EDUCATION REFORM AND THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE:

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 RIYADH 001107 C O R R E C T E D COPY (PARA MARKINGS) SIPDIS NEA/ARP JHARRIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/25/2019 TAGS: KISL KWMN PGOV PREL PHUM SA SOCI SUBJECT: EDUCATION REFORM AND THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE: GETTING REAL REF: A. RIYADH 1012 ¶B. RIYADH 1058 ¶C. RIYADH 1096 RIYADH 00001107 001.9 OF 003 Classified By: CDA Ambassador Richard W. Erdman for reason 1.4(b) and (d) SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) King Abdullah's national dialogue campaign addressing the Saudi population's reluctance to embrace reforms is taking on new forms. Recent episodes of the popular television program "Tash ma Tash" underscore national dialogue is not just an empty slogan but a vehicle that can give courage, cover, and engagement for more open public discussion, including ideas that run against Islamic orthodoxy. Freedom of expression of core reform ideas, including the need for educational reform and a discussion of the role of women in society, is sanctioned, within limits and with an ample dose of caution, at the highest level. The Saudi media is amplifying the message, allowing a wider spectrum of voices to contribute to the dialogue. Predictably, the recent indications of more open debate are already beginning to spur a strong response from religious conservatives. The key to making such reforms possible, palatable and durable lies in framing them within the context of Islamic principles of the equality and dignity of all individuals in the eyes of God. End summary. "TASH MA TASH" PROMOTING SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE OF REFORM -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Testing the limits of King Abdullah's national dialogue campaign (Reftel A) to promote greater tolerance and positive change in Saudi society, Saudi papers reported extensively on the August 24 episode of "Tash ma Tash" ("No Big Deal"),which focused on education reform. The satirical comedy series about Saudi life keeps millions glued to the screen during the holy month of Ramadan. The episode depicted ultra-conservatives attempting to block reforms of ministry policies. In one scene, the Minister of Education is shown ordering a delegation of religious conservatives that had come to protest reforms out of his office. Another scene depicted a job interview with a teacher, in which the applicant was judged based on his (un-Islamic) "religious appearance" and whether he read local "liberal" newspapers like Al-Riyadh and Al-Watan. The episode directly confronted the issue of how officials resist educational reform under the pretext of defending the fundamentals of Islam against Western incursion. Embassy contacts confirm the episode accurately reflected the tensions between the Ministry of Education leadership, which is seeking to implement reforms, and conservative forces inside the Ministry and elsewhere in the Kingdom, which reject such reforms as imposed by foreign powers. ¶3. (C) According to Al-Watan, the screenwriter of the episode, Yahya Al-Amir, said "Tash ma Tash" "has become an important cultural event," reflecting the nationwide dialogue which has "blossomed out of the National Dialogue conference of the last few years." Previous episodes of the show focused on the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV),gender mixing, and guardianship rules. The show also lampooned Saudis who lead a double life, behaving one way in Saudi Arabia and another when traveling abroad. ¶4. (S) Embassy contact and founder of domestic NGO Human Rights First, Ibrahim Al-Mugaiteeb, told PolOff the education episode portrayed conservative forces in the Kingdom "absolutely correctly," including the obstacles to real reform, which were "very realistic." In order to "get anything right in this country, from women's rights to religion, it is essential to start with the educational system," he noted. For the past 30 years, education in Saudi Arabia took place within the confines of a very narrow interpretation of Islam. This has affected the mentality of everyone in the country, and educational reform was needed at all levels. He mentioned "Tash ma Tash" was widely watched in the Kingdom, and the fact that the episode accurately depicted the social tensions surrounding educational reform was, in his view, a very positive sign. INSTITUTIONAL RESISTANCE TO CHANGE RIYADH 00001107 002.6 OF 003 -------------- ¶5. (C) Likewise, Vice Dean of Academic Research, Dr. Fahad Alhomoudi, of Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (protect name and affiliation) told PolOff the scenes in "Tash ma Tash" realistically portrayed the educational issues the Kingdom is facing. He said the curriculum had not been revised for decades, but that the Ministry of Education was slowly trying to update it. He frankly admitted that the school curriculum is largely based on repetition of information: what is studied in grade school is studied again in Middle School, then again in High School, and the majority of textbooks focus on interpretations from 300 years ago. Forty percent of all courses focus on religion, and every subject is taught from a theological perspective beyond the grasp of most students. The curriculum includes no science, math or foreign languages. ¶6. (S) Dr. Fahad said there was a lot of resistance to the implementation of curriculum changes from the side of the educators. In their minds, the demand for education reform was being imposed from the outside, by leaders of other countries, and was connected to the issue of terrorism. Conservative forces think the demand for change is being driven by the