by Turki al-Owerde
The Saudis generally do not like to boast to others about what they do because they do it for Allah, and then because of the nature of Arabian culture…The Saudis talk about it only if they’re met with hatred, apparent hostility, arrogance and denial.
Before we get into the article, let’s first understand Who are Al-Amsaar people? The Peoples of Al-Amsaar are those who live in the countries and regions located north of the Arabian Peninsula and east of the Arabian Gulf; the Egyptians; the Sudanese, and the rest of the peoples of North Africa. Living in countries north of the Arabian Peninsula are the Nabateans, Assyrians, Canaanites, and groups of various migrations. The Copts live in Egypt, the Zanj groups in Sudan and Amazighs in the rest of North Africa. There are also groups of various migrations in each country. These peoples were strongly influenced by Arabian culture through the Arab-Islamic tide that expanded in the state of the Arabian Caliphate and then the Umayyad Empire (620 – 750 AD).
The causes of Al-Amsaar and the Muslim communities are a fundamental pillar in Saudi culture and in the Saudi leadership role around the world. Saudi Arabia provides political, security and economic support worth billions of dollars to support the development of Islamic countries and communities. It distributes enormous relief projects around the world, especially to Muslims.
The Arabs resisted occupation in both ancient and modern times. Foreign powers have been unable to maintain control over them throughout well-known history, thanks to Allah and then because of the nature of the Arabian Peninsula and character of the Arabs. Even when they were weak and in contact with other nations, the Arabs remained strongly committed to their identity, retained their heritage and traditions, preserve their historical lineage, their tribal affiliation, and descendants, and regard this as a basis for their identity, culture, and history.
Arabs are distinguished from other nations by sharp collective cultural memory. Most of their history has been transmitted with relatively high accuracy through oral narrative, and much of their heritage remains preserved in pre-Islamic and Islamic literature. In the same way, with the help of Allah, the Arabs were able to memorize the Qur’an, the Sunna, and Islamic heritage through a unique direct feature called the “Chain of Transmission.” This means studying the testimony of known narrators (witnesses) whose characters and associations are well known, then documenting it and corroborating the information through additional credible witnesses wherever possible. Each narrator has a specific and integrated definition. By comparing all testimony and evidence it is possible in many cases to validate the words of experience even over generations. The preservation of the Qur’an and Sunna relies on this unique method found only in Arabian Islamic discipline.
The divine miracle in memorizing the Qur’an is that it remained the same as it was 1400 years ago, and it is the same all over the world today. There cannot be different versions that vary even in one letter. This divine miracle required a mechanism and a human culture that is commensurate with its divine value. Through the centuries and down through generations, the Arabs by their nature and culture, thanks to Allah, are here to take the divine message seriously, to preserve it and disseminate it to the world.
The Arabian conquest of the peoples of Al-Amsaar did not carry the characteristics of foreign aggression, and therefore it was not an invasion or occupation. All that happened was that the Arabs helped the people of Al-Amsaar to liberate themselves from the yoke of successive occupations. Arabian culture gave them intensive doses of the concept of freedom and the spirit of independence and self-esteem. Before that, the people of Al-Amsaar had been completely surrendered to successive occupations.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Royal Family (Al-Saud)
It is important that the peoples of Al-Amsaar and people of the world realize that the Saudi Arabian state is not a brief bulge in history. The first Saudi state arose in the 18th century (1744 AD) at the time of the late European Renaissance and before the independence of the United States of America. The Saudi royal family is well-rooted in Arabian history and conscience. It has been ruling for more than 500 years, beginning in a large area in the middle of the Arabian Peninsula (plateau of Najd) centuries before 1744.
Saudis render absolute political loyalty to the royal family (Al-Saud) because its attention to the needs of its people for centuries has created strong economic and social ties with them. The tribes themselves have deep alliances with the royal family. Underlying and agreed upon by all is the beneficial and regulating influence of Islam. All of this is in sharp contrast to revolutionary political thought and mitigates against it.
