Inside the Kingdom

by Robert Lacey

  Al-Khidr—“the Green One,” a legendary Islamic figure sometimes confused with the Mahdi.

  Khitab Al-Matalib—“Letter of Demands,” a reform petition circulated by activists in 1992.

  Al-Khobar—a city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, adjacent to Dammam.

  Khorassan—Afghan-based empire of the Prophet’s time.

  Koran (Qur’an)—Islam’s central text, the divine revelation to the Prophet Mohammed.

  Mabahith—secret police, a department of the Ministry of the Interior. Literally “investigations,” “investigators,” or “the detectives.”

  Madinah—officially decreed Saudi spelling of “Medina” in English.

  madrasa—a religious school.

  Mahdi—a prophesied Islamic redeemer described in some Islamic traditions, but not mentioned in the Koran.

  Mahdi—fiancé of the Qateef girl.

  mahram—a male guardian.

  Majlis—“the place of sitting.” The main reception hall in a Saudi home—usually two: one for men and one for women.

  Majlis Al-Shura—Consultative Council of 150 “learned and experienced” male citizens appointed by the king.

  Makkah—official Saudi spelling of “Mecca” in English—said to have been first decreed to set the name of the holy city apart from the British chain of Mecca dance halls.

  Maktab Al-Khadamat—Office of Services, a relief and recruitment network financed by Osama Bin Laden to support his 1980s Afghan campaign against the Russians.

  Mansour Al-Nogaidan—writer. Former Salafi preacher and video-store bomber.

  “Mashael”—pseudonym for the former lesbian featured in chapter 29.

  milka—the plighting of the troth that allows Muslim couples to have private time for sexual relations if their families agree. More serious than a Western engagement, slightly less than full marriage.

  Mohammed Abdullah Al-Qahtani—the “Mahdi,” proclaimed by his brother-in-law Juhayman Al-Otaybi. Killed in the siege of the Great Mosque, November 1979.

  Dr. Mohammed Al-Qunaybit—Shura member and newspaper columnist.

  Mohammed Ibn Abdul Wahhab—eighteenth-century scholar, born in Nejd around 1703, whose puritannical teachings were championed by the House of Saud and form the basis of the austere interpretation of Islam known in the West as Wahhabism. His descendants, who bear the name Al-Asheikh, literally “Family of the Sheikh,” occupy many of the prominent religious positions in modern Saudi Arabia.

  Mohammed Bin Laden—Yemeni-born builder-by-appointment to successive Saudi kings and remodeler of the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Founder of the Bin Laden construction company. Father to Osama Bin Laden and some fifty other children.

  Mohammed bin Fahd—businessman son of King Fahd. Governor of the Eastern Province since 1984.

  Mohammed bin Nayef—assistant to his father, the minister of the interior, and himself director of the ministry’s Terrorist Redemption Program.

  Mohammed Saeed Tayeb—Jeddah lawyer and constitutional reformer.

  mufti—an Islamic scholar who is an interpreter of shariah law. The “grand mufti” is the supreme religious figure in Saudi Arabia.

  mujahid (plural subject mujahidoon, plural object mujahideen)—holy warrior; a Muslim serving in a military force led by an imam to defend Muslim communities.

  Mullah Omar—Afghan Taliban leader.

  murshid—spiritual mentor.

  Al-Muslimoon—“The Muslims,” the name of a magazine whose title can be rendered into English as Muslim World.

  mutawwa—a volunteer, or enforcer of virtue. The Saudi name for members of the religious police, “those who promote virtue and prevent vice.”

  Mudhakkarat Al-Nasiha—“Memorandum of Advice,” a 1992 reform petition.

  muwahiddoon (subject), muwahiddeen (object)—monotheists, the name favored by Wahhabis for their interpretation of Islam, sometimes rendered into English as “Unitarian.”

  National Guard—tribally based domestic defense force under the command of Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz since 1962. Also known as the “White Army.”

  Nayef bin Abdul Aziz (b. 1934)—minister of the interior from 1975 to the present. Named second deputy premier in March 2009 and hence a possible future king.

  Nejd—“Highland”; the central plateau of the Arabian Peninsula, regional power base of the House of Saud.

  niqab—a veil that covers the face.

  Osama Bin Laden (b. 1958)—founder of Al-Qaeda, inspirer of 9/11. Son of construction magnate Mohammed Bin Laden.

