Security Concerns

There's an advertising campaign on television I've seen a few times. Well, it's actually more of a series of Public Service Announcements.  One starts off with a teen-aged Saudi boy watching a video on his computer of a group of masked men standing in front of a banner and brandishing AK-47's.  It then flashes forward to the same boy who is now in the video on the computer screen, standing next to those same extremists, holding his own automatic weapon.  The camera pans out to reveal his mother watching the video and weeping.  Finally, it shows some sort of logo or slogan in Arabic and over the logo blood is splashed.  The point of the commercial is obviously to deter those who may be caught up by the allure of extremism.  It's meant to depict the disappointment and sadness that the decision to turn to terrorism would no doubt cause your family.  If I ever needed a stark reminder of where exactly I am and what exactly is at stake in the lives of some of those around me, this was it.  It was one of those "Whoa, I'm in Saudi-Freakin'-Arabia" moments.  It made me think of the PSA's in the States and if they weren't enough so already, seemed extra laughable by comparison.

The fact that a commercial like that gets funding and that there is a need and cause for an entire campaign may not seem very surprising.  Most people whether they have any interest in the Middle East or not probably know that 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in 9/11 were Saudi.  It might seem plausible to assume that this country is a hotbed for extremism and a place where recruiting for terror organizations might be prevalent.  In fact most people when told where I was heading for my next English-teaching adventure either showed deep concern for my well-being or advised slightly sarcastically that I not get kidnapped.  But the situation on the ground here is much different than the perception abroad.  When I revealed to a coworker some preliminary concerns I'd had over being thrown in the back of a van by a group of hooded men with the intentions of posting a video of my beheading on the internet I drew so much laughter I became more than a little embarrassed.  "This isn't Iraq or Afghanistan,"  I was told somewhat condescendingly.

In fact, for the most part ideas about terrorism and religious extremism, including those PSA's, are met with joking and condescension.  My students joked one time when a classmate showed me a picture of himself with a rifle for me to "watch out."  "He's friends with Ossama Bin Laden," one remarked which drew an uproar of laughter.  "I'm from Canada.  I'm from Canada," I proclaimed which kept the riot going.  The kids I'm dealing with are upper to upper upper class where there is neither cause for nor the allure of extremism.  They have nice houses, good lives, and are afforded every possible luxury.  It isn't the case for everyone obviously, but for the most part in Saudi, the rest of the Gulf, and the Middle East in general, this model holds up: unless you're poor and desperate, you're not drawn in by extremism.  In Yemen, where it's much poorer, in Iraq and Afghanistan where people are being killed everyday by Coalition soldiers' bullets and pilotless drones, and in the slums (not that I've seen any) in Saudi or other Gulf states, there exist the conditions that would drive the desperate to engage in desperate acts-- for them to be shown a path of violence and be impressionable enough to follow it.  But here in Saudi or in Dubai or Kuwait, most people are too comfortable, too satisfied with the status quo.

It's relevant at this point to iterate that Ossama Bin Laden himself came from one of the wealthiest families in Saudi, to point out that according to some diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks Saudi Arabia is one of the largest sources of money that eventually finds its way into the hands of terrorists, and that this is one of the top 3 most religiously "extreme" countries in the world.  It would also be pertinent to state that as recently as 2003 there were acts of violence against Americans who lived and worked here and that a western compound was famously attacked by riflemen and suicide bombers.  But those things aren't felt here when you walk around as a westerner or as an American.  I feel perfectly safe.  People smile and speak English.  People wave if they recognize you.  They ask you questions about where you're from and what you do here.  I've yet to even get a surprised, yet alone a disapproving look when I've responded that I'm American.  Most people tell me about a cousin who studies in Arizona or works as a doctor in Connecticut.  Foreigners, westerners, and Americans specifically are a common sight around Riyadh, around most of Saudi from what I'm told, and it's very much in the government's interest to keep us safe and secure and feeling that way.  If the foreign workers left there would be no one here to manage the companies, make the decisions, or work jobs requiring advanced degrees.

There is an inverse relationship between security and freedom.  The more of one you have, the less of the other.  So in at least this respect, it is comforting to know that I live in one of the most repressive countries in the world.  While I can be certain that there is someone looking over my shoulder to make sure I'm not dealing in narcotics or pornography, and that religious police are ready to point me in the right direction should I wander into the "family" seating section at the mall's food court, I know that those same systems of control are in place to protect me from anyone holding the intention to do me harm, especially since 2003.  The government has arrested hundreds for being suspected terrorists and has tracked them down using methods that would make the supporters of Patriot Acts I and II drool with envy.  So while I might not be able to chat up a dame at a local watering hole (were I so inclined), go to a cinema, or imbibe an adult beverage, I can rest easy knowing that as difficult as any of those things would be to do and as nervous as I would be doing them, it is infinitely more so the case for anyone wishing to engage in terrorism against the likes of me-- the smiling, joking faces of the well-to-do around me don't hurt either.