Saudi to its citizens: About that whole jihad thing--don't.

Mindful of how that whole send-jihadists-to-fight-the-Soviets-in-Afghanistan thing turned out (enter: Osama bin Laden, security vacuum in Afghanistan, militant networks in Pakistan, al-Qaeda in general, militants turning against the Saudis... need I go on?), Saudi is trying to stop its citizens from joining the rebel fighters and what some see as holy war in Syria.

The United States wasn't the only country to experience blowback after helping the Afghans fight the Soviets.  Saudi too faced blowback as its returning fighters, emboldened by experience in the field, driven by strong religiosity and angry at the excesses and willingness of its own government to work with the infidels, turned its ire against the Kingdom.  

Saudis are furious at the news reports and images leaking out of Syria of decimation of streets and villages, deaths, and disrespect for religious symbols, as rebel forces fight those loyal to Bashir al-Assad. The country's Wahhabism is further stoking the fire.  The ultra-puritanical strain of Islam sees Shi'ites, of which al-Assad's Alawite sect is an offshoot, as heretics.  

A video entitled "A message from a Saudi fighter with his Syrian brothers" showing a Saudi with rebels, armed to the teeth, posted on YouTube in August, has been seen more than 121,000 times.

"I ask God to unite us in heaven and say to my brothers in the Arabian peninsula to fight in the name of God as your brothers in the Levant need fighters of strong faith and chivalry," said the unidentified Saudi.  

The Saudi government is putting pressure on the al-Assad regime publicly calling on the international community to "enable" Syrians to protect themselves amid reports the Saudis, along with the Qataris and Turks, are funneling cash and arms to the Free Syrian Army.  But they are drawing the line there.

"It's illegal to go abroad and get involved in any...military actions or fighting," Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour Turki said.  "This is known to all Saudis and many have been prosecuted.  If we have evidence that somebody is leaving Saudi Arabia for the purpose of joining militants, he will be stopped and investigated for that."  

Clerics have joined the government in pushing back against jihad.

"Families must watch over sons who can be lured into hot spots in this world," said cleric Siraj al-Zahrani. 

"They don't want to repeat the same mistake they made in Afghanistan," said a Saudi who fought the Soviets there.  "Young men went there and learned to fight with many groups of jihadists.  Some of those groups accused Islamic countries of being infidels and the young people were influenced by that and went back to their countries and caused problems." 

Whether or not the government has influence over the estranged youth is questionable.  

"The youth of jihad don't listen to the Council of Senior Clerics," said an Saudi who fought in Afghanistan.

The government's official line is also being ridiculed in online jihadist forums.

"Abdullah, call for jihad against this Syrian tyrant and his aides and you will find, God willing, strong men who have a faith in God to lift the banner of Islam," said one user on a prominent site al-Waseem.  "Enough weakness."

Saudi Olympian's father to sue those who insulted daughter

Props.

The father of 16-year-old Wojdan Shaherkani, a member of the Saudi Olympic team and judo participant, vowed to sue those who insulted his daughter for challenging the Kingdom's conservative traditions that keep women from participating in sports.

"I have sent an urgent letter to the Minister of the Interior Prince Ahmed bin Nayef bin Abdul Aziz with copies of all attacks made on Twitter," said Ali Seraj Shaherkani.

Wojdan was one of two women in the Saudi team this year and a first for women in the Kingdom.  She gained worldwide attention despite lasting 82 seconds on the mat and received a standing ovation as she left.

Wojdan almost did not participate after the IOC ruled she could not compete without wearing a headscarf for "safety" reasons.  After intense negotiations she was allowed to wear special headgear akin to a swimming cap.

Saudi's Twittersphere lit up during the competition.  Some observers criticized her participation, saying she did "not represent the chaste Muslim woman."  Others use racial slurs referring to her Asian background, calling her "Tarsh Bahar," or "Sea Remnants."

Wojdan's supporters quickly took over the offensive Twitter hashtag.

"We are so proud of you Wojdan," said journalist Asma al-Sharif. "It takes a lot of courage to do what you did."

Manal al-Sharif, who blogs at Saudiwoman, said, "For us Saudi women judoka Wojdan Siraj is a champion."

Wojdan and her family's courage is notable. I could not imagine being a sixteen year old and having half of my country attack me and my family, especially in a society like Saudi.  Despite her participation, however, many are ambivalent regarding the impact of her particpation, noting little if anything changed in Saudi.  Conservatives are unmoved in their opposition to women participating in sports, and women are still unable to participate in sports or physical education.

