SaudiSphere

Buthaina Al-Nasir on "Brainwashing"

Where did the "Saudi Liberals Network" go?? الشبكة الليبرالية السعودية

It seems that the Saudi Liberals Network, a popular Saudi web forum which openly discusses issues of concern to Saudi citizens, has disappeared from the face of the internet. This doesn't come as a surprise since the predecessors of the network, Tuwaa and Dar Al-Nadwa, were also shut down by the government. But why now? I am thinking that, among other things, it might be related to the latest reform petition which was endorsed and supported by the network. But I have no doubt that the Saudi reformers will start a new forum just as they have done before. Listen to this (you know who you are): You can shut a forum or two, arbitrarily detain a bunch of well respected individuals within the society, ban reformists from traveling, but you can never bring an end to a resilient spirit.

 

Faceless Saudi Women

So what happens when a Saudi woman adds her face to facebook? You would think it is a normal thing to do. Think twice & then go ahead and read Aysha Alkusayer, a new and promising Saudi blogger who is blogging from Portland (one of my favorite US cities), account on this huge deal in a culture that forbids a woman's face and considers it a shame.

Tomorrow: Constitutional Speech by King Abdullah

The local English daily Arabnews is reporting that King Abdullah will be addressing the Saudi Shura Council tomorrow. John Burgess brings the attention to recent speculations of a major policy announcement: "Over the past couple of months, the rumor mill has been running at full speed about the pending announcement of major changes in Saudi law and governance."

RIYADH, 13 April 2007 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will deliver a speech at the Shoura Council tomorrow in which he is expected to mention the Kingdom’s internal and external strategies for the coming year.

The President of the Shoura Council Sheikh Saleh Bin-Humaid described the speech to be “constitutional.” He added that it in addition to it reflecting the Kingdom’s strategies, it would also touch on new developments in the Kingdom over the past year.

Just 11 days ago, members of the constitutional reform movement in Saudi Arabia(دعاة الإصلاح المدني و الدستوري) sent the king their latest petition which outlines their reform vision and detailed proposals, معالم في طريق الملكية الدستورية/ دولة الدستور الإسلامي/ دولة العدل والشور (Arabic). Some of this petition's framers and signatories were arbitrarily arrested in February based on mostly contested and fabricated accusations. King Abdullah has on certain occasions met with some of the reformists and promised them change. So let's wait and see.

 

Update:

Text of King Abdullah’s speech (Arabic)

John Burgess’s follow up post about the speech

Stop lying for a change, will ya?

When I started reading Rasheed Abou-Alsamh’s new article, Saudis cling to outlet for free expression, I initially felt that he is writing about some godforsaken Latin country ruled by a military dictatorship and the secret police that I read about long time ago in a history book, then, I felt like breaking something, anything: 

For 14 years she has been gathering with some 150 other female Saudi academics for monthly diwaniyas, or salons. At the home of one of the group's members in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, they talked about the issues of the day: the plight of Saudi women, elections, civil society, and domestic violence.            

But now the professor worries that the government is beginning to stifle her salon and others, further backing away from making  substantial reforms.      

These discussion groups, which have been growing in number in recent years, are among the only outlets for collective expression  in a country where public gatherings and political parties are banned.    

She says she received a troubling call from a government official a few weeks ago asking her to register the group with the Ministry of Interior or face police action against her group. "The official kept calling me, but I said I would not believe what he was saying unless he could send me something in writing," recalls the academic, who asked for anonymity for fear of retribution.

"My husband was finally called in to have a meeting with a Riyadh Governorate official who told him that a new law was going into effect that would force all discussion groups in private homes who have guest speakers to be registered with the Ministry of Interior," she says.

Not only will these discussion groups apparently have to be registered with the government, but each may have to apply for  permission from the appropriate ministry depending on the topic being discussed, according to this academic. (more)

This type of repression, I assume, would never happen in a country which claims that its opening up for reform and citizen participation in policy making. No matter how you look at it, spying on and controlling what people do in their own homes is simply an infringement on the dignity and basic rights of citizens. Now this is no longer just an issue of freedom of expression alone, but also the internationally recognized right of free assembly and living freely without awaiting the approval of a patriarchal government that believes it owns its people from head to toe. So, here it is, I am fed up with this game of cards the government is playing with its so-called reform agenda. Once in every blue moon they throw a card which outlines actions permitted in this game, 10 days later they lay down 10 cards which lists all the forbidden actions that everyone should abstain from and would lead them to trouble (from harassing bloggers to haphazardly shutting down internet forums and canceling cultural events and the list goes on). So, dear government, for the sake of credibility, let's lay down the rules clearly once and for all because as habitual liars you have lost all respect.

Segregation will prevail

Everyone who read this ground-breaking-news was so delighted:

       "€œSegregation of men and women is not correct"

- Statement by Prince Nayef, interior minister in the Fourth Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh

 
But, what does this statement really mean? Are we going to wake up tomorrow and find our 8th graders, boys and girls, co-existing in one classroom? Does it mean that music and dvd stores are going to take down that degrading board which hangs on its entrance and reads: "no women are allowed"?

Are you kidding me, coming from this source, this statement means nothing (read Ahmed's post which clarifies the story). It actually shows how eager Arabnews is for reporting on some promise of change, even if it is just a mirage. Just to be realistic: Segregation is alive and well in so many parts of the country so don't get your hopes up.

Good Job

The Saudi government is not keeping up with the development and maintenance of viable living conditions in big cities, that is well known to say the least. To give you an example of genius planning, the Jeddah municipality is planning to move the livestock market next to a sewage dump. So, it doesn't come as a surprise to read news like this.

 

Saudi writer Zaynab Hifni on women, sex and taboos

And you don’t want to miss this!

My favoriate new word

Kleptocracy (root: Klepto+cracy = rule by theives) is a government that is primarily designed to sustain the personal wealth and political power of government officials and their cronies.

 

Do Saudis have the right to request reforms?

Other than being hand picked by the government for some official posts and the powerless shura council, Saudis have no venues for political participation. However, since the beginning of the 1990s Saudi citizens started petitioning the government for reforms, transparency and the establishment of independent civil society institutions. A new petition circulating on the Internet is echoing the events of 2004 when signatories of an earlier petition were rounded up from their work places and houses and imprisoned for the sole purpose of asking for their legitimate rights. The February Petition, as it is called by some, was published few days after the government arrested 10 reformers, some of them signed the petition before they were sacked by the secret police.

This, I guess, answers the question proposed by this post, do Saudis have right to ask for rights and freedoms? well, the answer should be yes, any citizen must be allowed to activly participate in the development of her/his country, but in the grim reality of Saudi Arabian authoritarianism the answer is: No

+ The text of Constitutional Reform Petition معالم في طريق الملكية الدستورية (Arabic)
(I don't think that any English version exists yet, if so please let me know and I will post it here)