The royal family (Al-Saud) has continued to organize and help the Saudi people to bring about broad and radical changes that have strengthened loyalty and patriotism to the third Saudi state (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) in the past 100 years.
Security, justice, development, and prosperity are still the hallmarks of the Saudi monarchy. What has happened over the past 80 years is very impressive even for a neutral reader. Education levels among Saudis rose from zero to 94%. The percentage of Saudi women in the education sector rose from zero to 55%. Women represent 20% of total members of the Shura Council, greater than the numbers of representative women in many other countries of the world, especially in the European and American continents. Saudis, in general, enjoy advanced levels of government and commercial services.
After decades of serious planning and unlimited Arabian ambition, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia settled at the forefront of the world’s most influential global entities, outperforming many of the world’s most powerful economies of the G20 nations.
Many believe that oil is the decisive factor in this, and although important, other countries having nearly equal or similar resources to the Saudi oil reserves did not achieve what Saudi Arabia achieved. In Saudi Arabia, there are several factors that aid renaissance: good governance, effective management, centrality of the geographical kingdom to the old and modern worlds, centrality to the Arabian and Islamic worlds, and unity of the social fabric.
The Islamic faith is the sound bedrock for the Saudi people and the Saudi state. It embraces, teaches and propagates the absolute oneness of Allah, and prohibits manifestations of polytheism such as the holiness of creatures and the worshiping of graves and idols. Islamic Sharia Law is the sole source of legislation so practices and manifestations of religiosity spread to many Saudis. This does not mean that the Saudis are angels, but does mean that as a whole they are the “most committed” to Islam.
Today Saudis represent the main element identifying Arab and Islamic civilization. The Arabian Peninsula is the home and extension of the Arab culture that formed the first Arabian Islamic State under the leadership of the great Arab Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)more than 1,400 years ago.
The first Saudi state, then the second, and the third, today’s Saudi Arabia, where Arabs have regained part of their original glory, represents the Arabs along with their brothers, the leaders of the Gulf states.
All Saudis, Kings and people, have respect for all the peoples of the world. They also have a strong feeling towards all Muslims, especially the peoples of Al-Amsaar. The Kingdom hosts millions of foreign residents who earn a living and participate in development. The Saudis are proud too of serving Islam through the care of the Qur’an and Sunnah and millions of pilgrims annually.
Saudi Arabia – Al-Amsaar relationship
The Palestinian cause remains a solid part of Saudi religious, moral and political-cultural heritage. Many Saudis remember proudly the popular campaigns to support the Palestinians and also support the Algerian battle for independence from French occupation. Saudi students cut their school expenses to support Al-Amsaar. Saudis are proud of the positions of their leaders, from founding King Abdulaziz Al Saud, to the King of determination Salman and Crown Prince of the future vision Muhammad bin Salman, may Allah bless them.
The Saudis generally do not like to boast to others about what they do because they do it for Allah, and then because of the nature of Arabian culture and ethics that they enjoyed even before Islam and the advent of the late Crown Prince Sultan Bin AbdulAziz Al-Saud, may Allah have mercy upon him. The Saudis talk about it only if they’re met with hatred, apparent hostility, arrogance and denial.
The positions of the founding King Abdulaziz Al-Saud, may Allah have mercy upon him, was firm and clear in rejecting the Ottoman, European and Israeli occupations of the peoples of Al-Amsaar, and in rejecting illegal settlement and partition. This is evidenced by the records of his speeches, correspondence, and meetings with world leaders. The Saudi position has not changed and continues in comprehensive support for the Palestinians and the rest of the peoples of Al-Amsaar.
Relations between the Saudis and the peoples of Al-Amsaar are old and historic. Saudi Arabia has supported them politically, economically and militarily to gain independence from the Ottoman and European and Israeli occupations. Even on the religious side, Saudi Arabia embraces the two Holy Mosques, the homeland of Arabism, Islam and the homeland of the Great Prophet. The relationship between the Saudis and the Palestinians has another deep tie as Palestine embraces Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Prophet’s destination of Israa’ (Jerusalem).
