A Saudi Perspective

As part of the Interfaith Council of Thanksgiving Square I recently had the opportunity to meet with a small group of visitors from Saudi Arabia.  Our guest are professors, and lawyers and all are government advisers.  All are also imams or religious leaders.  Some are affiliated with an anti-extremist organization, en.assakina.com.  The meeting illustrated very different aspects of our cultures and perspectives, but also built bridges.  One of my first observations of differences is that all of our guests have degrees in Islam or Islamic studies, or in dawa (proselytizing or explaining Islam), in many cases Masters and Doctoral degrees.  We wouldn't expect those degrees to lead to government positions.  I can't judge how prevalent that is there, or whether they are the exception and if perhaps most government professionals have degrees in fields other than religion.  But I wonder.

Here are may notes from the meeting.  Wherever it says "Reply", those were comments from one or more of our guests.

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A question put to our visitors was:  "The world perceives Saudi Arabia as a very oppressive society.  How do you, as leaders, deal with that?"

Reply 1:  The perceptions are not true.  Minorities in The Kingdom have the same rights, even religious rights, as everyone else.  There are some people with particular agendas that promote the misconceptions.  All Saudi citizens are Muslim.

Reply 2:  The question of minorities and rights is not addressed properly even in the US.  Saudis have to work harder to spread the word against extremists.  The Kingdom is working hard to do that.  King Abdullah has started a center for interfaith discussion -- among different Muslim sects.

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We were asked how we manage to get along with each other.  I replied that when it comes to religion that there are some people that feel they should convince others that theirs is the only right way and that they are trying to help people by converting them, but that most of us are willing to let others alone to pursue their own paths.

I said that our meeting was taking place on a day that illustrated our getting along, and the progress that we have made.  That what was happening on that day, January 21, 2013, was the kind of thing that could be part of a bible story if the bible - any bible - were being written today.  That it was the presidential inauguration day in the US and a man named Barak Hussein Obama, a very strange name in this country, a man who isn't black or white but who is a mixture, was being sworn in as President of the United States.  And that it was taking place on a day that is a national holiday here, to remember the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and that there is something miraculous about a man like Barack Obama being sworn in on that particular day.  I wish I had added that the only other Barak that most Americans have ever heard of is Ehud Barack, the former Prime Minister and current Defense Minister of Israel; and the only other Hussein that most of us have ever heard of is Saddam Hussein.

I did add that we certainly don't all agree on what it means to do the right thing, but that we are all free to talk about issues and that we are not afraid to talk about anything, and that we do.  I suggested that if they have an opportunity to listen to it, that President Obama's inaugural speech directly addressed the question we were asked.


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Reply 3:  The geography of The Kingdom must be considered.  Mecca and Medina are sacred cities.  Usually Muslims look to The Kingdom to preserve the values of those cities.  I think it may be like that in Rome because the Vatican is there.  In Saudi Arabia anybody can practice their religion at home, but it would be very sensitive for other religions to exist in The Kingdom.

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Our visitors were asked by a Muslim American why Saudi Arabia doesn't support Mohammed's treaty about houses of worship for other religions.

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Reply 4:  Saudi Arabia does support the treaty.  It helps all over the world to respond to disasters.  It just doesn't have non-Muslim religious buildings in The Kingdom, and there aren't people to use them.

Reply 5:  The treaty was for the time because at that time there were Jews and Christians there.  Now Saudi Arabia has only Muslims, but Muslims all over the world are observing the treaty with Jews, Christians and others.

Reply 6:  Martin Luther King, Jr. is perceived as doing great things.  The Prophet, hundreds of years ago, worked for freedom for all.  Before Islam blacks were property, but Mohammed liberated them.

Reply 7:  There is a difficult and delicate balance in Saudi Arabia.  They need to move the society toward being more open toward dialog.

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Our visitors were asked how decisions are made by the government.

Reply 8:  A Consultative Council was established two weeks ago which, for the first time in history includes women, 30 women.  There was opposition.  The Kingdom is weary of the criticisms that most of the time are unfounded.  With respect to freedom of religion, we are not on as fast as pace as you -- we have special conditions to consider.