A Saudi-born Reformer
Dr. Ali Alyami is a man after my own heart. He is a Saudi reformer who is based in Washington, D.C., and the founding director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia. Listen to what Dr. Alyami just told me:
Dr. Ali Alyami
“Democratizing Saudi Arabia is the key to democratizing all Arabs and Muslims. The best, easiest, cheapest and quickest way to achieve this formidable undertaking is to empower Saudi women who are already in the forefront in challenging their ferocious political, religious, economic, social and educational environment. Due to Saudi Arabia’s centrality to Islam and its possession of the largest known oil reserves, Saudi Arabia plays a major religious and economic role in the lives of both Muslims and non-Muslims. Empowering Saudi women will resonate throughout Arab and Muslim societies.”
I could not have said this better. Why is our State Department not consulting with him? They should. Yes, I know: America has tried to bring freedom to other continents, only to be rebuffed and demonized as a colonizer, an imperialist, doomed to failure. However, what’s different now is that America has potential partners among Muslims who are “yearning to breathe free.” It is unclear whether or not the democrats or the tyrants will win. But in the past, America made common cause with the tyrants—and either been savaged for doing so or grudgingly praised as understanding how things work in that part of the world.
What’s different now is that we have the bravest of protesters risking their lives in Teheran. We have Muslim and ex-Muslim feminists and dissidents, both in the West and back home, risking their lives in an effort to reform Islam, find freedom.
In Saudi Arabia, possibly the worst country in the world for women (although Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Congo are not far behind), we have incredible feminist activists: Maha Akeel, Rania Al-Baz, (who went public after being beaten senseless by her husband), Fatima Al-Faqih, Dr. Fatoon Al-Fassi, Wajeha Al Huwaider, Samar Al-Moghren (whom I recently met), Thuraya Al-Shihiri (who criticized the Muslim reaction to the Danish cartoons).
Dr. Ali Alyami, who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia, first came to America in 1967 on an Aramco scholarship. He chose to remain here. Now, he is trying to help Americans understand Saudi Arabia. It is an uphill struggle. His Center has taken a strong stand against the infantilization and persecution of Saudi women, minorities, and foreign workers. Alyami has exposed the use of torture in the Kingdom. He is working on a constitution for Saudi Arabia. Of course, he has testified about human rights abuses in the Kingdom at Congressional hearings and conferences.
I recently spoke to him. Here he is, the persistent hero, in his own words.
Q: Talk to me about the women of your country.
America is my country. I am the father of an Iraq veteran Army officer. The women of my motherland, known as Saudi Arabia (most Saudis resent being called Saudis because that makes them the property of the ruling Saudi family), are among the most marginalized people on this planet. This does not mean Saudi women are weak or helpless. In fact, they are the most resilient people I know. Their misfortunes are the result of their government institutionalized discriminatory polices. Discrimination against Saudi women has very little to do with tradition and religion and more to do with politics and economics. Instead of meeting its obligations to all citizens, it has designated women as perpetual minors who must be fed and managed by their males relatives. In addition, it’s easier for the ruling elites to divide people into gender, religious, regional and ethnic categories so they can turn people against each other and act as their problem solver and savior.
Q: Are Americans listening to you?
A: Having been an advocate of democratic reforms and respect for basic human rights in Saudi Arabia most of my life, my journey has not been smooth, safe or glorious. This is mostly due to the Saudi autocratic and theocratic ruling families’ brutal security apparatus in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere; but also the recipients of their largess abroad, especially in the US. The Washington based Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR) was established six years ago to promote peaceful but tangible democratic reforms in Saudi Arabia including: religious freedom, empowerment of Saudi women, free press, assemblage, free elections, accountability and transparency. In short, we are calling for the transformation of all Saudi institutions. As expected, the Saudi regime and its apologists and recipients of its favoritisms at home and in the West, especially in the US, did not and does not feel comfortable with this noble undertaking. What I did not expect was opposition to my work on the part of those in government, the media, and foundations, who themselves enjoy liberty.
Q: Have the Saudis tried to stop your work?
A: The Saudi ruling family and is agents and beneficiaries have been trying to stop my work by different means for many years. They have tried financial and employment (high positions) bribery, tribal and friends’ intermediaries directly and indirectly. They also have tried the deadly methods; no evidence though. All attempts have failed because of my philosophical commitment and belief in doing something bigger than one’s self and that is more important than riches and self-aggrandizement. Something that can’t be purchased or silenced by any money, power or death.
“we have the bravest of protesters risking their lives in Teheran. We have Muslim and ex-Muslim feminists and dissidents, both in the West and back home, risking their lives in an effort to reform Islam, find freedom.”
