The Liberal Impulse in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Since 9/11 critical attention has focused on Saudi Arabia 's identity to the exclusion of non-Islamist currents such as the Liberal Trend that emerged in the milieu of greater openness promoted by Crown Prince 'Abdallah. This article traces the origins and evolution of Saudi Liberalism, its ideological anchors in Islamic and Western political thought, and its reformist program as outlined in the Strategic Vision Statement presented to 'Abdallah in January 2003. The Liberal constituency is profiled, along with the views of the royal family, Islamists, women, and impact of the recent bombings on the reformist cause. In the traumatic wake of the cataclysm of September 11, 2001, the Saudi Kingdom became a primary target of severe criticism and opprobrium in the United States. In view of the Saudi origins of Usama bin Ladin and fifteen of the suicide bombers, it was not surprising that the Kingdom's Islamic ideology and institutions became the focus of protracted scrutiny by commentators and policymakers alike. The frenzied debate between the Kingdom's many detractors and few supporters came to center on its powerful Islamist constituency, known as the Wahhabi religious establishment, to the exclusion of other important political trends and developments. Indeed, a careful analysis of Saudi political history would reveal that equating the Kingdom with Wahhabism is a gross oversimplification. Although the official and institutional character of Wahhabism makes it a mainstay of the Saudi formula of legitimacy, there are a plethora of old and new social forces and constituencies that affect the dynamics of Saudi politics. Aside from the Islamist segment of the ideological spectrum consisting of both mainstream and militant groups, there are a half-dozen important constituencies such as the government bureaucracy, tribal leaders, the intelligentsia, businessmen, the professorate, military officers, and Saudi ARAMCO, the oil company. While these constituencies are not immune to Islamist influences, there is growing evidence that many of their members have come to share an alternative vision of the Saudi future based on a reformist agenda symbolized by Crown Prince 'Abdallah ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz. This nebulous constituency, which has come to the fore since September 11, deserves careful scholarly examination in terms of its origins, composition, reformist program, and capacity to influence the Kingdom's political and social evolution. THE LIBERAL IMPULSE: GENESIS AND DEVELOPMENT Commonly known in Saudi parlance as al-libraliyyun - the Liberals are pejoratively labeled as al- 'ilmaniyyun - secularists - by their Islamist opponents. Liberalism in the Saudi context should be understood as a relative term to denote a reformist ideology derived from the practice of Western liberalism, although without reference to its foundational philosophical principles. Thus, what is called the Liberal Trend (al-tayyar al-librali), is an all-inclusive label that encompasses individuals and groups advocating reforms within the existing monarchical order, such as constitutionalism, modernization, political participation, human rights for all, including women and minorities, relaxation of religious controls, and the right to challenge the dominant position of the Islamist establishment.1 In sum, the Saudi Liberals have consciously placed themselves outside the official Islamist framework by seeking an alternative vision of Saudi societal development. As such, today's Liberals can be considered the intellectual descendents of earlier non-Islamist groups that, under different names, had challenged the Islamists' dominance over Saudi affairs based on their alliance with the ruling family. Indeed, during the Kingdom's historical development, groups with non-Islamist agendas have emerged in cyclical fashion at junctures when the country was subjected to external pressures. This cyclical pattern has been discernable in three distinct periods in Saudi history, each in response to external challenges: the ascendance of Nasirist Pan-Arabism (1955-67); Iraq's conquest of Kuwait and Operation Desert Storm (1990-91); and the aftermath of September 11. …