  Pashtu—Language of the forty million or so Pashtun people of southern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan.

  Peshawar—town in northern Pakistan, close to the border with Afghanistan.

  qadi—Islamic judge.

  Al-Qaeda—Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist organization, founded in the late 1980s. Qaeda means “foundation” or “basis”—“the rule” even—and can also refer to a military base or database.

  Qaseem—the area of Nejd to the north of Riyadh, containing the towns of Unayzah and Buraydah, often described as the heartland of Wahhabism.

  “Qateef girl’—Rape victim sentenced to ninety lashes by an Islamic court in Qateef in October 2006. Pardoned in December 2007 by King Abdullah.

  qibla—the direction of Mecca: a Muslim should face this way during prayer.

  rafada—“rejectionists,” a term used by Sunni Muslims to characterize Shia rejection of the early line of succession in Islamic leadership.

  Ramadan—the Islamic holy month of fasting (the ninth Islamic month of the year).

  Saddam Hussein—president of Iraq 1979-2003.

  Safa-Marwah corridor—once a separate site, this 490-yard-long gallery has now been incorporated into the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Pilgrims move to and fro along the corridor, replicating the Koranic story of how Abraham’s wife Hagar ran desperately between the hills of Safa and Marwah looking for water for her son Ishmael.

  Safar Al-Hawali—a Sahwah sheikh who called for Islamic revival in the 1990s and was imprisoned. Now released.

  Sahwah—“Awakening,” the name embracing the various Islamic revival movements originating in the 1980s and 1990s.

  sakina—“serenity,” a state of spiritual calm.

  Salafi—a Muslim seeking to live in the style of a salaf, one of the seventh-century Companions of the Prophet Mohammed.

  Salman Al-Awdah—Sahwah sheikh who was imprisoned following his outspoken calls for Islamic revival in the 1990s. Today the host of a popular TV show.

  Salman bin Abdul Aziz (b. 1936)—governor of Riyadh since 1962.

  Al-Saud—the House of Saud. Eighteenth-century rulers of Dariyah in central Nejd who enlisted the austere teachings of the preacher Mohammed Ibn Abdul Wahhab to create a succession of three Saudi states, the latest of which became the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. There is a definitive list of members of the royal family at the royal court and also in the branch of the Riyadh Bank that pays their monthly stipends, but this is treated as a state secret, concealed from most members of the family. Those Al-Saud who are willing to discuss the matter—and most are—set their number today at around seven thousand princes and princesses.

  Saud Al-Faisal—foreign minister since 1975. Son of King Faisal’s reforming wife Queen Iffat and full brother of Turki Al-Faisal.

  Saud bin Abdul Aziz (1902-69)—second modern Saudi monarch (1953-64), forced to relinquish the throne in favor of his half brother Faisal.

  Sayyid Qutub—Egyptian author of Milestones, one of the guiding works of the Muslim Brotherhood. Executed by the Nasser regime in 1966.

  shaheed—“martyr” who sacrifices their life for God and goes straight to heaven.

  Shareef—successor of the Prophet, the title employed by the Hashemite family when they were kings of Al-Hijaz.

  shariah—meaning “way” or “path to the water source.” Islamic law.

  shaytan—devil or Satan.

  Shia—Muslims who assign special importance to Ali, the
cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet. Shiat Ali means the party of Ali. The Shia, or Shiites, make up the majority of Muslims in Iran, Iraq, and in certain areas in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, and Yemen.

  shirk—polytheism.

  shomagh—commonly a red and white checkered cloth headdress, worn beneath the double black rope rings of the agal. An all-white cloth ghutra is a more formal indoor headdress.

  Al-Shumaysi—a pious neighborhood of Riyadh. Home to Abdul Aziz Bin Baz.

  Sibillah—the battle, north of Riyadh, in which Abdul Aziz defeated the rebel members of the Ikhwan in March 1929.

  souk—market.

  Sudayri Seven—the seven sons of Abdul Aziz by Hissa Al-Sudayri, making up the most significant power bloc in the Saudi royal family: Fahd, Sultan, Abdul Rahman, Turki, Nayef, Salman, and Ahmad bin Abdul Aziz (see family tree, page xxiv).

  Sultan bin Salman—born 1956, the son of the governor of Riyadh. The first Arab and first Muslim to fly in space, orbiting the earth in June 1985. Today secretary general of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities.

  sunna—words, actions, and example of the Prophet.

