US embassy cable - 93RIYADH593

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 00593 
 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR 
TAGS: PINR, SOCI, PGOV, SA 
SUBJECT: MY BROTHER'S A MUJAHID, CONFESSES A SAUDI BANKER 
 
1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2. SUMMARY: AN OTHERWISE CALM SENIOR BANKER RECENTLY 
REVEALED TO US THAT HIS BROTHER HAD FOUGHT WITH THE 
MUJAHIDEEN IN AFGHANISTAN.  HIS ACCOUNT ILLUSTRATES THE 
DIFFERENT VIEWS OF ISLAM AND SOCIETY THAT EXIST IN 
SAUDI ARABIA, EVEN WITHIN FAMILIES - - DIFFERENCES THAT 
GO FAR BEYOND THE COMMONPLACE ISSUES OF THE ROLE OF THE 
MUTAWWA'IN.  END SUMMARY. 
 
3. THE CHARGE RECENTLY TALKED TO A PROMINENT BANK 
PRESIDENT AND FORMER FINANCE MINISTRY OFFICIAL.  DURING 
THE DISCUSSION, THIS SOBER-MINDED PERSON REVEALED THAT 
HIS BROTHER FOUGHT WITH THE MUJAHIDEEN FOR FOUR MONTHS 
IN AFGHANISTAN IN 1991.  AS AN EXPLANATION, HE 
DESCRIBED HIS BROTHER AS A 19 YEAR OLD KID WHO HAD NOT 
FINISHED SCHOOL AND WHO WAS BORED WITH HIS EXISTENCE IN 
SAUDI ARABIA.  FOR HIM, FIGHTING FOR ISLAM IN 
AFGHANISTAN WAS AN EXCITING ALTERNATIVE, A WAY TO 
EXPRESS HIS DEEP PERSONAL RELIGIOUS FAITH. 
 
4. THE BANKER DID NOT VOLUNTEER ANY DETAILS OF HIS 
BROTHER'S STAY IN AFGHANISTAN, BUT INSTEAD SKIPPED 
AHEAD TO THE POINT OF HIS RETURN.  WHEN THE BROTHER 
CAME BACK AFTER HIS JAUNT, THE FAMILY WAS WORRIED "THAT 
HE MIGHT GET INTO TROUBLE."  SO, THE FAMILY QUICKLY 
ARRANGED A MARRIAGE - - "TOOK CARE OF THAT RIGHT 
AWAY".  GRATEFUL FOR SMALL FAVORS, THE BANKER WAS HAPPY 
TO REPORT THAT HIS YOUNGER BROTHER HAS NOT EXPRESSED 
ANY DESIRE TO GO FIGHT IN BOSNIA. 
 
5. SINCE HIS RETURN, AND CONTRARY TO THE FAMILY'S 
EXPECTATION, THE BROTHER HAS DECLINED TO LIVE WITH HIS 
MOTHER, WHO LIVES ALONE IN RIYADH.  INSTEAD, HE DECIDED 
TO MOVE TO DAMMAM.  OUR CONTACT EXPRESSED THE FEAR THAT 
HIS BROTHER IS TRYING TO SEVER HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH 
THE REST OF THE FAMILY.  THE BANKER SAID HIS BROTHER, 
ALTHOUGH POLITE, AVOIDS TALKING TO HIM BECAUSE HE IS A 
BANKER, A VOCATION THAT THE BROTHER FINDS DISTASTEFUL. 
 
6. THE BANKER SAID THAT, DESPITE THE INFLUENCE OF 
RELIGIOUS CONSERVATIVES SUCH AS HIS BROTHER, SAUDI 
ARABIA IS A STABLE COUNTRY, IN LITTLE DANGER OF GOING 
THE WAY OF IRAN OR ALGERIA.  HE CONTINUED THAT, UNLIKE 
IN SUDAN AND IRAN, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN SAUDI 
ARABIA DOES NOT SUPPORT THE EXTREMISTS.  HERE, PEOPLE 
RECOGNIZE THAT THE EXTREMISTS ARE ONLY GRABBING FOR 
POWER, NOT RELIGION.  THE BANKER SAID THAT EXTREMISTS 
WERE MORE LIKELY TO BRING ABOUT CHAOS THAN SUCCESS 
THROUGH THEIR ECONOMIC PROGRAMS, AS SHOWN IN SUDAN AND 
IRAN.  THERE, EXTREMISTS DID NOT FIX ECONOMIES - THEY 
RUINED THEM. 
 
