07 March 2011 By Tariq
Alhomayed Anybody who believes that what
happened at the Riyadh Book Fair, with regards to the
Saudi Arabian Information Minister, as well as some
visitors and media figures being attacked, is
acceptable could not be more wrong. In fact, this
couldn't be further from the truth, for what happened
was nothing more than an assault on the state and its
authority. For the organization in question, or the Commission
for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,
was present at the Riyadh Book Fair in an official
capacity without this causing any problems or
disturbing the book fair's atmosphere. Therefore the
action of these young men, attempting to disrupt an
event which takes place every year in the Saudi
Arabian capital, served as nothing more than an
assault on the organization in question, as well as
the state and its institutions. Some people have
continually tried to turn this event into an occasion
for them to flex their muscles and advertise their
presence however in reality this is pitiful, and this
attempt to disrupt the Riyadh Book Fair lacks any
objective and does not benefit anybody. The evidence
of this can be seen in the fact that the Riyadh Book
Fair takes place every year with great success,
attracting all segments of Saudi society, with Saudi
citizens travelling from all across the country to
attend the event, whether they are men or women,
conservatives or liberals. Therefore, it is not acceptable to portray what
happened as being acceptable, or a result of youthful
enthusiasm, rather this must be viewed in a far more
serious manner. What happened was an organized effort
by youth who aimed to impose their view on the entire
state and society. This is not acceptable; the issue
is not one of these youths being against [certain]
writers, for what is prohibited on the internet far
outweighs even the largest book fair, whilst this is
also not about these youths being against knowledge
and information. Therefore what happened was an
infringement against the authority of the state which
itself is committed to Islamic Sharia law. The irony
is that there are people who believe that Saudi Arabia
is too excessive with regards to its adherence to the
application of Islamic Sharia law, whilst others say
that Saudi Arabia is excessively pursuing a policy of
openness [to the outside world]. Of course, the
reality is that it is not one or the other, but rather
that it is the duty of the state, indeed any state, to
protect its security and stability according to the
facts on the ground and its own responsibilities, not
according to the aspirations and ambitions [of some
youth] and shiny slogans, whether these are religious
or modern [slogans], because the situation must be
governed by the reality on the ground. It would have been more logical and civilized if
those who objected to this book fair expressed their
views in a more natural way, whether by writing about
this in the media – as is their right – or by
complaining to Saudi officials and putting forward
their justification [for their views], or even writing
a book expressing their fears and proposals and
presenting this at the Book Fair, thereby fighting
fire with fire, or let us say books with books.
Therefore adopting any position in this manner,
whether positive or negative, serves no purpose,
because – in the first place – these youth have no
right to object to the book fair in the manner that
they did, or try to seize people's liberties, or
decide for the state what it should or should not do.
This is not their role, and it is not acceptable for
them or indeed anybody else to try this, especially as
these youth are a minority, and in fact they were even
a minority in comparison to the Riyadh Book Fair
visitors. Most importantly of all, these youths
visiting the Riyadh Book Fair, and acting in the
manner that they did is something that cannot be
tolerated in any way, shape or form; objection is one
thing, but transgressing the limits [of acceptable
behavior] is something else. Tariq Alhomayed is the
Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, the youngest
person to be appointed that position. He holds a BA
degree in Media studies from King Abdul Aziz
University in Jeddah, and has also completed his
Introductory courses towards a Master's degree from
George Washington University in Washington D.C. He is
based in London. Comments 💬 التعليقات |