  Sunni—the largest denomination of Islam: those who follow the sunna of the Prophet.

  Al-Suwaydi—the Riyadh neighborhood where Frank Gardner was shot.

  taahud—“pledge” or “promise.”

  tafsir—commentary on the Koran.

  tahliah—“to sweeten,” the name given to principal shopping streets in Jeddah and Riyadh that are near the local desalination plants or terminals.

  takfeer—religious condemnation.

  Talal bin Abdul Aziz—maverick prince who served as communications minister and finance minister, before going into exile 1961-64 with a group of his brothers, the “Free Princes.” Later a special envoy to UNESCO.

  talib, plural taliban—pupil, student. These Afghan-Persian words derive from the Arabic word talib ilm, someone who wishes to be educated.

  tal omrak—an abbreviation of tal allah omrak, “May God lengthen your life,” a greeting of respect to elders, often used to royalty.

  taqiya—discretion or cautionary dissimulation, a tradition by which Shia Muslims may conceal their faith if under threat or persecution.

  Tawfiq Al-Seif—Shia spokesman who helped negotiate the return from exile in 1993.

  Turki Al-Faisal—son of King Faisal. Head of Saudi foreign intelligence 1977-2000, later Saudi ambassador to Britain and to the United States.

  thobe—the long, white, shoulder-to-ankle cotton garment worn by most Saudi males. Also spelled thawb.

  ulema—“those who possess knowledge’—plural of alim, a learned man. The supreme council of Islamic scholars entitled to make definitive interpretations of the Koran, hadiths, and shariah.

  umm—mother, or “mother of,” as in “Umm Abdullah,” the mother of Abdullah.

  umma—the Islamic community.

  umrah—the minor or lesser pilgrimage that a Muslim can undertake at any time.

  Unayzah—a pious and traditional town in Qaseem.

  Wahhabism—Western name given to the austere interpretation of the Islamic faith enunciated by Mohammed Ibn Abdul Wahhab in eighteenth-century Nejd, championed by the House of Saud and prevailing today in Saudi Arabia.

  wali al-amr, plural awaliyn al-amr—responsible person, from a father to a mayor, governor, tribal chief or king. The authorized leader of a community or family.

  Wallah! (“By God!”) and Wallahi! (“By my God!”)—common exclamations.

  wasta—string-pulling and influence.

  White Army—nickname of the National Guard, derived from its original white thobe uniform.

  Al-Yamamah—“The Dove,” an historic name for part of the plateau of Nejd, and the name given to the lucrative and controversial 1985 contract whereby Britain supplied Tornado fighters and other military equipment to Saudi Arabia for more than twenty years.

  Yasser Arafat—Palestinian leader. Nobel Peace Laureate 1994.

  Yasser Al-Zahrani—Saudi jihadi said to have committed suicide in Guantánamo Bay.

  Yathrib—original name of oases later known as Al-Medina, “The City” of the Prophet.

  Zaynab—sister of Husayn, daughter of Ali, and hence the granddaughter of the Prophet, through Ali’s marriage to Mohammed’s daughter Fatima.

  Zulfiqar—the legendary sword of the Islamic leader Ali.

  NOTES

  Preface: Welcome to the Kingdom

  xviii portable darkrooms: The glass negatives of Captain William Shakespear, the earliest of these photographer-explorers, are in the archives of the Royal Geographical Society in London.

  xxi Persian Gulf: In recent years many Arabs have claimed the Persian Gulf as “Arab,” and one side of it certainly is. But this book will continue to use the Gulf’s long-standing historical title.

  xxii its Internet translation: http://www.rasid.com/artc.php?id=20576.

  Chapter 1: Angry Face

  3 nearly five times: In the course of 1973, the year of the oil boycott, the price of oil went from $2.10 a barrel to $10.40. New York Times, August 13, 1990.

  4 money in their pockets: Dr. Horst Ertl, interview with author, Jeddah, August 1, 2006.

  4 “lost in your own town”: Prince Amr Mohammed Al-Faisal, interview with author, Jeddah, July 11, 2006.

  4 scent of moisture: Zahra S. Al-Moabi, “Souq Al-Nada,” in Akers and Bagader, pp. 11-15.

  4 “iron and cement”: Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, interview with author, Riyadh, February 25, 2006.