"This is not a step forward for women's rights," said Aziza al-Yousef, a professor and leader in the Saudi women's right-to-drive movement.  "We've been asking for girls to play sports in school for years; here they give Saudi women a spot on the Olympics, but not the right to earn a place on the team.  This doesn't add anything, and it won't change anything."

Judo chop! Saudi reverses, sends women to Olympics

The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee reversed itself after ruling no women would qualify for the London Olympics this summer on Thursday, announcing two women will compete in the competition. With Saudi's announcement, every participating country's delegation will include women.

Saudi, Qatar, and Brunei were the only holdouts during the last Olympics.

The two ladies are Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahkhani, who will participate in the judo competition, and Sarah Attar, who will run in the 800m.

Sarah Attar, practicing. 

"A big inspiration for participating in the Olympic Games is being one of the first women for Saudi Arabia to be going, said 17-year-old Attar.  "It's such a huge honor and I hope that it can really make some big strides for women over there to get more involved in sport."

Prince Nawaf bin Faisal told al-Jazirah the girls will be dressed modestly, accompanied by a male guardian, and will not mix with men during the Olympics.  

Qatar announces woman to carry flag in opening ceremony, smiles smugly at Saudis

In the first Olympics in which a woman from Qatar will participate, the Qatari Olympic Committee announced air rifle shooter Bahiya al-Hamad will carry the country's flag in the opening ceremony in London.

Bahiya al-Hamad is awesome. 

Al-Hamad is one of four women to qualify for participation in the Olympics from Qatar; her compatriots include swimmer Nada Mohammed Wafa Arakji, sprinter Noor al-Maliki, and table tennis player Aya Majdi.

The announcement comes the day Saudi faced intense international pressure for its all-male delegation to the Olympics. The Kingdom announced it would allow any women who qualified to participate, but not one woman from the entire Kingdom qualified.  Discriminatory policies undoubtedly contributed to this.

Another PR coup for Qatar at the expense of its larger, more conservative neighbor.  It is difficult not to compare the treatment of women between the two Wahhabi countries. 

Saudi, IOC in talks over KSA's all-male Olympic team

The International Olympic Committee is in talks with Saudi over its all-male delegation to the Olympics  despite an announcement that the Gulf state would support "qualified" woman participants.

Members of the Jedda Kings United all-female team practice in Jedda (AP)

The only catch? Not one Saudi woman qualified.

HRW called on the IOC to bar Saudi's participation in the Olympics "because of its clear violation of the Olympic Charter."  The Charter states all games must "encourage and support the promotion of women in sport at all levels and in all structures with a view to implementing the principle of equality of men and women."

Saudi does that so well.

HRW Director of Global Initiatives Minky Worden got it right when she said, "It's not that the Saudis couldn't find women athletes, it's that their discriminatory policies have so far prevented them from emerging...The bottom line is that Saudi Arabia broke its promise, is breaking the rules, and should absolutely not be allowed to participate in the London 2012 Games while excluding women from its team."

The IOC banned Taliban-led Afghanistan from participating in the 2000 games for excluding women. 

One Saudi girl thought to compete in Olympics not eligible

Saudi Grand Mufti Abd al-Aziz al-Shaikh: “Women should be housewives. There is no need for them to engage in sports.”

File this under "I told you so."

The one Saudi girl thought to be able to compete in the 2012 Olympics failed to qualify and will not actually be able to compete.

So they'll allow their women to compete in the Olympics. But none will be able to.

It was a nice announcement, much applauded in the West.  The real impact on the ground? Zilch.

Via AFP:

Dalma Rushdi Malhas, tipped to become a pioneering woman competitor for Saudi Arabia at the London Olympics, has in fact failed to qualify and won't compete, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) said Monday.

 "There have been some reports in the media, but regretfully the Saudi Arabian rider Dalma Rushdi Malhas has not attained the minimum eligibility standards and consequently will not be competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games," FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos said in a statement out of Lausanne.

UPDATED: NYT has an article entitled "Saudi End to Olympics Women Ban Will Have No Practical Effect."

“They’re only doing it so they don’t get banned from the Olympics,” wrote Barry Petchesky at the Deadspin sports site. “This is progress, but it is not much progress.”

“It is only right that the Saudi government should play by the Olympic rules,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch. “But an eleventh hour change of course to avoid a ban does not alter the dismal and unequal conditions for women and girls in Saudi Arabia.”