To this day Saudi Arabia refuses to establish any relations with Israel, and sacrifices a huge political, military and economic balance with the world, especially the West, because of the Palestinian cause. This contrasts with some Arabian, Amsaar and Islamic countries such as Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and others which have declared multi-level relations with Israel. Iran and Turkey have acknowledged Israel since 1948 and Turkey recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem.
Saudi Arabia also rejected the US-British occupation of Iraq, and warned them through the late Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, may Allah have mercy on him, of the dangers and disasters that we have seen over and over since 2003.
Saudi Arabia and the Saudis are the main supporters of the Al-Amsaar people, especially the Palestinians, politically, economically and militarily. They are responsible for many of the Palestinian Authority’s expenses, and the Saudis express their support and hope for a just solution for the Palestinians.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees with special exceptions have been living in Saudi Arabia since 1948, and millions of Yemeni, Syrian and Burmese refugees have been living there for decades without coercive measures to leave the country. Saudis do not deal with refugees by the usual international standards, where they are placed in camps without services. The refugees are integrated with the Saudi citizens and are granted the same right to residence, work, education, and healthcare as any ordinary citizen, and work side by side with the Saudis in various governmental and private sectors.
Saudi Arabia continues to fund development, reconstruction and relief projects for the peoples of Al-Amsaar and the Palestinians in particular, and the restoration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque via intermediary humanitarian organizations. Gaza is home to the Saudi neighborhood, inaugurated by the late King Abdullah, May Allah have mercy upon him, who announced a $1billion donation for the reconstruction of Gaza.
What is the problem in Saudi-Palestinian relations? What made many Saudis recently appear on social networks with different and negative perceptions of the Palestinians and their cause?
Historical Palestinian Points
- In 1990, Saudi Arabs sponsored the Taif Agreement under the auspices of the late King Fahd Bin AbdulAziz Al Saud (may Allah have mercy upon him) to stop the Lebanese Civil War that erupted in 1975. This was successful. The War started with military confrontations between the Maronites and the Palestinians led by Arafat.
- The Palestinians and Lebanese are the biggest beneficiaries of Saudi Arabian support. The Palestinians have been receiving billions of dollars since 1948, $6 billion since 2000. The Lebanese have received $70 billion since 1990. Yet the extent of the hatred and aggression of the Lebanese and Palestinians towards the Saudis would surprise even Satan. Hezbullat and the sectarian groups dominating the Lebanese scene are actively participating in aggression against Saudi Arabia. Hezbullat Party military advisors are there in Yemen to support the Houthi terrorists, and Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine are the most critical places to launch campaigns of hatred and aggression against Saudi Arabia. The “Death to Al Saud” slogan is thought to be practiced by a broad section of the Amasaari Lebanese people.
- In 1975, with the request of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (George Habash), the Venezuelan Carlos the Jackal carried out the armed operation of kidnapping the Saudi Oil Minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani among OPEC oil ministers who were meeting in Vienna. The Palestinians have been remembering George Habash and Carlos with respect and consider both of them revolutionary icons, while the two terrorists carried out an armed kidnapping against a Saudi minister who belonged to a country that has long supported the Palestinian cause.
- In 1990, under Arafat’s leadership, the Palestinians supported the leftist Baathist criminal Saddam Hussain in his treacherous invading of Kuwait, and in bombing Saudi Arabia and the occupation of the Saudi city of Khafji. The Palestinians demonstrated to demand that Saddam bomb Kuwait and Saudi Arabia with chemical weapons.
- In 2007, Saudi Arabia, under the auspices of the late King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (may Allah have mercy upon him), sponsored a reconciliation agreement in Makkah between Fatah and Hamas which was to unify the Palestinian position and strengthen it in the face of international entitlements. Shortly thereafter Hamas broke the reconciliation agreement and turned it over to the legitimate Palestinian Authority, in coordination with Israel, Qatar, Iran, and Turkey. It then allied with regional forces hostile to Saudi Arabia such as Qatar, Iran, Turkey, Bashar al-Assad, Hezbullat, and the Houthis.
