Saudi Arabian government, socio-economic political reform and Islamist opposition

My dear friend

I hope you are enjoying your stay in the United States and that you are receiving a good education . I have been giving a lot of thought recently to the problems of our kingdom and the possible alternatives to the rule of the House of Saud . I have so few opportunities and liberties here that I feel that moderate Islamists may do a better job of governing our country than the princes . Let me try to explain how I feel

Like many of our generation , I have had trouble

finding work . During the oil boom of the 1970 's , employment was more secure and the government was able to grant extensive welfare benefits to citizens of the kingdom . More recently , however , the economy has stagnated . In 1998 , for example , we had 27 unemployment

I feel that the economy is suffering due to our reliance on oil Despite the fabulous wealth it brings to the country , the oil industry can only employ a certain number of people . Since oil is essentially the only thing that our country produces , it is the only sector that provides large-scale employment other than the government itself , which is dominated by the royal family and its network of friends and cronies

Despite all the wealth gained from oil , the royal family Has not invested the wealth into other sectors of society instead , it has used the oil wealth to enrich itself , purchase vast quantities of weapons from the Americans , and buy loyalty from the population by providing free social services . Despite all this wealth , however , our country has not given greater freedoms to its citizens

Our kingdom has always relied on an alliance between the al-Saud family and the radical Wahabi clerics . One of the king 's central roles is the custodian of the two holy places (Mecca and Medina . The clerics give the king legitimacy , and in return the kings lavishly fund the clerics mosques , schools , and charity organizations

I feel that this alliance is bad for our country . Our country needs to be freer . Both the royal family and the Wahabi clerics are opposed to greater freedoms for us , the average citizens . Both groups benefit by denying power to other people . I have come to feel that the Saudi-Wahabi alliance is bad for us as Saudi citizens , because it denies us basic freedoms . It is also bad for the world as a whole , because it leads to terrorism

Many Wahabis have turned against the Saudi royal family , declaring that it is not sufficiently Islamic . They feel that the government is too corrupt , too decadent , and too friendly with America . Osama bin Laden is the most infamous Saudi who has taken this position . Even though he attacked America , bin Laden 's primary enemy has always been the Saudi royal family , who he feels are bad Muslims who do not deserve to be the custodians of Mecca and Medina

The threat to the Saudis from its radical citizens became clear shortly after I...