Saudis to allow women to compete in the 2012 Olympics

Saudi faced strong criticism for holding to their refusal to allow women to participate in the 2012 Olympics.  The country is dominated by a strain of Islam that looks down on women doing any kind of physical activity.

I found it incredibly ridiculous, not to say unhealthy.  Qatar was a stark comparison.  The smaller Gulf nation is also Wahhabi, but allows for many more freedoms all around.  Women do not have to wear an abaya, I was able to use the hotel gym (even run along the corniche), could have driven if I so chose.  We visited Aspire Sports complex, where I saw young and probably young teenaged girls wearing short spandex outfits practicing gymnastics... cartwheels, flips, you name it.  In front of men.  That would be unimaginable in Saudi.

Seen at Aspire: So, Saudi. What was that you said about me not being able to drive?!

The Saudi Embassy in London announced on Sunday that women from the country will be allowed to compete in the Olympics for the first time ever.  According to the embassy, Saudi's Olympics Committee will "oversee participation of women athletes who can qualify."

Definitely a positive step that Saudi women will now be allowed to participate in the Olympics.  The decision apparently came after "secret meetings" between the king, (former) crown prince, foreign minister, leading religious cleric, the grand mufti, and others.

Two reservations:

1. Why did the Saudi Embassy in London make the announcement and not the country's Olympic Committee? Scared of the backlash?

2. So... you're allowing women to participate but don't allow them to practice? How can women get the training they need to be successful? The rich can always find ways around it. But the Saudis seemed to have taken the tenth step before the first, second, and third that would have allowed women to really participate.

In short, it's good for headlines.  The West certainly noticed.  But apparently there's only one girl who will be able to qualify, showjumper Dalma Rushdi Malhas.  But the announcement seems geared more toward convincing the world Saudi is reforming than actually reforming.

Head of Saudi religious police condemns treatment of nail polish girl while government accuses activist of "disrespect"

The head of Saudi's religious police "came out strongly" against the member of the CPVPV who was caught on a girl's cell phone camera ordering her to leave the mall for wearing nail polish. The video became a viral hit on the blogosphere.  The dislikes however, far outweighed the likes- 2,775 likes to 8,400 dislikes. "The world is manufacturing airplanes and we are still telling a woman, 'Leave the mall because you've got nail polish on your fingers,'" local news quoted Sheikh Abdullatif Abdel Aziz al-Sheikh as saying. Both parties, however, we're responsible for the escalation of the situation, according to al-Sheikh, "I was very disappointed by what I have seen.  The matter had been exaggerated and negatively exploited.  The way the member of the commission behaved sad most right, even if the girl had gone too far." The government's response was, to me, the embodiment of the one step forward, two steps back method of opening Saudi society.  This is especially true in light of the fact Saudi officials announced activist Waleed Abu Al-Khair was accused with "disrespecting" the judiciary by contacting foreign NGOs about a petition to release detainees.  It seems like the Saudis are going through the motions, but there remains a thick red line no one is allowed to cross.  This line ensures the perpetuation of the status quo.  How to reform if you can't change the status quo?? PS-It seems the Saudi trip had the opposite of the intended effect. It was to show us the soft side of Saudi in a PR type of way, but seeing the ridiculous and repressive rules, for both men and women, made me even more passionate about my beliefs about the government.

"They just messed with the wrong woman."

I got a lot of flack for being critical of the gender segregation and inequity when I was in Saudi.  I was seeing things through Western eyes, the boys told me.  It's just the way things are.  Some Saudis argued change was happening, and it was just happening slowly.  Partially true, but like most initiatives imposed from the top-down, actual practice differed from the letter of the law.

The Guardian ran an interview with Manal al-Sharif, who gained fame by defying Saudi law and drove while railing against the inequalities and ridiculous rules in the repressive kingdom that make women second-class citizens.

Manal behind the wheel.

Her spin around the streets of Khobar was captured on a friend's phone and posted on YouTube.  Shortly after, she was arrested and jailed for over a week for "incitement to public disorder."

According to the Guardian, she used her infamy to draw attention to the misogyny in Saudi society and press for real change.  She led mass "protest drives," in which she and other women would drive around; filed lawsuits against the Kingdom's traffic laws, and started an advocacy organization called My Right to Dignity.

"I'm a single mother and I'm 33 but it's hard to even rent my own apartment without getting my father to sign a piece of paper saying he gives me permission," she says.  "I went to renew my passport the other day and they told me to come back with my male guardian.  That is life, for a Saudi woman; wherever we go, whatever we achieve, we are the property of a man."