Unfortunately we don’t have a brave freedom fighter in the White House. Their timing is off for about two years(?).
Dr. Chesler,
The State Department will never consult with a man like Dr. Alyami because in their bigoted eyes, all Jews and all Arabs are nothing ore than wogs to be manipulated into fighting each other. The State Department represents the élitist bigots of American society – as does Obama himself.
There has never been an American President who has said anything critical of Saudi Arabia’s system. We are familiar with the fact that leftists, including feminists and gay-rights activists, have allied themselves with militiant Islam
http://www.jochnowitz.net/Essays/MarxIslam.html
despite the fact that this alliance makes no sense. However, Saudi Arabia’s best friend of all was probably Old Bush, who is certainly not a leftist, although he is anti-Israel. Furthermore, not even Young Bush, who overthrew the Taliban and invaded Iraq, did anything to end America’s friendship with the Saudi monarchs and their incredibly oppressive government.
I never could understand why Washington is so tied in to Saudi Arabia. God bless Dr. Alyami and his work. It is just too bad that our president thinks arab women “choose” to wear what they wear. He shows “respect” for islam as if it is only cultural and religious and not mainly political and violent. Then he has the audacity to label citizens of the United States as terrorists.
This gentleman IS a hero without doubt. I don’t understand why he thinks Islam and democracy are compatible in a majority-Muslim nation. I think it’s impossible and I’ve lived in the ME. Good interview with excellent questions and answers.
“Having been an advocate of democratic reforms and respect for basic human rights in Saudi Arabia most of my life, my journey has not been smooth, safe or glorious. This is mostly due to the Saudi autocratic and theocratic ruling families’ brutal security apparatus in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere; but also the recipients of their largess abroad, especially in the US. The Washington based Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR) was established six years ago to promote peaceful but tangible democratic reforms in Saudi Arabia including: Religious freedom, empowerment of Saudi women, free press, assemblage, free elections, accountability and transparency. In short, we are calling for the transformation of all Saudi institutions. As expected, the Saudi regime and its apologists and recipients of its favoritisms at home and in the West, especially in the US, did not and does not feel comfortable with this noble undertaking. What I did not expect was opposition to my work on the part of those in government, the media, and foundations, who themselves enjoy liberty.”
“Not well, even though they don’t disagree with my platform. Their disagreement with me is not philosophical as much as concern for material gain for their own projects and institutions. They are hired to promote Saudi policy and interests and to polish their tarnished image”.
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Perhaps Walt and Mearsheimer’s next book will be a treatise on the saudi lobby in America and its nefarious influence.
Excellent and timely interview, Phyllis.
It reminds us that that there are good people on the other side, and that it is worth attempting to make the world a better place, rather than falling into despair.
Norman
“Discrimination against Saudi women has very little to do with tradition and religion and more to do with politics and economics. Instead of meeting its obligations to all citizens, it has designated women as perpetual minors who must be fed and managed by their males relatives.”
Well, I beg to disagree – it has A LOT TO DO with (that) Religion (called Islam).
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It is very good that Islamic people try and reform their Religion: they have the great Luck to be able and live in The West (Free World), where they have a safer Place for freely Thinking, Reasoning, Working, Living.
Reformers of other Religions – in the Past – did not have that Luck.
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Phyllis Chesler: thank you for publishing Names of Women, Reformists of Islam; it’s Heartwarming to know about them (too).
About Danish Cartoons, we have to keep in Mind that a Danish Imam created 3 Fake Cartoons (very offensive for Islamic people), introduced them to the Islamic Board of Mecca (and maybe of AlAzhar too), and said that they were the famous “Danish Cartoons” – the Hate and Violence coming from this Lie(s) is well known.
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Maybe Dr. Ali has a Problem to be heard in Saudi Arabia due to his Name (Ali), which sounds pretty Shia Islam (and not Sunni, which is the very Tradition of Saudi Arabia, and which almost considers Shia as a Sect)?
Saudi Arabia fake rule of Islam, if they really Follow Islamic rules perfectly, no one would interfere of the Saudi rules, Islam did not teach to keep the women useless, Islam did not teach to tolerate the poor migrant workers, Islam did not teach if some body make mistake give the punishment to whole nation, in Saudi
having only rules of king although they are showing that they are following the rules of Islam, but unfortunately they are far way from this, there rules most impact on foreigners, and what the Saudi king want, its all depend on his mercy, i am telling this all from my own experience, i hope Saudi government one day realize to impact the real Islamic rules, what our profit Muhammad (may peach be upon him)teach us, i hope they will realize Islam is depend on the unity and faith,
U.S. imperialism is the reason Saudi Arabia is in the mess it is in. The CIA provides the muscle for the Saudi government to kill any dissident who dares suggest their nation’s oil revenues belong to the people and not the Wall Street suits. Look at anybody who has been persecuted by the Saudi government, what they all have in common is that they took a stand against the American rape and impoverishment of their country. Blaming the organic culture of the Saudis is merely a smokescreen. Whatever sexist tendencies Saudi men have, they are a result of denied power by the American corparchy. Once American imperialism and corporate greed are gone, the women’s issues will take care of themselves.