- Hamas has chosen to align itself with countries that have full political, economic and cultural ties with Israel such as Turkey and Qatar. The so-called Resistance Front in Lebanon has chosen to align itself with Qatar and Turkey, which have full political, economic and cultural ties with Israel. These chaotic trends combined with the terrorist Iranian regime against Saudi Arabia, which has no relations with Israel.
- Regardless of its sincere and costly support for them, Saudi Arabia is being attacked for no reason by broad sectors of Palestinians and the rest of the peoples of Al-Amsaar. The Palestinian cause is the main cause for this attack despite the strong Saudi position against any normalization of relations with Israel.
- Israel is not an enemy of Saudi Arabia, although it’s a cultural, political, ideological and intellectual opponent. Israel has never attacked Saudi Arabia directly but the political and media scandals that Saudi Arabia faces, especially from the Palestinians, are ironically almost beyond what Israel itself has to deal with from them.
- Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a wide range of people from Al-Amsaar took part in a vicious campaign against the Saudis, danced with joy at the attacks, raised the image of the terrorist bin Laden in demonstrations and was revered in forums and media outlets. At the same time, these groups accuse Saudi Arabia of terrorism.
- After the Arab Coalition launched “Decisive Storm” against the hostile Iranian presence, a wide spectrum of people from Al-Amsaar who were against the legal Saudi intervention in Yemen also launched a large-scale, ongoing campaign against the Arabians – Saudis, Emiratis, and Bahrainis.
- During the isolated Khashoggi incident, the Saudis were in a position where they could hardly distinguish between enemy and friend. Large segments of the peoples of Al-Amsaar in the Middle East, North Africa, and even immigrants in Europe and America, adopted the hostile Turkish position. The Saudis became a daily meal in Amsaari media, suffering shameful accusations against Saudi Arabia and against the great leader of future, The Arabian Knight, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It was the biggest political, media and economic campaign that has ever been launched against the Arabs in contemporary history. The Saudis were threatened with economic and political sanctions, but the high Saudi Arabian reputation defeated this historic satanic attack.
- Frequently Palestinians show personal videos full of hatred and aggression toward Saudis and take part in demonstrations in which they burn and insult the pictures of the Saudi leaders, one of the most depressing of human behaviors.
Many of the peoples of Al-Amsaar boast of ancient civilizations and ideologies that do not have any real cultural ties with their current ideologies of liberalism and leftism. They revere foreign revolutionary leaders such as Guevara, Castro, and Hitler, showing respect for them while hardly remembering their closest cultural model, the great King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud. He is the singular icon representing the culture and his sons, kings and princes, are the best example that the peoples of Al-Amsaar can learn and benefit from. Because of the crisis of lost identity, however, and the resulting arrogance and hatred, the people flock to the alien. They reject the opportunity to learn from the unique and successful Saudi experience.
Throughout these long decades, Saudi Arabia has faced many such unethical and hostile attitudes by governments and large groups of peoples of Al-Amsaar, particularly the Palestinians. However, Saudi support has continued without limit, and the abuse has been met with little reaction in accordance with Islamic teachings and the strong Arabian moral heritage.
Many of the peoples of Al-Amsaar, especially the Palestinians, have been affected by various right-wing and left-wing extreme movements imported from the West and the East and extremist organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood. They have been fed for decades with aggressive rhetoric towards the successful Saudi Arabian monarchy, the Saudi traditional society, and the Saudi culture. This is evident in political attitudes, public literature, and political, social, cultural and literary discourse.
In the literature of the peoples of Al-Amsaar, including the Palestinians, neutral terms are used in a negative and aggressive racist manner against the Saudis in particular and the Arabian Gulf States in general as well as the nomads and Bedouins. Also negative, pejorative terms such as hypocrite, barbarian, retarded, and Zionist are also used despite Saudi Arabia’s unlimited support for these people. Despite all of this Saudi Arabian society represents the unique Arabian-Islamic model of benevolent prosperity in the region and the world.
