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Viewing cable 09JEDDAH151, THE ISSUE OF TOLERANCE IN SAUDI SOCIETY: A HEATED

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09JEDDAH151 2009-04-26 15:18 2011-08-30 01:44 CONFIDENTIAL Consulate Jeddah
VZCZCXRO9219
RR RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHJI #0151/01 1161518
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 261518Z APR 09
FM AMCONSUL JEDDAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1288
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JEDDAH 000151 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, IIP, ECA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/26/2014 
TAGS: PREL KISL POPDC OIC KPAO SA
SUBJECT: THE ISSUE OF TOLERANCE IN SAUDI SOCIETY: A HEATED 
BUT INCONCLUSIVE DEBATE 
 
Classified By: CG Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: On March 24 ConGen hosted an exchange -- via 
DVC -- between U.S author and professor Lawrence Harrison and 
a small group of Saudi intellectuals and social activists. 
Harrison, a former USAID diplomat, sparked a heated debate 
after raising the idea that culture is the key factor 
influencing social and political change. His comments 
provided a segue into a lively roundtable, in which Saudi 
participants voiced frustration that Saudi activists and 
reformers over-discuss the prospect of change, neither 
observing nor expecting any action or result. END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (U) FORMER USAID DIPLOMAT COMMENTS ON CULTURAL IMPACT: 
Professor Harrison, a former USAID diplomat and current 
Director of the Culture Change Institute at the 
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, led a March 24 
discussion on the impact of culture on Saudi Arabia's 
progress. Participating in the discussion were 12 Saudi 
intellectuals and social activists, all of whom shared an 
interest in sparking social change in Saudi Arabia. 
 
3. (U) Speaking briefly about the major themes of his book, 
"The Central Liberal Truth," Harrison cited examples of 
societies he believed were able to avoid catastrophe as a 
result of having implemented changes that led to successful 
cultural transformation. One such example, according to 
Harrison, was Turkey under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal 
Ataturk.  Ataturk, he noted, drastically altered the culture 
of Turkey by completely severing the ties between Islam and 
the state. This act, in Harrison's eyes, put Turkey on a 
divergent course from that of its neighbors and is the 
primary source of the relative success the Turkish Republic 
enjoys today. 
4. (C) ROUNDTABLE: "The Culture of Tolerance Roundtable" was 
the result of numerous discussions between ConGen officers 
and various activists in the Kingdom concerning the 
challenges facing Saudi culture, both socially and 
professionally. Many of the activists who participated, 
including the co-moderater of the event, Saudi 
intellectual/businessman Abdullah Hamddadin, expressed 
frustration that they had never been able to hold such an 
event before. Hamddadin stated that the main challenge to 
engaging on the subject of tolerance in Saudi Arabia is not a 
lack of ideas or passion but rather the absence of a public 
forum or network that would conceive as well as implement 
potential solutions. The roundtable, in his eyes, provided a 
rare 
opportunity for a diverse group of Saudi intellectuals to 
attempt such networking. 
 
5.(U) PARTICIPANTS DEMAND CHANGE AND ACTION, BUT NOTHING 
SPECIFIC PROPOSED: At points participants moved away from the 
basic theme of tolerance and instead opened a wider 
discussion on creating social change in society at a more 
general level. Ms. Norah Maghrabi, a member of  the student 
government at Dar Al Hekma University, explained that unlike 
the older generation, her peers had already begun to see 
things differently: &We have to educate the older generation 
that it,s o.k. to change.8 Several participants commented 
that concrete steps and actions leading to tangible results 
are necessary rather than simply discussing broad, universal 
topics. Younger participants in particular expressed 
frustration at listening to talk about improving Saudi 
society, but then having debate lead nowhere. 
 
6.(U) LET'S DO IT. WHAT DO WE DO?: Participants seemed to 
recognize that they had before them a rare group of Saudi 
lawyers, academics, and activists: exactly the right nucleus 
for making grassroots changes in and through the institutions 
each represented.  Many asked the question, 
"Now what? What's next?" No one could think of any specific 
actions that might help to increase levels of tolerance or 
approach change in other elements of society they found 
frustrating. 
There were ideas for a follow-up discussion, including 
hosting an African-American expert who could speak to &the 
successful U.S. experience in spreading the culture of 
tolerance in the America" as one put it. After two hours, 
participants departed expressing gratitude to consulate 
officers for the opportunity to broach these topics, but 
seemed less than confident that the session would lead to any 
further steps.  No one of the group proposed hosting a future 
meeting. 
 
