On the Arab Spring and bin Laden
Having lived for fifteen years in Saudi Arabia, I have some opinions on the Arab Spring. I have no idea how things – country by country – will turn out, but I do think some of the knee-jerk things I experienced first hand in Saudi will have to somehow change.
The repression of women. To a man, Saudis would argue that this was a good thing and not repression at all. Somehow I think this attitude will have to change. This is a Catch 22 for Muslim men, however, for the more they protest, the worse things will get.
The restrictions on Single Men. When I wanted to rent an apartment across the street from the college where I worked, I could not because there were families in the building. I could not eat in a Family Section at a restuarant, either. Single men get discriminated against, too. Just not to the degree of women. This is a follow-on restriction from the first item and so will possibly change, too.
The restriction of the Internet. Working for a (supposedly) world class leader in electronics I could only get 512K (at best) download in the compound. Somehow I think the restrictions on communication will have to change. The company said they would be in violation of Saudi Law to do more. Most companies doing business in Saudi have long ago been Saudized to keep the customer happy. This should change, too.
Exit-Only Visas. One cause of the rebellion in the Arab world has been the heavy handedness of the police. Countries that require a visa to get out are police states and will have to change somehow.
Religious tolerance. Unfortunately, we’ve already seen attacks on Christians in Iraq and Egypt that in the short term will probably get worse. It’s hard to believe, however, that people willing to die in the streets for their own freedom will forever turn a blind eye to the freedom of others.
Restrictions on thinking. Group thinking has been a hallmark of Saudi in recent years (the ancient Muslim world at its height led the way in science and learning, but that’s not Saudi today). Creativity has been stifled for centuries. Hopefully this will change.
Corruption. Saudis were always chagrined to see their country below the center point of the rating scale for corruption by countries. In a patronage society, the line between corruption and patronage is often blurred, but in Saudi corruption is a big issue.
The Military as social feeding trough. While I would guess that there are some credible fighting forces in Saudi, I certainly never saw any. The military in Saudi is a social tactic used to insure domestic peace in our time by pulling young men off the street and putting them into the military. Because Saudi does not have a large population, this has worked in the past. If the Arab Spring comes to Saudi, the Saudis may rue this feeding trough tactic, though. The army in Egypt (and, in fact, in Thailand) is the only organization keeping a lid on things. Somehow this has to change.
The Regime’s Go-Slow for Change Policy. Many in the Saudi regime are sophisticated enough to know that change is inevitable. In the past, however, change gets derailed by the regime saying the people aren’t ready for change and we must go slow. Somehow this has to change.
On bin Laden. Osama was an iconic figure like Che Guevara. Those who fear another may take his place ought to ask themselves 1. Has there been another Che? 2. Osama has not been active in running Al Qaeda for years. Can you name the man now in charge? 3. It was Osama’s Saudi money that kept him alive – first in Tora Bora and then in Pakistan – and not like minded Muslims making jihad. Remember the chief scientist for Pakistan was convicted of selling nuclear secrets. Pakistan has a lot to answer for.
For those who say we should have turned the other cheek and just let the man live. Turning the other cheek is a sign of weakness in Muslim culture. If the West is perceived as weak, the hatred and attacks will continue. This wasn’t an act of hatred, it was an act of justice. And without justice there would be no kumbaya singing on Sunday.
I’ve been watching a lot of Gunsmoke on YouTube. At the beginning of each episode Marshall Dillon guns down a spoiler (Dillon’s term) right in front of a church. For those who think we should not celebrate the death of bin Laden or celebrate in private with a glass of cherry schnapps in the library, seemed to have come a long ways from Dodge City where every episode of Gunsmoke is a celebration of justice.
Final thoughts. I think virtually all Americans and most Muslims, too, are glad Osama has been committed to history. Now we can move on.
I am proud that my President (whom I didn’t vote for and probably won’t vote for again) saw his duty and did it. And for the first time in ages, I can say I am proud of our military, too. Good job.