Throughout the history of modern Saudi Arabia, large groups of people have used the term “Wahhabism” to denounce the Saudis as “Wahhabists,” which the Saudis reject and deny. This common anti-Arab term was imported from the Turkish Ottoman by the right-wing and left-wing parties of Al-Amsaar. This anti-Arab term has been exploited by the Persians and the peoples of Al-Amsaar in the same aggressive manner against Arabs, and the Saudis are branded as backward terrorists and extremists who do not deserve the good of Allah and what they have earned.
Large groups of people and the governments of Al-Amsaar, especially the Palestinians, have been engaging in aggressive and widespread campaigns for decades to distort and incite against the Saudis. The aggressive campaign extends from Iran and the entire Middle East and North Africa to Europe and America, where many of the immigrants of Al-Amsaar are locating. The campaign against Saudis, which many of them do not even recognize, extends to Western information, studies and intelligence centers where many Al-Amsaar immigrants work in translation and preparation, reporting, intelligence and even hold official positions.
In these aggressive campaigns, religious texts are modulated to condemn the Saudis, falsify Saudi Arabian history and the Saudi identity, slander the Saudis, and bully them politically, socially and culturally in the media. The original Islamic identity of the Saudi Arabian has been stolen and plagiarized by the peoples of Al-Amsaar who speak Arabic.
These aggressive campaigns peaked at the height of the leftist waves, such as Nasserism, Baathism, and others, where books and poems were written and speeches in political satire were directed against the Arabs. Demonstrations took place and the Arabs were repeatedly cursed by leaders, politicians, parties, intellectuals, media, professors and large groups of the Amsaari, with especially heavy participation by the Palestinians.
The Al-Jazeera terrorist channel is the spearhead of the project (the Israel-liberal in its two parts – Muslim brotherhood-Qatar) And hostile to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It has been adopted by a wide range of people of Al-Amsaar, some having Western nationalities. The Al-Jazeera terror campaign has been raging since the mid-1990s and its appeal has been echoing throughout the peoples of Al-Amsaar.
The Al-Jazeera terrorist channel is located next to the Al Udeid American Base southwest of Doha, Qatar where US forces were launched to invade Iraq. Nearby are the Israeli Embassy, the Taliban Embassy, and Turkish and Iranian bases.
Even some Saudis have long been misled by false slogans about Islamic brotherhood and stolen Arabism to the point where they have almost lost their independent identity for the peoples of Al-Amsaar.
Conclusion
I would like to say to the great Saudi Arabians and the rest of the Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula, the Arab minorities in the Middle East and North Africa and the people of Al-Amsaar that if there is an Arabian or Islamic nation today, Saudi Arabia must be the source, the cornerstone. If enough people care, Saudi Arabia must receive sufficient respect and appreciation for Arabian-Islamic and Amsaari relations to continue and be strengthened in a way that allows all peoples to live in peace and prosperity.
If there are not enough voices of nobility in the Al-Amsaari peoples to show respect and appreciation to the Saudis, the hatred and hostility shown by their elites and media to Saudi Arabia will be the norm. There are are some noble individuals but they constitute the exception.
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the harbinger of revelation (The Qur’an and the Sunnah) and the cradle of the message of Islam, the direction of all Muslims and the homeland of the great Arabian messenger of Allah, Muhammad Ibn Abdillah (PBUH). It is the only country in the world that applies Sharia Law and serves Islam, Muslims and the guests of The Lord. It is even more astonishing that all the direct attacks and aggressive behaviors that Saudi Arabia faces and confronts are carried out by people claiming to be Arabs and Muslims.
Article first published on The Herald Report.
Turki al-Owerde is an independent journalist who uses social media to express his concerns on a wide variety of Political issues which doesn’t usually follow the mainstream narrative. Needless to say, he’s been suspended numerous times for daring to voice his opinion. He tweets under @Turki_AlOwerde.
