Saudi Writer Wins Top Arab Fiction Award

6 Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Saudi writer wins top By Invitation Arab fiction award Yenus S Abu Dhabi Saudi novelist has won Post Deash Iraq doesn’t the International Prize Afor Arabic Fiction, becoming seem rosy. the third author in 10 years he so called Islamic State (Daesh) is on the verge of from the Kingdom to grab the collapse. The question is: Will its eventual elimination Arab world’s most prestigious ushersT peace and stability to Iraq? Political pundits are literary award. pessimistic, given the existence of scores of militant groups Mohammed Hasan Alwan promoting own agenda, with divergent interests. won for his novel “A Small The pieces of evidence show that the country will be far Death”, which is a fictionalised from being stable for some time to come. Observers say that account of the life of a Sufi to avoid infighting and blood- letting, the warring factions scholar and philosopher, need to reach a comprehensive political settlement before Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, from his matters go out of control. birth in Muslim Spain in the The motives behind the warring factions indicate that each 12th century until his death in group has its own interests. The Kurds want an ‘independent Damascus. state’ something the governing Shia party strongly opposes. The novel follows Ibn Arabi’s Saudi Arabian writer Mohammed Hasan Alwan (2L) poses for a photo with Palestinian novelist The Iranian factor has also been a point of contention among mystic Sufi experience and and chair of the judging committee Sahar Khalifeh (L) and fellow writers after winning the 2017 ordinary Iraqis. Iran has been and continues to meddle heroic travels from Andalusia International Prize for Arabic Fiction in Abu Dhabi in Iraqi’s state affairs and in fact it has infiltrated every to Azerbaijan, via Morocco, website. abstract said. “Ibn Arabi remains a government establishment. Egypt, the Hijaz in today’s “Of a sensitive and anxious Though “90 percent of the controversial figure... but Last week Iran named a new ambassador to Iraq, General western Saudi Arabia, Syria, nature, Muhyiddin struggles novel is fiction,” Alwan said I believe that a reader of the Iraj Masjdi, a Quds force commander and an Iranian Iraq and Turkey, according to with inner turmoil throughout after receiving the award “I felt novel would not disagree with Revolutionary Guard official, who has years of experience an abstract posted on the prize the course of his travels,” the the pain while writing it.” the human side it portrays,” working with Shiite militants allied to Iran. The General is he added. expected to promote Iranian influence in every government Alwan, 38, was for the organ ranging from politics to economy to security matters. second time among the The sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shias is well shortlisted novelists after his established and too much talked about. The new conflicts novel “The Beaver” made it to involving the inter-Shia political parties for power and the the last six in 2015. Its French dangerous Shia –Kurd confrontation have recently attracted edition went on to win the best the interests of political observers. Arabic novel translated into The Northern Iraq, the birth place of Kurds, which is French for that year. currently witnessing brutal wars with Daesh, remains the flash This year, Alwan competed point of conflict between Shias and Kurds. The Kurds want with five other authors from every Deash (IS) liberated area to be included in the ‘Kurdish Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon autonomy’, most of which is rich in oil. This idea doesn’t and Libya. Born in Riyadh, he appear to go well with the central government controlled by graduated with a doctorate in the Shia political parties. international marketing from The ultimate aim of the Kurds is believed to be to carry out Carleton University in Canada, a referendum and create an independent state ‘Kurdistan’. and has published five novels. Reuters in its April 20, 2017 issue reported that the main Alwan was chosen in 2010 as Shia political parties strongly oppose the expected Kurdish one of the 39 best Arab authors referendum for independence. under the age of 40 by the Ammar al-Hakim, president of the National Alliance, a Beirut 39 project. coalition of main Shiite political parties, said that the Iraqi Dubbed as the “Arabic Shiite ruling coalition would oppose Kurdish plans to hold a Booker”, the $50,000-prize referendum on independence after the defeat of Islamic State. is supported by the Booker He continued, “If the referendum happens, it will be unilateral Prize Foundation in London, and advised the Kurds against any unilateral move to annex but it is funded by the Abu a disputed oil- rich region which they had gained during the Dhabi Tourism and Culture war against the Jihadists”. Authority. The ‘Kurdish dream’ will likely destabilize Iraq. Last week, The two other Saudi the Kurdish flag was raised on government buildings in novelists who previously won Kirkuk province, the strong hold of Kurds. The move has the prize were Abdo Khal in received strong condemnation from the ruling party. 2010 for his “Throwing Sparks” As the Kurd and Shiites squabble, the Sunnis are also and Raja Alem, who shared the drafting their proposals to at least administer their own top prize in 2011 for her novel provinces and end the presence of Iran backed Shiite militias titled “The Dove’s Necklace”. from their regions that are currently committing alleged “The culture and arts arena crimes against the local population and promote sectarian in Saudi Arabia has been rather killings. active over the past 10 years,” Years of fighting shows that there remains a deep mistrust Alwan said. among the three major sects in Iraq. The Sunnis, Shiites, “The Saudi society is going Kurds do not seem to live together side by side as it was in through a phase of massive the old days. change. There is a young The way forward depends on the governing party’s population facing various readiness to share power and include other sects in the intellectual changes, which political discourse of the country. The ball is in the ruling brings on many questions... Shiite party’s court. When such questions are Pundits predict that in the absence of political inclusiveness, posed, novelists find their there is a great possibility that Iraq will remain unstable chance to repose them in a for years to come. And that Iran will fill the security and literary form,” he added. intelligence vacuum through its proxy militias, throwing Iraq Last year, Palestinian author into worst political crisis it has ever witnessed in its history. Rabai al-Madhoun won the (The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not award that was launched in necessarily reflect the policy or position of this newspaper.) 2008. (AFP)