Saudi Arabia Exposed: Inside a Kingdom in Crisis

254 Pages·2005·4.99 MB·English

by  John R. Bradley

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PRAISE FOR SAUDI ARABIA EXPOSED
“Offers insight into Saudi life seldom reported in the West.... Bradley had a rare op-
portunity to travel, meet people from different backgrounds, and... experience the
‘downstairs’ side of life there.” —Amir Taheri, The New York Post
“The most revealing and important book on the real Saudi Arabia to have been pub-
lished in years... Bradley gives the insights of a Saudi insider who knows and loves
the country, and one who is also a Western journalist; he is someone who knows how
the game is played on both sides, as very few Westerners do.”
—United Press International
“Bradley is at his best when he writes about the press, providing what is truly an in-
sider’s look and untangling some of the knotted ties between the media, the Saudi
government and the United States.” —Publishers Weekly
“Bradley occupied for two years a privileged position from which to observe the evo-
lution of the kingdom following the Sept. 11 attacks. [He] immersed himself in the
world of the Saudis. —Le Monde
“Cultured, curious, and with a fine journalistic sense..., Bradley got deeper into the
sands of this desert country than most other Westerners. [He] observed the contra-
dictions, tensions, and resistance that undermine the legitimacy of the Saudi regime.”
—BBC Online
“Making an excellent case for future trouble from religious fanatics bent on regional
and world domination, Bradley explains how the tenets of Islam are perverted to ma-
nipulate the poor, the malcontents and the dispossessed, who then aim their hatred at
America and Europe... This is a disturbing and well-written book.”
—The Oklahoman
“Bradley... succeeded in traveling to [Saudi Arabia’s] most remote corners... This
bookmakes the Saudi kingdom into an energetic and multi-dimensional place where
religion and its perils are no doubt important, but only part of the picture.”
—Haaretz
“A book recommendation: Several reviewers call Saudi Arabia Exposed... the best
work on the country in decades.” —Knight Ridder
“For readers interested in the social forces at work in the country, including terrorism,
Bradley provides perceptive access to current trends.” —Booklist
“Recommended as popular background reading on a country much in the news.”
—Library Journal
“The author’s empathy for the ordinary, the customary and the contingent... makes
this a remarkable book.” —The Singapore Straits Times
“Contribute[s] substantially to the debate...Bradley had a unique vantage.”
—Los Angeles Times
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SAUDI ARABIA EXPOSED
Inside a Kingdom in Crisis
John R. Bradley
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SAUDIARABIAEXPOSED
Copyright © John R. Bradley, 2005.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied
in critical articles or reviews.
First published in hardcover 2005 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™
First PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™ paperback edition: May 2006
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS.
Companies and representatives throughout the world.
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan
division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a
registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries.
Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries.
ISBN 1-4039-7077-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bradley, John R., 1970–
Saudi Arabia exposed : inside a kingdom in crisis / by John R. Bradley.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-4039-7077-7
1. Saudi Arabia—History—21st century. 2. Saudi Arabia—History—1932– I.
Title.
DS244.63.B73 2005
953.05’3—dc22
2004065487
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Design by Letra Libre.
First edition: May 2006
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
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For
Nicolas Buchele
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction xi
PART ONE
1. Liberal Voices of the Hijaz 3
2. The Death of the Majlis 41
3. Flower Men, Tribal Sheiks 55
4. Shia Fear 73
5. Ticking Time Bombs: Saudi Youth 87
PART TWO
6. Expatriate Life (and Death) 105
7. Urban Crime Wave 135
8. The Segregation of the Sexes 153
9. Who’s Censoring Whom? 181
10. Are the Saudis Sunk? 205
11. Abdullah becomes King 219
Index 231
A Note on Sources 237
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
David Pervin at Palgrave Macmillan was everything any author could wish
for, and much more besides, in an editor, and I owe him an immense per-
sonal debt of gratitude for his willingness to go far beyond the call of pro-
fessional duty while guiding this project from the proposal stage through to
completion.
Nicolas Buchele was a constant pillar of support, and this book could
not have been written without his help.
Sheldon M. Novick, a fellow Henry James scholar, offered invaluable
suggestions in the early stages about how to make the material in chapter 1
more accessible to the general reader.
Anthony Paul’s input on the Saudi youth chapter was timely, and much
appreciated, and I am grateful to him too for helping me to work through
some of my ideas about the kingdom during our coffee breaks.
My trips to Asir and Al-Jouf were undertaken in the company of Roger
Harrison, whose enthusiasm and sense of adventure were truly inspiring.
The material on Al-Jouf and Asir in chapters 2 and 3, some of which we
worked on together for a special supplement in Arab News,has benefited still
more from his subsequent input and advice. I am especially grateful for his
permission to draw on the Arab News material.
All the opinions expressed in this book, and any errors that may have
crept into it, are of course entirely my own responsibility.