7. IN SAUDI ARABIA, THE KING HOLDS ALL THE CARDS, AND 
IS ABLE TO TONE DOWN OR QUASH SUCH DISSENT AT ANY 
TIME.  THE BANKER SAID THAT THE KING DID PRECISELY THAT 
A FEW YEARS AGO, WITH RAPID SUCCESS.  THE DANGER, HE 
SAID, WAS NOT THAT EXTREMISTS WOULD TOPPLE THE SAG WITH 
FORCE.  RATHER THE DANGER IS THAT, BY FORCEFULLY 
CHALLENGING THE SAG, THE EXTREMISTS WILL RISK TEARING 
THE FABRIC OF SAUDI SOCIETY. 
 
8. THE BANKER DID CONCEDE THAT SOME BUSINESSMEN DO 
STAND OUT FOR THEIR SUPPORT FOR ISLAMIC GROUPS, CITING 
THE EXAMPLE OF USAMA BIN LADEN.  ALTHOUGH MOST KNOWN 
FOR HIS FUNDING OF MUJAHIDEEN GROUPS IN AFGHANISTAN, 
BIN LADEN HAS GIVEN MONEY TO SEVERAL ISLAMIC CAUSES 
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.  THE BANKER SAID BIN LADEN IS AN 
EXCEPTION TO THE GENERAL ATTITUDE OF MOST BUSINESSMEN 
IN SAUDI ARABIA.  MOST, HE REPEATED, DO NOT SUPPORT THE 
GOALS OF EXTREMISTS. 
 
9. COMMENT: THIS GENTLEMAN HAS OBVIOUSLY GIVEN THE 
DIFFICULT PROBLEM OF EXTREMISM IN SAUDI ARABIA SOME 
THOUGHT.  HAVING A TRUE BELIEVER WILLING TO FIGHT FOR 
ISLAM FOR A BROTHER HAS GIVEN HIM GOOD REASON.  OTHER 
SAUDI BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT FIGURES HAVE MADE SIMILAR 
COMMENTS ON EXTREMISTS AND THE STABILITY OF SAUDI 
ARABIA, AND WE ASSUME SOME FACE THE SAME FAMILIAL 
DIVIDE.  AT PRESENT, THEIR JUDGEMENTS THAT THE KINGDOM 
IS STABLE SEEM CORRECT, BUT THE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION 
IN THEIR OWN FAMILIES ILLUSTRATES THE DEPTH OF THE 
DISAGREEMENTS OVER THE PROPER ROLE OF ISLAM IN SAUDI 
SOCIETY. 
 
10. FOR MANY OF OUR BANKER FRIEND'S GENERATION, IT IS 
NOT THE ISLAMIC CONTENT OF THE THOUGHT OF THEIR YOUNGER 
BROTHERS (AND SONS) THAT SCARES THEM.  SOCIALLY, THEY 
ARE, BY AND LARGE, A VERY CONSERVATIVE, DEVOUT LOT 
THEMSELVES.  RATHER, THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT HOW ENGAGED 
THE YOUNG ARE IN SAUDI ARABIA.  IT IS THE BOREDOM AND 
LACK OF DIRECTION THAT INSPIRED THE YOUNGER BROTHER TO 
FIGHT IN AFGHANISTAN, AND IMPELS OTHERS DOMESTICALLY; 
THAT IN TURN CAUSES CONCERN AMONG THE OLDER GENERATION, 
WHO CHERISH THE STABILITY OF THE KINGDOM.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
 
WELCH