A Saudi woman who is beaten or raped by her husband and goes to the police must bring that husband along to formally "identify" her, she adds.  Saudi women are forbidden from playing competitive sports and are not due to get the vote until 2015.

...

Her life changed, almost overnight, on 9/11, orchestrated by her countryman Osama bin Laden. "The extremists told us it was God's punishment to America," she recalls. But on the news that evening, she was sickened by footage of office workers jumping from the twin towers. "I said to myself, 'something is wrong. There is no religion on earth that can accept such mercilessness, such cruelty.'"

Ms Sharif began questioning literalist aspects of her faith. "I realized it is impossible to live with the rules they give Saudi women," she says. "Just impossible. You trying to do everything by the book but you can never stay pure."

This year, she was fired from her job at Aramco for her activism.  She refuses to give up and refuses to accept the status quo.  Her actions, and the actions of her fellow activists, should give pause to those who argued to me the current "reforms" are enough.

Because that's just an excuse.  And a load of crap. 

Saudi woman berates religious police for criticizing her manicure

“You’re not the boss of me,” a Saudi girl declared to a member of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, or muttaween, in a video posted on YouTube that sparked debate inside and outside the Kingdom over the role of the religious police. 

The video appeared to show an argument between the girl and a member of the muttaween after he stopped her at a mall in Riyadh and told her to go home because of her manicured nails, lipstick, and strands of hair visible beneath her headscarf. 

“You don’t see a strand of hair from other girls while you are showing off your manicure in a public venue,” the muttawa member said.  “It is my duty you tell you this.”

“You can’t forbid me from wearing nail polish,” said the girl.  “The government has banned you from coming after us.  Your job is to give advice to people, then leave them be.”  She then called over mall security for assistance. 

The video sparked heated debate about the role and tactics of the religious police, a force of approximately 3.500 members who patrol the streets of Saudi to enforce prayer time, conservative dress, gender segregation, and other Islamic edicts.  Many more volunteers and vigilantes reinforce the body’s ranks. 

Supporters of the girl argued the muttaween acted “uncivilized” and the girl had done nothing wrong.  Eman al-Nafjan, who blogs at Saudiwoman, wrote, “From the very beginning, the man disrespectfully shouts at her… The CPVPV are portrayed as sacred and the embodiment of how Islam was at the time of the Prophet. However, everything I’ve ever read shows otherwise. The way a CPVPV sheikh struts around malls with a fancy cloak on his shoulders and two subordinates flanking him, enjoying the atmosphere of fear their entrance causes and sometimes going as far as terrorizing people, is not the way I’ve read that the Prophet behaved.”

Others argued she was improperly dressed and abused technology to distort the interaction.

The muttaween later announced it filed a formal complaint against the girl for posting the video on YouTube. 

King Abdullah recently began to reform the feared religious police after it faced harsh criticism for the way it spoke to people and a 2002 incident where commission members stopped schoolgirls from fleeing a burning building and hindered rescue efforts because they were not properly dressed. Around 15 girls died and 50 were injured in the flames.  Among other changes, he appointed a moderate to lead the force and banned car chases. 

According to Reuters, earlier this year, a video of the religious police attacking a family outside a shopping mall in Riyadh was posted on YouTube, getting more than 180,000 hits and generating strong criticism.

I asked a lot of girls about their interactions with the religious police and got mixed responses.   “Before, they were uneducated and spoke harshly to people,” one Saudi girl said.  Today, they must meet certain requirements and are more professional, she said.

Another disagreed.  “They are not good people,” said the second girl.  “The way they talk to you makes me feel uncomfortable. It's not very nice and sometimes I just don't want to go out because of it.” 

I had only one interaction with them, when we were at the gates of an all-girls’ university and they drove by, yelling, “Cover your head!” But there were times, like the first night we were in Riyadh and walking around on the streets, where they left us—a mixed group of boys and girls, obviously Western and assumingly unmarried—alone. 

There is also a difference between the letter of the law and practice.  While certain things are not necessarily banned or mandated, muttaween members, and vigilantes in particular, are known to enforce stricter standards of conservative dress and religious practice than is required.  

Eager Lion: US will lead massive 12,000 soldier, 19 country "irregular warfare" exercise

The United States will lead a massive military exercise involving over 12,000 soldiers and 19 countries, based in Jordan.  Fellow participants include Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Britain, France, Italy, Spain, and Australia.  The exercise, dubbed Eager Lion, will span two weeks.

According to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the purpose of Eager Lion is to strengthen military-to-military relationships between participating nations through joint approaches, integrating all instruments of national power to meet current and future complex national security challenges. 