10. ete:
[what our profit Muhammad (may peach be upon him)teach us]
Yeah, what’s the interest on this profit, ete?…and, yeah, let them peaches fall on his head.
Discrimination against Saudi women has very little to do with tradition and religion and more to do with politics and economics. Instead of meeting its obligations to all citizens, it has designated women as perpetual minors who must be fed and managed by their males relatives. In addition, it’s easier for the ruling elites to divide people into gender, religious, regional and ethnic categories so they can turn people against each other and act as their problem solver and savior.
That’s a brilliant summation of Saudi domestic and foreign policy. That’s how the Saud dynasty managed to gain control of the holy lands in the early 1920′s, even though bloodthirsty Wahhabis were despised by the majority of the Muslim world.
They stirred up trouble with the Hashemites, who were the legitimate rulers of the Holy Lands, then helped Britain ‘solve’ the Hashemite problem that the Sauds had actually created. They also worked with Nazi sympathizers in the British government, like Jack Philby, and Arab Nazis like the founders of the Muslim Brotherhood, to keep fascism alive in the Middle East. Al Qaeda is a Saudi operation, and they’re currently working with us to ‘solve’ another problem that they created. They’re also responsible for much of the unrest in Iraq and Iran. In Europe, they’re causing more problems with their support of groups like Hizb-ut-Tahrir. They’re willing to help us solve this problem also, but only if we’re willing to spend a great deal of money and risk American lives.
We could try to work with the Saudi government to solve all of the problems they’ve created, but if we did a through accounting of the cost/benefit ratio, we’d discover that their alliance with us has cost us far more than it’s worth.
The American people don’t want to support the Saudi government, yet our (thoroughly bribed) government insists that we must maintain this alliance. We don’t need to be allied with the Sauds, our government wants us to be allied with them. Fortunately, the American people are not ruled by a monarchy. If politicians believe that their jobs are threatened by their alliance with the Sauds, that could put an end to this malign, co-dependent arrangement.
If America and other governments were not legitimizing the Saudi regime, they wouldn’t be able to spend so much time and money creating small wars, destabilizing governments and oppressing their own people.
Sadly, what this Dr Alyami claims is the opposite of the truth.
The Saudi Arabian practice of supporting the rights of men over their own households, does not turn the common people against each other, as this man Dr Alyami tells us.
He states, “the ruling elites… divide people into gender… categories so they can turn people against each other and act as their problem solver and savior.”
It is Western feminist governments that turn the people in each home against one another. And, that empowers the state to consolidate power.
No, Dr Alyami is saying the opposite of the truth, in this case.
We Westerners have it more wrong that the Saudi Arabians do, when it comes to gender relations.
In fact, the USA and Europe are 120 degrees off course to the left; while the Saudis are 20 degrees off course, to the right.
So, when we look at them, we say “Look how repressive they are”. Sure! They are 140 degrees farther to the right than we are.
What we don’t seem to want to recognize is, most of that gap is our fault.
The Saudi Arabian way is off kilter. But, only to a modest degree, too restrictive.
Europe and the USA, however, are actually much worse off, to the left, stealing every man’s proper rule over his own house, and giving it to his women and children. This creates endless war, right here at home.
#10 Well ete, Here’s what Islam DOES teach:
Islam DOES teach to kill all infidels…..it DOES teach to submit to the will of Allah (piss be upon him) or die…..it DOES teach that Jews and Christians are descended from monkey and pigs, it DOES teach that it’s okay to marry 6 year-old girls (as Mo did) and it DOES teach that all non-Moslems are Dhimmis and therefore inferior. I could go on, but you get the point. If I hear one more IDIOT suggest that Islam has been perverted or that it is in fact a religion of peace, I am going to vomit.
10. Oh yeah, now is Others’ Fault if at Mekka people kill one another throwing Stones to Satan, if Koran teaches the Inferiority of Women, if Islamic Terrorists want to kill Infidels the Way is written there, if (see Comment 16. which I subscribe).