need to change the terrorist mentality, and they resent the linking of the Saudi educational system to the promotion of terrorist thought. Dr. Alhomoudi said the government has to prove that changes will be for the benefit of the people, and that they are not being adopted because of Western pressure to combat terrorism. KAUST OPENING A NEW BEGINNING? -------------- ¶7. (C) Meanwhile, next week, some 400 male and female students (30 percent Saudi at this stage) will begin their studies together - a first in the Kingdom - at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in the town of Thuwwal, 70 kilometers north of Jeddah, under the tutelage of internationally recruited staff and with international textbooks. KAUST is a legacy project of King Abdullah and with its multi-billion dollar personal endowment from the King aims to create a world-class center for scientific study and research. In the same week, we are seeing op-ed pieces of reform and "Tash ma Tash." There has been wide coverage of the King's remarks, made at the orginial ground-breaking, about putting in place a new system like KAUST that rejects the "shortcomings of the old," and that can serve as a "model for the rest of the country." (Reftel C). FOUR NEW UNIVERSITIES -------------- ¶8. (U) In further keeping with educational reform initiatives, Minister of Higher Education Khaled Al-Anari announced on August 24 King Abdullah's approval of four new universities in the Kingdom in Dhahran, Al-Kharj, Shaqra and Majmaa. The universities are necessary because King Saud University in Riyadh (120,000 students in 73 colleges located in 15 cities) and King Faisal University (66,000 students in 38 colleges in six cities) in Dhahran have become too large. Twenty-four of the 28 colleges in Dhahran will be brought under the new Dhahran University. As many as 20 existing colleges in Al-Kharj, Dalam, Aflaj, Wasi Al-Dawasser, Houtat Bani Tamim and Sulail will be affiliated with the Al-Kharj University. A number of existing colleges will be affiliated with Shara University and still others with Majmaa University. The minister said the new universities would help more youths pursue higher education. DEBATE CONTINUES ON WOMEN'S ROLE -------------- ¶9. (U) At the same time, Saudi papers continue to present a range of views regarding the role of women in society. An August 20 article in Arab News titled "KFU professor says Saudi women will have to combat anti-Islam forces," demonstrates that conservatives intend to push back. Written by a woman, the article summarizes a lecture by Dr. Mona Al-Abdullah, Assistant Professor at the Girls' Science College at King Faisal University, in which she describes the call to stop wearing the veil as being in opposition to RIYADH 00001107 003.6 OF 003 Islamic teachings and an attempt to corrupt conservative Saudi society. In her lecture, Dr. Al-Abdullah warned about the "enemies of Islam" and the negative consequences of poisoning the mind of Saudi women by "instilling peculiar notions which have no roots in genuine Islamic teachings." She called on Saudi women to ignore the voices that link their success to the removal of the veil or that encourage them to mingle with men. Societies that have allowed their women to remove the veil are paying the price of their moral decadence, in her view, and have turned women into machines by burdening them with additional responsibilities. This has diverted them from the genuine tasks which Almighty Allah created them for, such as caring for their bread-winners and children. ¶10. (U) Likewise, the conservatives' "My Guardian Knows Best" campaign favoring the continuation of the guardianship system (Reftel B) continues to receive coverage in the Saudi press, with various points of view represented. The latest discussion surrounds the form the guardianship system has taken. Sabria S. Jawhar's August 26 opinion piece in the Saudi Gazette titled " Guardianship Law Abused by Customs and Traditions," concedes there must be some form of guardianship, since it has a basis in Islam, "but the system currently in place is seriously flawed." She says authorities have abdicated their responsibilities to ensure that the guardianship laws are enforced in a fair and suitable manner and as a result the current system has become more about patriarchal control. She essentially calls for an enforceable system of checks and balances to punish guardianship abusers, and states "Saudi judges need to summon the courage to cast aside customs and traditions when faced with abuse cases, and make the right decision to protect victims of those who abuse the spirit of the law." ¶11. (S) Interestingly, the more liberal voices are sometimes those of Saudi officials. For example, Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja, who is close to the King and serves also as the spokesperson for the Council of Ministers (chaired by the King),was quoted in an August 24 Saudi Gazette article as saying the doors to his ministry are "open for Saudi women to take up the highest possible posts" if they have "the right abilities and vision." More support for women has come from Prince Abdullah Bin Saud, member of Jeddah's Tourism Development Council. "Support for women is society's duty," he said, commending King Abdullah for having brought Saudi society "to the position we are in today where Saudi women have taken up some of the highest posts possible and made great achievements." At the same time, "cautious support for women" and "controlled openness" was required, since moving too quickly would be a "double-edged sword." The presence of competing views in the media indicates, at a minimum, that the discussion of the role of women in society has an important place in the national dialogue campaign. ERDMAN