  5 attributed to the Prophet: “In bidah lies Hell-fire.” Hadith source Tirmidhi. http://islamknowledge.faithweb.com/danger_of_bidah.htm.

  5 “in some modern hotel”: Khaled Bahaziq, interview with author, Jeddah, December 9, 2006.

  6 “blankets pulled over us”: Nasser Al-Huzaymi, interview with author, Riyadh, September 20, 2006.

  6 What God revealed to Mohammed: This simplified account is based on Karen Armstrong’s works on Mohammed and Islam, and also on Reza Aslan’s No God but God.

  6 “Recite!”: Koran, 96:1, sura 96, verse 1.

  8 “single lightbulb acceptable”: Nasser Al-Huzaymi, interview with author, Riyadh, September 21, 2006.

  8 “the flesh of fowls”: Koran, sura 56, verse 21.

  9 Medina’s Salafi Group: This account of the Salafi Group is based on a series of interviews with Nasser Al-Huzaymi in Riyadh, 2006-7, and on articles written by him in Ar-Riyadh newspaper, May 19 and 26, 2003, June 10, 2003, and September 6, 2004. The subject was well covered by Yaroslav Trofimov in his book The Siege of Mecca, on which I have also drawn. The definitive article in English is by Thomas Hegghammer and Stéphane Lacroix, “Rejectionist Islamism in Saudi Arabia: The Story of Juhayman Al-Utaybi Revisited,” International Journal of Middle East Studies 39 (2007), pp. 97-116. I am grateful to Thomas Hegghammer for his help on this and several other aspects of recent Islamist history.

  9 “Hanging a picture on a wall”: Fatawa Islamiya (Riyadh, Dar es Salaam, 2002), vol 8, p. 112. Cited in Trofimov, p. 28.

  9 from around the age of eight: Some accounts say that Bin Baz became blind in his late teens or even twenties. A senior prince who spent time with him recalls the sheikh saying that he became blind before he was ten.

  9 surrendering Muslim land: Guido Steinberg, “The Wahhabi Ulama and the Saudi State: 1745 to the Present,” in Aarts and Nonneman, p. 25. Steinberg’s account is based on Saudi records of Bin Baz’s time in Al-Kharj, and also on U.S. State Department documents.

  10 mixing with local women: Dr. Abdullah H. Masry, letter to author, September 22, 2008.

  10 The First “Wahhabi”: This simplified history of the Wahhabi mission is based on the accounts of the Nejdi historians Ibn Bishr (d. 1871/2) and Ibn Ghannam (d. 1811), as translated and collated by George Rentz, The Birth of the Islamic Reform Movement in Saudi Arabia.

  11 “rule lands and men”: Quoted in Rentz, p. 50.

  1
1 “ancient disciples”: Dr. Ali Saad Al-Mosa, interview with author, Abha, June 5, 2006.

  12 “antigovernment drift”: Ibid.

  12 “coins, not banknotes”: Nasser Al-Huzaymi, Riyadh, interview with author, November 19, 2006.

  13 not true salafis: Nasser Al-Huzaymi, interview with author, Riyadh, November 22, 2006.

  13 police informers: Hegghammer and Lacroix, pp. 102, 103.

  Chapter 2: The Brothers

  15 flabby cooks: John S. Habib, Ibn Saud’s Warriors of Islam, p. 140.

  15 “camel bags without handles”: Almana, p. 103.

  16 cold-blooded: Mohammed Almana, who was present at the battle, makes clear that Abdul Aziz gave orders for his machine-gunners to hold back and conceal themselves until they could fire with most lethal effect. Almana, pp. 103 ff.

  16 “no further useful purpose”: Harry St. John Philby, Saudi Arabia, p. 313. Harry Philby was the khawajah who took the first photo King Khaled could remember (see p. xix), and father of Kim Philby, the famous double agent.

  16 “Never give up”: Trofimov, p. 18.

  16 fathered a son: It was thought for many years that Juhayman’s grandfather Sayf fought with the Ikhwan at Sibillah, but Nasser Al-Huzaymi, speaking in November 2006, was adamant it was Juhayman’s father, Mohammed.

  17 car auctions of Jeddah: Nasser Al-Huzaymi, interview with author, Riyadh, February 11, 2007.

  17 “most of the money”: Nasser Al-Huzaymi, interview with author, Riyadh, September 20, 2006.

  17 “all released”: Nasser Al-Huzaymi, interview with author, Riyadh, September 21, 2006.