I wished Muhammad was a Peach-trees’ Grower who took Profit from his own Job – instead of going around slaughering People and stealing their Goods and Lands, teaching to hate, to discriminate against Others and against Women, and that having Viagra Style Sex with young delicate Girls is the main Goal to be achieved. In the Name of Allah -.
Islam is an evil cult that needs to be completely and totally irradicated from this earth. There are absolutely no redeeming qualities in the koran, haditha, or suras. It’s all a bunch of crap spewed from a deranged, sex-crazed, ignorant, murdering, baby-raping cretin. I’m am convinced that allah (may pig piss be upon him) is satan.
“…the legalized terrorist religious police, known as Matawain or domesticators…”
What does this word “domesticators” mean exactly? As in domesticating an animal? Are Muslims slavers by faith?
“Are Muslims slavers by faith?”
Actually, yes.
19. You’ve it (or alike) in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Gaza – see Article about Human Rights’ Activist Asma AlGhoul by Phyllis Chesler. This Activist was appearently arrested for “laughing in an unmodest Way” at the Beach (where most probably, for Women, no Swimwears are allowed) -.
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In the West we need to freely expose Islamic History and Islamic Scriptures and how do – so called – Extremist Imams teach, in their Mosque, among their Community, in the Prisons, and to lure Converts in Islam (which will be then extremely indoctrinated). We have to be able to feely expose Shari’a Law and how it discriminate against Non-islamic people first, and against Islamic Women then; we have to point out that Islamic Countries at UNITED NATIONS created their Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, Cairo 1990, which is against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948.
We have to point out that Islamic people/Communities ask for Rights for themselves but that they denied and still deny Human Rights to Others (and to their Women).
Otherwise Critics of Islam and Reformers of Islam will be – metaphorically speaking or not – stoned.
I never said Islam is compatible with true democracy.
Matawain means domesticators. Religious police (whose job is to ensure people’s total submission to the ruling family) tell people what to wear, how to cut their hair, what color is suitable and what’s not, enforce the stifling concealment of women in black garment and beat people who don’t stop everything they might be doing and go to mosques to pray five times a day.
I want to thank Ms. Phyllis Chesler for her generous words, but I do not consider myself a hero. The real heroes are the American men and women in uniform and their families. They are the ones who are willing to pay the ultimate price and sacrifice so much to make it possible for me to be free and use my freedom to support the people of my motherland, Saudi Arabia, to speak freely against oppression, discrimination, religious intolerance and squandering of their wealth by a few self-appointed autocratic and theocratic men.
The other heroes are my family and those of you who support the work of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, CDHR. Without your moral, financial, feedback and volunteer support, CDHR could not have survived this long and continued its uphill challenges. I want to thank you all for your support and courage to fight for the oppressed and voiceless. Thank you.
Dear Dr Alyami, you seem to be advocating democracy for Saudi Arabia if I’m reading your words correctly.
22. Ali Alyami:
“I never said Islam is compatible with true democracy.”
Are you saying you hope to rid SA of Islam in order for democracy to take hold?
A few months ago I did a double take and a pet peeve was born. I wondered if it was too off-topic to mention here, but then I saw that Dr. Alyami introduced it in his very first remark.
What’s this “Saudi” Arabia stuff? Why not call the place Arabia and the citizens Arabians?
It’s not going to happen soon. Our current President bowed to the Arabian monarch. The preceding President kissed and held hands with him. Dr. Alyami and commenter Mary Madigan mentioned the Saudi family’s effective use of bribery.
“It is Western feminist governments that turn the people in each home against one another. And, that empowers the state to consolidate power.”
What feminist governments are you talking about? is there any ? Are you griping because you have to take out the garbage? or do dishes with your male hands? or perhaps you have to pick up your own cloths?
And how is that empowering the state pray tell?
benji benji, you are full of it.
A big shout out to Toronto girl! lets rip off the veil of santimoniousness from islam.
Why limit this to Saudi? Women in all of the Islamic Paradises should have freedom.
One problem is the Saudi’s have a lot of oil. In 1973 they slowed production & caused an uproar folks in Holland were biking & folks in US waiting in line for an hour for gas. Also Saudi money funds education for middle east studies in western universities thus whitewashing history and downplaying terrorism to keep us uninformed which is why US was taken by surprise by attack of 9-11 as they had received the wrong advice. Saudi petro money also funds mosques all over world with Wahhabi doctrine. Terrorism ideas spring easily to terrorism. Xmas day bomber was radicalized in a London mosque.
Nie post. pajamasmedia.com deserrves an oscar.
This is why I love pajamasmedia.com. Incerdible posts.
If only I had a penny for every time I came here.. Amazing read!