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“Robert Lacey, Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for the Soul of Saudi Arabia” (Viking, 2009) |
Lacey’s objective is to understand and interpret the dramatic story of Saudi Arabia. While writing his book, he lived in Saudi Arabia and interviewed hundreds of citizens throughout the Kingdom, including many influential members of the royal family. Their cooperation has made Lacey’s book the ultimate insider’s guide to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is the object of international curiosity and fascination. Unfortunately, so much of what is believed about the country is either mythical or outdated. Lacey looks beyond the stereotypes to reveal a dynamic society in the midst of reform and change. In his book, we meet legendary rulers, fiery revolutionaries, pious clerics, creative thinkers and Saudi men and women from all walks of life. “Inside the Kingdom” is their Saudi story, told with honesty and passion.
Lacey divides his engaging book into three parts: Kingdom of God, Kingdom at War, and Al-Qaeda Comes Home. Everything is on the table in Lacey’s book, which turns it into a sumptuous meal. On his menu, we find villains and heroes, saints and sinners. Osama bin Laden is a prime example. Bin Laden was once considered a courageous warrior against godless Communism. As Khaled Bahaziq, a Saudi national, recalled to Lacey, “He was a hero of the community, using his wealth to help a noble cause that was supported by the Saudi government – and by the American government as well. The Muslims saw the fight (in Afghanistan) as strengthening Islam. The West saw it as a battle to bring down Communism. In those days everyone was fixated on kicking out the Russians.” But, one-time heroes can also go berserk, as bin Laden proved with the horrors of 9/11.
Saudi Arabia was unfairly smeared by the crimes of Osama bin Laden and his associates. The involvement of 15 Saudi nationals in 9/11 put the country on the defensive, and sparked enormous soul-searching, according to Lacey. This therapeutic national effort included a refutation of absurd conspiracy theories, and purging the country of sympathy for extremist ideology. As King Abdullah wisely remarked, “Terrorism and criminality would not have appeared …except for the absence of the principle of tolerance.”
King Abdullah has championed the principle of tolerance in Saudi Arabia. On the international level, King Abdullah orchestrated the UN’s global summit called “Culture of Peace” on Nov. 12-13, 2008. This historic interfaith event was attended by leaders from more than 75 nations, such as Iran, Afghanistan, Israel, Pakistan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Was such a conference conceivable 25 years ago? Change is possible.
A new Saudi Arabia is emerging right now because of the social, political and economic reforms of King Abdullah. Lacey reports that one of King Abdullah’s favorite verses from the Holy Qur’an is: “God will never change the condition of a people until they change it for themselves.” Lacey’s focus on change in Saudi Arabia will challenge readers to view this country in a surprising new way.
It is refreshing to read a book about Saudi Arabia written by a competent and knowledgeable author.
There are too many amateurish books about Saudi Arabia, written by people who have never stepped foot inside the Kingdom, most notably, Stephen Schwartz’s “The Two Faces of Islam” (Doubleday, 2002). These “armchair anthropologists” mislead gullible readers and insult their subjects.
Fortunately, we now have Lacey’s balanced and readable study.
He does not portray Saudi Arabia as a utopia, but, rather, as a complex society filled with struggle, pride and joy.
Joseph Richard Preville is an American writer living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His essays and reviews have appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Emel Magazine (UK) and Journal of Law and Religion.
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