Having lived for fifteen years in Saudi Arabia, I have some opinions on the Arab Spring. I have no idea how things – country by country – will turn out, but I do think some of the knee-jerk things I experienced first hand in Saudi will have to somehow change.
The repression of women. To a man, Saudis would argue that this was a good thing and not repression at all. Somehow I think this attitude will have to change. This is a Catch 22 for Muslim men, however, for the more they protest, the worse things will get.
The restrictions on Single Men. When I wanted to rent an apartment across the street from the college where I worked, I could not because there were families in the building. I could not eat in a Family Section at a restuarant, either. Single men get discriminated against, too. Just not to the degree of women. This is a follow-on restriction from the first item and so will possibly change, too.
The restriction of the Internet. Working for a (supposedly) world class leader in electronics I could only get 512K (at best) download in the compound. Somehow I think the restrictions on communication will have to change. The company said they would be in violation of Saudi Law to do more. Most companies doing business in Saudi have long ago been Saudized to keep the customer happy. This should change, too.
Exit-Only Visas. One cause of the rebellion in the Arab world has been the heavy handedness of the police. Countries that require a visa to get out are police states and will have to change somehow.
Religious tolerance. Unfortunately, we’ve already seen attacks on Christians in Iraq and Egypt that in the short term will probably get worse. It’s hard to believe, however, that people willing to die in the streets for their own freedom will forever turn a blind eye to the freedom of others.
Restrictions on thinking. Group thinking has been a hallmark of Saudi in recent years (the ancient Muslim world at its height led the way in science and learning, but that’s not Saudi today). Creativity has been stifled for centuries. Hopefully this will change.
Corruption. Saudis were always chagrined to see their country below the center point of the rating scale for corruption by countries. In a patronage society, the line between corruption and patronage is often blurred, but in Saudi corruption is a big issue.
The Military as social feeding trough. While I would guess that there are some credible fighting forces in Saudi, I certainly never saw any. The military in Saudi is a social tactic used to insure domestic peace in our time by pulling young men off the street and putting them into the military. Because Saudi does not have a large population, this has worked in the past. If the Arab Spring comes to Saudi, the Saudis may rue this feeding trough tactic, though. The army in Egypt (and, in fact, in Thailand) is the only organization keeping a lid on things. Somehow this has to change.
The Regime’s Go-Slow for Change Policy. Many in the Saudi regime are sophisticated enough to know that change is inevitable. In the past, however, change gets derailed by the regime saying the people aren’t ready for change and we must go slow. Somehow this has to change.
On bin Laden. Osama was an iconic figure like Che Guevara. Those who fear another may take his place ought to ask themselves 1. Has there been another Che? 2. Osama has not been active in running Al Qaeda for years. Can you name the man now in charge? 3. It was Osama’s Saudi money that kept him alive – first in Tora Bora and then in Pakistan – and not like minded Muslims making jihad. Remember the chief scientist for Pakistan was convicted of selling nuclear secrets. Pakistan has a lot to answer for.
For those who say we should have turned the other cheek and just let the man live. Turning the other cheek is a sign of weakness in Muslim culture. If the West is perceived as weak, the hatred and attacks will continue. This wasn’t an act of hatred, it was an act of justice. And without justice there would be no kumbaya singing on Sunday.
I’ve been watching a lot of Gunsmoke on YouTube. At the beginning of each episode Marshall Dillon guns down a spoiler (Dillon’s term) right in front of a church. For those who think we should not celebrate the death of bin Laden or celebrate in private with a glass of cherry schnapps in the library, seemed to have come a long ways from Dodge City where every episode of Gunsmoke is a celebration of justice.
Final thoughts. I think virtually all Americans and most Muslims, too, are glad Osama has been committed to history. Now we can move on.
I am proud that my President (whom I didn’t vote for and probably won’t vote for again) saw his duty and did it. And for the first time in ages, I can say I am proud of our military, too. Good job.
posted by Forrest at
8:03 PM
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