January 23, 2015
King Abdullah: He came, he educated, he left
King Abdullah was instrumental in starting many new programmes at home and abroad that have taken Saudi Arabia on the path towards modernisation
King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz is dead. He passed away early on Friday at the age of 90, leaving countless Saudis with hollowness in their souls. He was not just a ruler, but a man who came to be passionately loved during his rule.
Abdullah took over the Saudi throne in 2005, following the death of King Fahd. In recent weeks, his health deteriorated and he had been hospitalised with pneumonia. Although his death did not come as a complete shock — as reports of his failing health had dominated the news in recent weeks — his loss has still devastated a nation that loved the man. It will take days, weeks and maybe months for some to get over their grief. There is a heavy air of loss permeating the atmosphere in Saudi Arabia, and among Saudis abroad.
In the course of his illness, there were various rumours about succession in the foreign press, including reports of infighting and jostling for power among the royals. There was immense speculation in many segments of the world’s media about the kingdom’s stability and what a political transition in Riyadh would mean on the world stage. Palace intrigue makes good reading, but the Al Saud family is far too sophisticated for that and has always settled its differences in the interest of the nation. These rumours and armchair speculations have been laid to rest by the smooth and expected transition immediately after Abdullah’s death.
During his reign, King Abdullah was instrumental in starting many new programmes at home and abroad that have taken Saudi Arabia on the path towards modernisation. To list them all would take pages of this newspaper, but I would not be doing justice if I did not list a few that have changed Saudi society and the way Saudis think.
One of his primary efforts was geared towards combatting the ideology of hate and rejection that was prevalent in certain segments of Saudi society and which fed off the extremism that was threatening to choke off Saudi society and send it back to the Stone Age. While the kingdom was scorned and derided in many countries for its conservative policies, Abdullah was wise to understand that change had to happen, but at a pace that was palatable to his people and one that would not lead to internal strife. He did not want to create a clash of ideologies within his own borders.
The King started slowly but surely, and eventually, the change became apparent. For a few, it was still happening too fast while others complained that it wasn’t fast enough. But there has been change and there’s no denying that. While some may accuse him of not having much of an impact in trying to create a more moderate version of Islam, others would point out to the various initiatives he took upon himself to set his kingdom on the right course.
Exercising political influence
The Saudi religious police, which, in the minds of many, exercised powers beyond its charter prior to King Abdullah’s ascension, began to feel the squeeze of the new boundaries, set by defined rules and operational procedures. The hardline head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice was replaced by a more tolerant and learned figure and errant commission members who exceeded their roles and limits against the public were brought to task.
As the custodian of the two holy mosques, Abdullah was more than merely a king. He had a far-reaching responsibility towards the Muslim world. Such a responsibility led to him exercising political influence in the Islamic world with great prudence and discretion. He also took distinctive steps to combat suspicions and misunderstandings that could have led to a clash of civilisations. In 2007, he met Pope Benedict XVI, the first-ever meeting between a Pope and a reigning Saudi king.
In 2011, the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Inter-religious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) came into being, a brainchild of this astute leader who pushed for dialogue among all the world’s great religions.
Domestically, he chased down the fringe militants with an iron fist. Those who would not give up were either killed or forced to flee to other countries. His intolerance for terrorists was well known and the message soon filtered down that Saudi soil was no safe haven for such individuals or groups.
Abdullah made great strides with the opening up of new horizons for Saudi women, long marginalised in a society that used various interpretations of religion to suppress their rights and their identity. He fought clerics who preached fundamentalism and were using the pulpits to speak against women’s freedom. He replaced them with modern clerics, whose message was not one filled with hate or the oppression of women.
During some of his foreign trips, he invited Saudi women to be part of the visiting delegation and participated in dialogue with other world and business leaders. Pictures of these women flanking the King during these trips dominated the front pages and were made more dramatic by the fact that some women chose to expose their faces to the cameras, something that was previously considered a social taboo.
In 2011, King Abdullah granted women the right to vote and run as candidates in the local elections scheduled for 2015, stating “we refuse to marginalise women’s role in Saudi society”. He also ordered that women be part of the Saudi Shura Council. Two years later, 30 Saudi women of varied backgrounds and professions took their seats at the Council, after they were sworn in before King Abdullah at his palace in Riyadh. Such a transformation in the conservative kingdom’s history would have been unheard of just a few years earlier. Today, the fruits of his decision are being gradually felt as the Shura Council is openly discussing and proposing laws promoting the rights of women.
Opening the minds of the youth
In the field of education, textbooks were reviewed and revised and ministers of education changed. In 2005, King Abdullah, in a meeting with the then US president, George W. Bush, convinced him to allow easier entry facilities for Saudi students wishing to pursue higher education in the US.
The King Abdullah Scholarship Programme began shortly after and deserving high school students in their thousands rushed to take advantage of the opportunity that gave them access to the best universities around the world. Academic disciplines were selected based on the needs of ministries, national corporations and the private sector. The programme also had one undisclosed aim: Opening the minds of these youth coming from a previously closed kingdom to a world beyond their borders. It helped them understand and accept those who were different from them. Today, hundreds of thousands of Saudi students have been grateful recipients of the programme. The King was also instrumental in giving the nod to the first co-ed university in the country, an institution that bears his name. The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) was officially inaugurated by him on the Saudi National Day in 2009, with more than 3,000 guests, including heads of states and Nobel Prize recipients, attending the opening ceremony.
He came, he educated and he left. And what of his legacy? Perhaps one grieving Saudi in his mid-30s summed it up best when he said: “King Abdullah made this country a better place to live in.” Today, the kingdom begins a new era. Will it usher in unexpected changes or will King Abdullah’s vision remain on course? Such questions are bound to arise and there will be much speculation. But the leadership of Saudi Arabia is astute and understands its responsibility well.
In a region filled with strife, the Saudi course would be to tread responsibly and that begins with a smooth transition of leadership and values. Long live the kingdom!
Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
King Abdullah: He came, he educated, he left | GulfNews.com
