Saudi Arabia Between Conservatism, Accommodation and Reform
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ SAUDI ARABIA BETWEEN CONSERVATISM, ACCOMMODATION AND REFORM Roel Meijer and Paul Aarts (editors) Joas Wagemakers Mariwan Kanie Annemarie van Geel Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ January 2012 Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ Clingendael 7 2597 VH The Hague Tel.: +31 (0)70–3245384 Fax: +31 (0)70–3746667 P.O. Box 93080 2509 AB The Hague E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.clingendael.nl Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Historical Overview ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 The Report ...................................................................................................................................................................... 8 1. Joas Wagemakers, Arguing for Change under Benevolent Oppression: Intellectual Trends and Debates in Saudi Arabia ............................................................................................................................ 13 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 13 1.2 Disputes on Gender Segregation ......................................................................................................... 15 1.3 Shi‘a Debates on Saudi Citizenship ..................................................................................................... 19 1.4 Nationwide Debates on Political and Social Reform ................................................................... 24 1.5 Political Reform: Patron vs. Constitution ......................................................................................... 28 1.6 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 31 2. Mariwan Kanie, Civil Society in Saudi Arabia: Different Forms, One Language ......................... 33 2.1 The Research Methodology ................................................................................................................. 34 2.2 Civil Society: Definition and Approach ............................................................................................. 35 2.3 Types of Civil Society ................................................................................................................................ 37 2.4 The Political Context of Saudi Civil Society: New Social and Political Dynamics ........... 39 2.5 The Landscape of Civil Society in Saudi Arabia ............................................................................. 43 2.6 Political Organizations ............................................................................................................................. 52 2.7 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 54 Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ 3. Annemarie van Geel, Whither the Saudi Woman? Gender Mixing, Empowerment and Modernity ................................................................................................................................................................. 57 3.1 The History of Women-only Public Spaces and Ikhtilat............................................................. 60 3.2 Women’s Public Participation: From Segregation to ‘Mixing’ to ‘Khilwa’ .......................... 64 3.3 Liberation, Empowerment and the Rise of Women .................................................................... 70 3.4 Towards a ‘Modern Saudi Woman’ ..................................................................................................... 75 3.5 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 78 4. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................... 79 4.1 Intellectual Debates ............................................................................................................................... 81 4.2 Civil Society .................................................................................................................................................. 79 4.3 The Position of Women ........................................................................................................................... 83 Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ Acknowledgements We would like thank the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) for its support and facilitation of this project and its unstinting hospitality. We are especially grateful to its secretary-general, Yahyah M. Ibn Junaid, who welcomed us and supported us throughout this project, although he did not always agree with our conclusions. We are grateful to others at the KFCRIS, such as Awadh al-Badi, for giving us his precious time and for frank discussions on political matters. They have been most illuminating. We also owe much to our Saudi junior researchers, who have been able to help us find our way in Saudi Arabia. The Dutch Embassy in Riyadh has been most supportive during the whole project and has given us precious advice. This applies especially to Menno Lenstra, who initiated the project and— during the brief period when he was in charge at the embassy—conveyed his enthusiasm to us. We appreciate the interest that Ambassador Ron Strikker had in our research and the hospitality that he provided us at the embassy. Finally, we would like to mention the keen interest that Willem van Rossem showed in the project and the stimulating discussions that we held with him. Mohammed Cheppih, as representative of our partner RADAR, is thanked for his role as liaison with his many contacts in Saudi Arabia and his intellectual input. Special thanks go also to the Islam Research Programme (IRP) managers, Dennis Janssen and Katrien Bardoel, who have assisted us in this endeavor from the very beginning. Finally, we are grateful to all the Saudis who have given us their time.1 1 The views presented in this report are those of the authors and in no way attributable to the IRP, the Dutch Embassy in Riyadh or the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. … 1 Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ Introduction This report falls within the research programme ‘Strengthening Knowledge of and Dialogue with the Islam/Arab world’, in short Islam Research Programme (IRP), initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As part of this larger programme, the Riyadh programme started in April 2010 and ended in December 2011. The project was executed by three junior researchers (Joas Wagemakers, Mariwan Kanie and Annemarie van Geel) and was supervised by three senior researchers (Roel Meijer, Karin van Nieuwkerk and Paul Aarts). It covered three topics on Saudi Arabia: civil society; the position of women; and intellectual debates. During the course of the project, the junior researchers spent at least three periods in Saudi Arabia doing fieldwork; they spent between one and two days a week on the project during this whole project, except for a brief interval during which the project was evaluated. One of the most interesting developments during this research period was, of course, the Arab Spring. Although Saudi Arabia has hardly been affected by the uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world, some of our research has touched upon some of the more sensitive political aspects of Saudi society that can in the end have an impact on the forces pushing for reform. The first is the role of civil society, which in other countries in the Middle East has played a role in bringing about revolt in different countries (its importance is being debated). The other is the role of the Shiite minority in Saudi Arabia, considered by both Mariwan Kanie and Joas Wagemakers, the first as part of civil society and the latter as part of the intellectual debates in Saudi Arabia. In the case of the position of women, feminist activism has re-emerged in the famous women claiming their right to drive actions, which van Geel and Wagemakers touch upon in the important issue of gender segregation (ikhtilat). All in all, we believe that this research project has been a fruitful endeavour. As well as the three sub-reports presented in this final report, the group has published and will publish articles, other reports, perhaps a book, and even a Ph.D. on the material that we have collected. During the research period, Aarts has published an article on state–society relations in Saudi Arabia,1 1 Paul Aarts, ‘Maintaining Authoritarianism: The Jerky Path of Political Reform in Saudi Arabia’, Orient, Vol. 52, No. 1 (2011), pp. 29–42. … 3 Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’