Saudi Arabia (Middle East in Focus)

557 Pages·2011·4.39 MB·English

by  Sherifa Zuhur

S A
AUDI RABIA
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Middle East in Focus
S A
AUDI RABIA
Sherifa Zuhur
Copyright 2011 by ABC-CLIO, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Zuhur, Sherifa.
Saudi Arabia / Sherifa Zuhur.
p. cm. — (Middle East in focus)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59884-571-6 (hardcopy : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-59884-572-3 (ebook)
1. Saudi Arabia. I. Title.
DS204.Z84 2011
953.8—dc23 2011019833

ISBN: 978-1-59884-571-6
EISBN: 978-1-59884-572-3

15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5

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Manufactured in the United States of America
Contents
About the Author, xi
Preface, xiii
Acknowledgments, xvii
1 GEOGRAPHY, 1
The Geology of Petroleum, 5
The Deserts, 7
Water, 9
Climate, 10
Fauna, 10
Flora, 11
Environment and Pollution, 12
Historic and Modern Divisions, 12
2 HISTORY, 17
Timeline, 17
The Rise of Islam, 32
Muslim Dynasties, 35
Later Muslim Dynasties and the Arabian Region, 37
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab and the First Sa‘udi State, 39
The Second Sa‘udi Realm (1824–1891), 41
v
vi | Contents
‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Sa‘ud (Ibn Sa‘ud) and the Forging of Saudi Arabia, 42
King Sa‘ud ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, 49
The Reign of Faysal ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, 53
The Reign of Khalid ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, 58
Saudi Arabia under King Fahd, 62
The Gulf War, 65
Reactions to the Gulf War, 66
The War on Terrorism and the Global War on Terror, 68
The Reign of King ‘Abdullah, 69
3 GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS, 79
The King, 81
The Crown Prince, 88
The Royal Diwan, 89
The Council of Ministers, 90
The Majlis al-Shura, 91
Judiciary and Legal System, 93
Civil Service Board and Independent Agencies, 94
Regional and Municipal Government, 95
The ‘Ulama, 95
Family and Tribal Infl uences, 97
National (Meeting for Intellectual) Dialogue, 100
Domestic Political Issues, 101
Foreign Policy, 103
Broader Saudi Arabian Foreign Policy, 125
4 ECONOMY, 137
Overview, 137
Economic Planning, 140
Industry, 144
The Private Sector and the State, 158
Labor, 160
Trade and Finance, 164
Taxation, 166
Investment, 167
Banking and Financial Systems, 168
Economic Outreach and Aid, 169
5 SOCIETY, 175
Religion and Law, 175
Islamic Law, 180
Islamic Duties, 181
Contents | vii
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab, 186
The ‘Ulama, 189
Governmental Religious Departments, 190
Shi‘a Muslims in Saudi Arabia, 193
Other Competing Ideologies, 194
Social Classes and Ethnicity, 199
Overview, 199
Bias in Social Information, 200
Modern Societal Studies, 201
Ethnicity versus Nationality, 201
Tribalism, 202
Endogamy, 202
Tribal Values, 203
Religious Elite, 203
Merchants, 203
Religious Minorities, 204
Slavery, 204
Racial Relations, 205
Traditional Social Values, 206
Age, 207
Gender and Social Status, 208
Modernization and Society, 209
Foreign Workers, 209
Poverty, 212
The Royal Family, 212
Women and Marriage, 218
Women and Education, 221
Restrictions, 222
Expansion, 223
Employment, 223
Rules and Expectations, 224
Guardianship, 225
Guardianship and Marriage, 225
Social Equivalence and Polygyny, 227
Divorce, 228
Abuse, 229
Rape, 229
Dress, 229
Servants, 230
Education, 232
Overview, 233
Universities, 236
Separate Gender Education, 238
viii | Contents
International Schools, 239
Education and Aramco, 239
Shi‘a Higher Education and Activism, 240
Islamic Education, 240
Critiques of Islamic Education, 241
Learning by Other Means, 242
6 CULTURE, 245
Language, 245
Language Features, 248
Numbers, 250
Features of Arabic, 251
Etiquette, 256
Coff ee, 261
Gestures, 262
Gifts, 262
Clothing, 262
Deportment and Segregation of the Sexes, 264
Business, 265
Bargaining, 266
Photographs, 267
Weddings and Funerals, 267
Literature, 268
The Impact of the Qur’an, 270
Ghazal Poetry, 270
Folk or Vernacular Poetry and Lyrics, 271
Early-Modern Arab Literature, 272
Modern Poetry, Novels, and Short Stories, 272
Theater and Drama, 277
Later Novels, 278
Theater in Private Spaces, 279
Visual Art and Film, 281
Photography, 283
Young Artists, 283
Film, 284
Music and Dance, 288
Music: General Features, 290
Popular Music Industry, 292
Traditional Musical Forms, 292
Large-Ensemble Music, 296
Styles of Hijaz and Asir, 297
Dance, 298
Contents | ix
Religious Music, 299
Songs of Pilgrimage, 301
Food, 305
Sports and Leisure, 317
Sports, 317
Leisure and Entertainment, 325
Popular Culture, 328
Amthal, 329
Jokes, Nawadir , and Short Tales, 330
Superstitions, 330
Games, 330
Tribal Law and Mediation, 331
Tribal and Traditional Medicine, 332
Popular Occasions, 334
Clothing and Historic Costume, 334
Architecture, 342
The Mosque, 343
Markets, 345
General Features of the Hijaz, 346
Asir and Abha, 349
Najd, 349
Eastern Province, 351
7 CONTEMPORARY ISSUES, 355
Defense, 355
Islamist Opposition and Terrorism, 361
Health, 368
Women and Social Transformation, 372
Media, Freedom of Speech, and Censorship, 374
Human Rights, 376
Capital Punishment, 377
Glossary, 385
Facts and Figures, 399
Major Saudi Arabian Holidays, 415
Country-Related Organizations, 419
Annotated Bibliography, 445
Thematic Index, 495
Index, 519