Saudi cleric comes under “vicious attack” over reform letter
London-based independent newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi website on 16 March
[Report by Ahmad al-Misri: “Al-Awdah’s Speech on Reform in Saudi Arabia Sparks Debate on Twitter and the Saudi Preacher Is Subject to Vicious Attacks”]
The speech in which famous Saudi preacher Salman al-Awdah condemned the seizure of human rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has sparked a debate on Twitter. The Saudi cleric has been subject to a vicious attack by what is known, on the social media outlet, as the “strike force” of the Saudi intelligence apparatus.
The supporters of Al-Awdah’s speech have created a group called hashtag #[word in Arabic] on the Twitter site. These supporters include the names of clerics and people who are famous in the kingdom. Dr Nasir al-Umr wrote on his account: “Thank you, Abu-Mu’adh. You have expressed many of our worries, and whoever does not agree with the content of this speech or is only seeking to find gaps in it should rethink his intentions.” Awad al-Qarni, a famous Saudi preacher, said: This is a speech of compassion and advice that has hit the nail on the head regarding a number of issues, which worry people. I hope it is received with a positive spirit, far away from any negative interpretations."
Isam al-Zamil, a Saudi internet specialist, conducted a survey about the speech, with the participation of over 10,000 people. The result was: “More than 88 per cent of the people support the speech of Shaykh Salman al-Awdah, while 4 per cent do not support it,” according to Al-Zamil.
As for the people who oppose Al-Awdah’s speech, they have created a group under the name hashtag #[word in Arabic]. Saudi writer Ahmad al-Arfaj wrote in a tweet: “We want a patriotic speech and patriotic demands, and not a speech linked to an individual that reflects the personal ideologies of its author, from a harsh cleric to one that lives a life of luxury.” While Afnan Bint-Fahd wrote: “Al-Awdah only wants the Muslim Brotherhood to rule Saudi Arabia, even if it means [spilling] blood and [disgracing] honour. Al-Awdah only thinks about his interest.” Someone else wrote: “The Shaykh of NATO said we do not want to fight, waste our resources, or balkanization!! However, yesterday, he calls for jihad in Syria.”
In an “open speech” on 15 March, Al-Awdah, who is from the [Islamic] awakening trend, which is close in ideology to the Muslim Brotherhood, condemned the seizure of rights, calling for reform and warning, at the same time, that there is tension in the kingdom, which follows a conservative, political, and religious tradition.
Salman al-Awdah wrote on his website, in the form of excerpts: “People here have wishes, demands, and rights, and they will not keep silent forever over these being fully or partially seized (...) When people lose hope, you have to expect anything from them.” Al-Awdah points out to “negative feelings which have been accumulating for a long time (...) If people cease to feel fear, expect anything from them, and if their anger rises, then nothing will satisfy them. With the rise of anger, the legal and political symbols lose their value, and leadership is then in the hands of the people in the street.”
Al-Awdah warned against “tension,” calling for “opening horizons to rectify the situation (...) and to protect the gains, such as the geographical unity. This encourages us to call for reform, as the alternative [to reform] would be chaos, balkanization, and belligerency.” He considered “the financial and administration corruption, unemployment, [poor] housing, poverty, weakness in health [care] and education, and the lack of horizons for political reform, as the causes of this tension.” Al-Awdah pointed out that “the continuation of the current situation is impossible, but the question is: where is this path leading us?”
Al-Awdah expresses his belief that “the security grip will make things worse and stand in the way of attempts at reform.”
Al-Awdah believes that “there is concern over the future (...) Maybe the exodus of capital and businessmen will increase. The citizens are afraid of chaos, disorder, and they need someone who will allay their fears through a pragmatic reform project, in which they can be partners.”
Al-Awdah also writes: “No reasonable person wishes for the spark to become a fire that burns the country down, as they do not want violence to be the tool for expression. If revolutions are oppressed, they turn into armed action. If they are ignored, they expand and extend. The solution lies in wise resolutions, which, if applied on time, can prevent the spark of violence.”
Al-Awdah writes: “The rise in the security obsession has made most of the nation’s activities subject to security examination.” He touched upon the topic of the detainees by saying: “All suspects have been locked up, and there was an opportunity to release those suspected of being innocent. However, this did not happen (...) The repercussions were the sowing of rancour, the desire for revenge, and the considerable expansion of militant ideology in the jails.”
Al-Awdah added: “May members of the ruling family do not agree with the policy of prisons, and this is well known on Twitter and in meetings.”
Saudi Arabia has been witnessing for some time sit-ins and rallies in Al-Qasim and Riyadh, especially those staged by the family members of prisoners or detainees from the radical religious movement, who call for their release. Al-Awdah criticized “the control of the intelligence apparatus over prisoners - from the time they are being monitored, to the moment they are detained and searched, and until they are tried and sentenced - which deprives them of many rights.”
He wrote: “The burning of pictures of officials is symbolic, and it should not pass unnoticed.” Al-Awdah warned against closing the doors because “a helpless person might take risks, disregarding what is good and bad (...) A solution must be found for this situation and there should be no prisoners except those whose involvement [in a crime] has been proven and who had absolute legal rulings issued against them. Finally, this must be announced as soon as possible.”
Al-Awdah considers that “it is necessary to release the detainees of HASM [Association for Civil and Political Rights] and the reformists of Jedda,” in a reference to the rulings issued on 9 March condemning two prominent human rights activists to jail, approximately 10 years for each activist, and the closing down of their society for not acquiring a license to practice.
Al-Awdah believes that “the rights of a citizen are innate and not granted.”
Al-Quds al-Arabi website, London, in Arabic 16 Mar 13
BBC Monitoring
