A Letter to the West - A Saudi View

221 Pages·0.933 MB·English

by  a group of professors

Letter To The West
A Saudi View
Second Edition, 2008
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In the Name of Allah
Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Letter To The West
A Saudi View
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 9
........................................................................................................................
The Contributors 11
.........................................................................................................
Part I
An Invitation to Communicate for the Purpose of
Reaching Mutual Understanding............................................................ 20
The Western Circles 27
......................................................................................
The Duality of Love and Hatred for American
Policy 31
..............................................................................................................................
The Strategy of Hate and Enmity 33
................................................
The Clash of Civilizations, or a Clash of Whims? 35
The Common Bases for the Dialogue Between
Civilizations ............................................................................................................ 41
Restoration of Respect for Principles and Values
is Inevitable ........................................................................................................... 45
Terrorism: Concept, History and Causes 50
.................................
The Capricious Concept 50
..........................................................................
Why 9/11 Only? 51
.................................................................................................
The Rise of Terrorist Organizations 55
.........................................
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Letter To The West
A Saudi View
Part II
The Wahhabi Movement: Reference, History and
Practice 62
.......................................................................................................................................
The Wahhabi Movement: Chronology and
Reference .................................................................................................................. 62
The Wahhabi Movement and the Establishment of
the Saudi State ....................................................................................................... 63
The Motive Behind the Reformist Movement and
its Major Goals .................................................................................................. 64
Dissemination Through Persuasion, not Through
Subjugation ............................................................................................................ 66
The Effects of the Spread of Da’wah in the Islamic
World ............................................................................................................................... 68
The Variety of Islamic Trends 70
.........................................................
Wahhabism: The Unfair Assessment
...................................... 72
Religious Education
................................................................................................... 75
Introduction
........................................................................................................... 75
The Content of Religious Education Curricula and
the Allegation of Terrorism
................................................................. 80
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Letter To The West
A Saudi View
Accusations Against Religious Education 92
.......................
Saudi Education not Responsible for Deviation 94
.......
Saudi Schools Enjoy Safe Environment 96
.............................
Women’s Education and Work in Saudi Arabia 98
.............
The Historical Evolution of Girls’ Education 103
..............
Official (Government) Education 105
................................................
The Philosophy of Segregated Education 108
.........................
Advantages of Segregated Education 112
.....................................
Human Rights in Saudi Arabia 117
...............................................................
The Kingdom’s View of Human Rights 119
..............................
Particularity in the Domain of Human Rights 120
...........
The Judiciary Structure and Human Rights in the
Kingdom ..................................................................................................................... 125
New Regulations Issued by the Kingdom for Safe-
guarding Human Rights .......................................................................... 128
Jihad is for Establishing Peace 176
.................................................................
Islam Abhors Killing 176
...................................................................................
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Letter To The West
A Saudi View
Islam Calls for Peace 178
...................................................................................
Peace in Muslims’ Relations with Other People 180
......
Islam Establishes the Principles of Peace 180
.........................
Jihad was Primarily Ordained to Repel Injustice
and Aggression 185
...................................................................................................
Kindness Toward non-Muslims ..................................................... 188
The Principle of Straightforwardness and the Prohibi-
tion of Treachery
.................................................................................................. 190
The Numerous Types and Different Fields of Jihad 190
...
Charities in Saudi Arabia 196
................................................................................
Introduction 196
.............................................................................................................
The Basis of Muslims Charitable Work 207
...............................
The Nature of Saudi Charities 209
.........................................................
Non-Islamic Places of Worship in Arabia 211
................................
Introduction 211
............................................................................................................
Why non-Islamic Places of Worship does not Ex-
ist in Arabia ............................................................................................................. 212
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Letter To The West
A Saudi View
Introduction
The terrorist events of September 11 have marked a
new turning point in international and human relations,
particularly between the United States and the Islamic World.
Political, cultural and religious institutions in the West have
contributed to the delineation of the main features of such
relations. The American media in particular has established
and played a major role in promoting a great many negative
notions, spreading incorrect and disingenuous terminology,
and creating recurrent suspicion towards Islamic culture,
which is adhered to by many Muslim peoples, governments,
leaders and legal systems. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
was particularly targeted in this respect for well-known
reasons. Thus, these institutions have put Islam in general
and the kingdom, its people, its leaders and its legal system
in particular, within the framework of the relations that need
to be scrutinized, reviewed and amended.
We strongly and unreservedly condemn the attacks on
New York and Washington, just as we do those that targeted
facilities in Riyadh, Nairobi, Dar es Salam and Bali. While
we consider such deeds among those prohibited by Islam
and appreciate that they constitute a threat to the security
and peace of humanity, we are nevertheless firmly con-
vinced, and such conviction is shared by all rational people
in the United States and elsewhere, that such events need to
be addressed objectively and impartially.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been in the forefront
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Letter To The West
A Saudi View
of states that have suffered as a result of what happened in
New York and Washington. Its afflictions extended so far as
to involve attacks on the religion of the state and its politi-
cal, social and educational institutions, this being the result
of an erroneous and unfair interpretation of the events. It is
this that has prompted us to compile this book in order to
address the open Western mind, which bases its views, ideas
and attitudes on objective dialogue and persuasion. We are
well aware in this address to Western peoples in general, and
to the American people in particular, that they are eager to
discover the truth. This is because their lives are based on
true knowledge and dialogue that aims at reaching the truth,
which is what all rational and fair people aspire to. In this
book, we address the most important issues raised by the
political, intellectual and media institutions in the United
States with respect to way of life in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia and the immutable principles on which it is based.
This is exemplified by its moderate and judicious way of
life, which the just reader will find a great disparity between
and the allegations attributed to it, which are quite remote
from reality.
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