[NOTE: This is the first in a pair of articles that take opposing points of view with regard to the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia. In the following editorial, Ms. Riordan argues against the relationship. Next week we will publish an editorial MHS senior, Edward Corcoran, offering a counterpoint to this.]

Learn more about Senior Seminar Editorials here. View a list of previous editorials here.

A Senior Seminar Editorial by Gillian Riordan, MHS 2010

In 1938, the United States had just won World War I; the entire nation was in desperate need of oil in order to meet economic opportunities for rebuilding Europe. United States President, Franklin Roosevelt (1938-1933) requested drilling in Saudi Arabia to see if there was any oil available. Luckily there was, and lots of it. The United States became Saudi Arabia’s largest oil customer and brought great wealth to the country.  Until September 11, 2001 The United States and the Saudi Arabian alliance remained strong. Now there is a question to whether the alliance should end because our ally might have been involved with the horrific terrorist attack on our country.  Mounting evidence is showing that Saudi Arabia may be more of a threat to the United States than an ally. This new evidence, along with other fundamental differences between our countries, supports the belief among many American’s that our long standing alliance with this country should end.

Compared to the United States, Saudi Arabia treats women as second class citizens. Women have rights, but are restricted to what they can do. Saudi Arabian women have the privilege of receiving a higher education at a university, but are excluded from studying the subjects engineering, journalism, and architecture. According to the 2008 US Department of State, women make up a mere .5% of Saudi formal work force (Document A).  Women are also restricted from the using of public facilities.  But, one of the most shocking differences is that before women can be admitted to a hospital for medical treatment, the hospital must have consent from a male relative. It is hard to see why the United States has such a strong alliance with a nation that does not treat everyone equally.
It is not only women that are treated unfairly in Saudi Arabia. Citizens of Saudi Arabia must obey the Koran as we obey the US Constitution. Their police force is the Mutawaa’in, whose function is to enforce the religious laws derived from the Koran. There is no separation of church and state. However, the government punishes criminals based on its interpretation of Islamic law known as the Shari’a. The US Department of State has said that there are “allegations that security forces committed torture. This corrupt government prohibits freedom of speech, the press, assembly, association, religion, and movement” (Document A).  Again the Department of State declares “The government disagrees with internationally accepted definitions of human rights and views its interpretation of Islamic law as its sole source of guidance on human rights” (Document A). This citing speaks to the difference between our two countries and provides strong reason why the United States should not continue the alliance with this country that treats their people so unjustly.

Wahhabism has been the Saudi Arabian dominant faith for more than two centuries. Critics say that Wahhabism has rigidity led to misinterpret and distort Saudi’s and cites extremists such as Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban.  Ali Ah-Ahmed is the Executive Director of the Saudi Institute, an independent human rights watchdog group based in McLean, Virginia. He has said that Wahhabism and Salafi is the same thing, “They are the official sect in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government adopts the Salafi understanding of Islam and implement it on all Saudis” (Frontline). Ali Ah-Ahmed has also said that if you are not Wahhabi (Salafi) you are discriminated against, as he is.

Agreements between Saudi Arabia and the United States date back to the 1930s but since then the Saudi people have changed their feeling toward Americans. Part of the Salafi philosophy is to spread their wealth and channel their money to help people. By doing that they regularly give back to schools that support terrorism. The Salafi schools are called madrassas and are Islamic religious schools. The curriculum of a madrassas is to destroy infidels and students are taught how to do it. The reason why Saudi Arabian people are not fond of Americans is because we support Israel. Saudi’s believe that Americans put the Israeli’s before the Saudi’s. Ali ah-Ahmed has said “there were people who celebrated who were happy to see this (9/11/01), because there is general dissatisfaction with the United States. But there are people who were so happy to see it, and they still today, they are happy and they support what happened in New York, because they are from the Salafi school of Islam” (Frontline). If they claim to be one of our strongest allies they should not be celebrating the fall of our country.

The United States depends on Saudi Arabia for oil. This oil helps heat homes, creates energy for industries, and keeps cars running. If it were not for our country’s dependency on oil we may be better off without an alliance with the Saudi’s. The United States should be able to do with less oil and actively pursue developing other kinds of energy.  However, due to such great differences between the political and cultural beliefs of the United States and Saudi Arabia as well as the alleged connection with Saudi Arabia to the most horrific act of terrorism that The United States has ever experienced, the alliance between the countries should end.