam in the region.

— By Abdulaziz Al-Jarallah

Taking matters into own hands

No doubt the announcement of the formation of a 34-member Islamic alliance to fight terrorism came as a pleasant surprise to Muslims but left the opponents in a state of utter shock.

The alliance has affirmed the return of the spirit of collective work among Muslim countries after decades. The coalition provides the member states with an opportunity to help the “superpowers” define “terrorism.” For the past 15 years or so, the global powers are defining terrorism in their own way and taking unilateral actions against those whom they deem dangerous to their interests. On the other hand, the Muslim world has been forcibly termed exporter of terrorist ideology. The alliance will be capable of putting practical restrictions on countries clandestinely supporting terrorism including supporters of Daesh, whether they are from the western or eastern countries.

The selection of Riyadh as headquarters of the operations room gives credibility to the operations.

— By Mohammed Marouf Al-Shaibani

United we stand

Being the cradle of the Islamic civilization and home to two of the holiest places of Islam, Saudi Arabia’s call for the formation of an Islamic military alliance in the face of dangers posed by terrorism met with tremendous response from leaders of the Muslim countries.

It is a historic decision with far-reaching consequences. It is perhaps the first time that all Muslim countries have joined hands under the leadership of Saudi Arabia to fight one common enemy.

Saudi Arabia has been calling on the international community to adopt a proactive approach in the war against terrorism. Mere statements of condemnation cannot help win the war. The formation of this alliance clearly indicates that Saudi Arabia believes in action not rhetoric.

The new Islamic alliance, led by Saudi Arabia, is a firm answer to all western shortsighted concepts, which try to link terrorism with Islam. It is also a befitting response to all those forces that are trying to gain a foothold in the Muslim world in the name of fighting terrorism.

— By Sattam Al-Thaqail

Women in municipal polls

Saudi Arabia successfully organized the municipal election after a three-week heated campaign. It was the first time that women took part in the democratic exercise not only as voters but also as candidates. The election results came to many as a surprise, as 20 women got elected to the office.

The question here is: What are the implications of the Saudi women to win the election? Has the Saudi society changed?

In a study carried out by Asbar Center in 2011 on women participation in municipal elections, 72.5 percent of respondents rejected women membership in the municipal councils while 11.3 percent supported the drive.

The reasons for rejecting women membership varied: 69.5 percent of the respondents cited Shariah for their rejection, 63.9 percent said that women had nothing to do with the municipal councils, 63.8 percent said that it violated norms and traditions, 54.2 percent said that it hampered women’s major duties at home, while 53.3 percent were of the view that women were less influential than men in this field.

However, the election results need an in-depth analysis so as to understand the shift in Saudi attitudes.

In my opinion, the success of Saudi women in municipal elections is an accumulative work linked to a variety of reasons.

The Saudi women captured the attention of global observers after performing exceptionally well in science and research fields and won global awards and patents.

In 2013, the Ministry of Education announced female students made up of 60 percent of the total students enrolled in higher education whereas the number of female students in the scholarship programs stood at 27,500 in 2012.

In brief, Saudi women have strenuously fought against inflexible social traditions and eventually overcame many obstacles.

— By Ali Al-Shiraimi

Duty toward society

Corporate social responsibility means contributions and initiatives made by individuals and groups aimed at enhancing social solidarity between community members.

This partnership is still in its early form and needs to be strengthened. Therefore, businessmen have to be reminded of their role toward their respective communities.

The government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has been proactive in encouraging and supporting a variety of programs to enhance the role of businessmen toward the community.

This partnership is said to have taken an individualistic nature in the absence of regulatory tools compared with the developed countries, which have accurate and organized form of social responsibility for businessmen.

This, however, does not mean we are ignoring the key social role played by businessmen in our society. Many Saudi businessmen see that the social services should be provided in an undeclared way for the sake of Allah’s reward.

— By Ali Musa Al-Abdalli