“The message that I want to send through this exercise is that we have developed the right partners throughout the region and across the world…insuring that we have the ability to…meet challenges that are coming to our nations,” said United States Major General Ken Tovo, commander of United States Special Operations Forces.

Major General Tovo addresses reporters in Amman.
Photo: France 24

Major General Tovo took pains to emphasize no forces would be deployed to Jordan’s north bordering Syria.  “This has nothing to do with Syria.  We respect the sovereignty of Syria,” he explained. 

The exercise is expected to draw criticism from Iran, which is facing intense pressure from Western and Arab capitals to curtail its nuclear program and perceived regional aspirations. 

It is also meant to emphasize continued United States engagement in the region despite withdrawal from Iraq and United States support for Jordan.  Jordanian officials are concerned about unrest spilling over its borders from Syria entangling its own restless Palestinian population.

Publicly, officials from participating countries say the operation is aimed at no country in particular, but instead against “realistic threats.”

Saudi bans "gays, tom boys" from schools

According to Emirates 24/7: 

Saudi Arabia has decided to bar gays and tom boys from its government schools and universities within a crackdown against the spread of this phenomenon in the conservative Moslem Gulf Kingdom, a newspaper said on Monday.

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the most feared law enforcement authority in the oil-rich country, has been asked to enforce the new orders, Sharq Arabic language daily said.

“Instructions have been issued to all public schools and universities to ban the entry of gays and tom boys and to intensify their efforts to fight this phenomenon, which has been promoted by some websites,” it said.

The paper did not make clear who issued those instructions but said gay and tom boy students can go back to schools and universities if they prove they have been corrected and have stopped such practices.

It said high-level orders have been issued to the Commission to immediately enforce the new rules and to step up efforts to combat this phenomenon and other “unacceptable behavior” in public places.

Saudi religious police ease up to improve image

According to local media sources, the Saudi religious police, officially called the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of vice, will stop car chases that have led to fatal accidents in the past in an attempt to improve their image.

Religious police patrol the streets, enforcing gender segregation, modest dress, and the closing of shops in prayer time.

According to the religious police's spokesman, "We care a great deal to make the image of the commission a positive one that reflects the true image of Islam. There is no doubt that these [plans] portray a new vision for the commission."

In 2002, the commission was criticized for stopping schoolgirls from leaving a burning school building in Mecca and hindering the work of rescue workers because the girls were not wearing correct Islamic dress.    Around 15 young girls died and 50 were injured.

According to Reuters, earlier this year, a video of the religious police attacking a family outside a shopping mall in Riyadh was posted on YouTube, getting more than 180,000 hits and generating strong criticism.

Headline of the Week: Saudi Support for Muslim Minorities Highlighted.

Really?

Yes, with a small cavet: only in other parts of the world without international interference in a country's internal affairs.

Obviously not in Saudi itself.

Photo from funeral of activist killed in Qatif, a restive city in Saudi's East with a huge Shi'ite population and oil.

And these Qatifians must just be having a party, not upset about political, social, and religious oppression.

"We want full rights."

Protesters Killed in Saudi's East

A few months ago I attended an off-the-record discussion with an academic and writer who believed of all the countries in the Middle East and North Africa, Saudi had the least to worry about.  He seemed to think the Saudis could keep their people happy by keeping them awash in petrodollars.

Despite public perceptions of all Saudis being rich and happy, there are poor Saudis, even in the country's capital, Riyadh. Blogger Feras Bouqnah and his team were arrested after they released a YouTube video, below, talking about poverty in Saudi Arabia. His show, "Mal3oob 3aleena," or "We Are Being Cheated," is popular in the Gulf state.

It's definitely worth watching in full.

I told him I thought he was incredibly mistaken. There has been unrest in (oil-rich) eastern Saudi for months, much of it fuelled by minority Shi'ites who feel repressed and marginalized by the Sunni monarchy.

Photo of protests in Qatif from http://www.facebook.com/Revolution.East

The volatile situation got worse this weekend when two protesters, most recently Zuhair al-Said, in Qatif were shot dead by security forces; at least three others were injured.  Security officials claimed they were responding to live-fire attacks by protesters.  Videos posted online by activists showed no such attacks.  Activists also posted videos of al-Said's funeral procession and his body.

At least seven have died over the past year in protests in Saudi, who accuses neighbor and Shi'ite power of fueling unrest along their shared border.  The Arab country also accuses protesters of collaboration with the Persian country.