THE ISSUE OF TOLERANCE IN SAUDI SOCIETY: A HEATED BUT INCONCLUSIVE DEBATE

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

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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

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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.
QUINN