7.(U) RULE OF LAW AS THE KEY TO INCREASING TOLERANCE: Several 
participants mentioned a need for families, educators and 
scholars to promote tolerance. &We need to empower patriotic 
studies in public schools to raise the country-wide patriotic 
feeling, not the tribal sense of 
 
JEDDAH 00000151  002 OF 003 
 
 
belonging,8 said one participant. Some raised the idea of 
implementing laws to deal with intolerance, with one 
individual commenting that the rule of law is the main thing 
that distinguishes the U.S. as a multi-cultural society: &In 
the U.S. there are many different cultures, but they are all 
held together by the law.  If I have a homosexual for a 
neighbor and I have a problem with that, I can say something 
to him but I can,t try to impose my 
beliefs on him because he is protected by the law." 
 
8.(C) TOLERANCE GREATER IN RURAL AREAS AND IN THE PAST: 
Participants raised the issue of tolerance towards women. 
Ms. Walaa Nahas, an MBA student, said that she had found in 
her travels that "the people in rural areas (of Saudi Arabia) 
are much more tolerant than those in the big cities.  Women 
in rural areas are much more independent and educated.8  As 
an example, she noted that she had seen several women driving 
cars in rural areas, while observing that such occurrences 
are extremely rare in major Saudi cities.  Ms. Basma Otaibi, 
who runs her own PR firm, echoed the sentiment, adding that 
she had heard from elderly members of her family that Saudi 
society had been far more tolerant in years past than it is 
now. &The culture of intolerance is new to the Saudis,8 she 
said. Otaibi believes one fix for the current situation can 
be learned from the Qataris, who over a short period of time 
managed to empower both women and youth. For her part, Ms. 
Otaibi said she is working towards that goal as the Executive 
Director of the House of Saudiazation, an employment agency 
that focuses on the recruitment and employment of women in 
the Kingdom. 
 
9.(C) TRIBALISM AND INTOLERANCE: Many of the participants 
chimed in on the issue of Saudis being intolerant towards 
each other. Dr. Enaam Raboei, a pediatrician, stated that 
"Saudis are a group of non-homogeneous tribes and parties who 
teach their children how not to accept the other.8  She gave 
several examples of tribal preferences in the work place. 
Another participant expounded on Dr. Raboei,s comments: &In 
the Kingdom we have 4 or 5 cultures and we can,t tolerate 
each other.  This is the problem. Where I work, if a Hijazi 
is the director, all Hijazis will be put at the top of the 
list.8 
 
10.(SBU) INTOLERANCE TOWARD FOREIGNERS: Some raised the issue 
of Saudis being intolerant toward non-Saudis, a critical 
matter in a country where it is estimated that seven to eight 
million 
residents are foreigners. Participants pointed to a feeling 
of superiority by Saudis as a major problem.  &Saudis 
believe they are always better than the rest and are always 
looking for a lesser person to look down upon,8 opined one 
participant. &Racism is in the Saudis' DNA,8 
added another.  &Racism is between tribes, genders, Muslims, 
and towards other nationalities and religions. The reasons 
behind this intense racism is tribalism -- a false 
sense of superiority and lack of legislation.8 
 
11.(SBU) ISLAM AND HUMANISM: One participant advocated for 
humanism, noting: &We neglect the fact that everyone is a 
human being. Every curriculum around the world talks about 
being human first. If you neglect that, you forget that your 
opposition is a human 
being so there is no reason for you to listen to him.  Islam 
emphasizes living together as human beings -- tolerance.8 
Several participants quoted a well-known verse from the Quran 
to emphasize the need to work towards a solution:  &Indeed 
God will never change the condition of a people until they 
change it themselves (13:11).8 However, another participant 
emphasized the need to stop framing everything in terms of 
Islam. 
 
12.(SBU) COMMENT: It is doubtful whether the participants in 
this dialogue will ever gather together again, but the energy 
in the room generated by a group of diverse Saudi 
stakeholders 
was palpable.  Mission-organized roundtables and events 
frequently help to create networking opportunities and forums 
for discussion that do not often occur in Saudi Arabia.  The 
purpose of the event was to open a debate on culture and 
tolerance, but it clearly morphed into 
something larger, with participants eagerly looking for a way 
to implement change, although they could not arrive at a 
clear way forward.  While ConGen officers are not likely to 
host a similar meeting with this group, key 
participants(those showing clear leadership skills) were 
encouraged to consider a follow-up discussion, perhaps at one 
of the familiar diwaniya fora in Jeddah. 
 
13.(SBU) Elevating the level of tolerance in Saudi Arabia has 
the potential to impact the lives of women, foreigners, and 
 
JEDDAH 00000151  003 OF 003 
 
 
religious minorities searching for greater rights in this 
severely constrained society.  Participants clearly saw the 
cultural dimension that the guest speaker underscored, but at 
the same time were hard pressed to arrive at tangible 
ways of modifying the cultural roots that lead to 
intolerance.  One issue may be that the potential movers and 
shakers in Saudi Arabia are mostly from the 
well-educated, affluent elite, thereby limiting their ability 
to influence segments of Saudi society where intolerance is 
strongly rooted and where resistance to change is deeply 
entrenched. END COMMENT. 
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