Saudi author urges Muslims to embrace liberal viewpoints

The Arab world will not be a full participating member of today's world unless its people abandon the "rigid interpretation" of the Holy Qu-ran, a noted Saudi author said here. Arabs have become hostages to extremists who "hijacked" Islam, Dr Turki Al Hamad said in a lecture on Liberalism and Islam he gave here on Wednesday night.

"There are those among us who claim to have a monopoly over Islam. They are hijacking the religion and the Holy Quran," he said, referring to religious extremists who oppose interpretations of the holy book that don't match their mindset.

"Sure, we cannot ignore the holy book, but we have to be tolerant to its different interpretations," he said.

Al Hamad, a fierce critic of Islamists in his country, Saudi Arabia, said it was strange that after hundreds of years, some Muslims would stick to the same reading of the world around them.

"The world is changing around us, it is moving forward in every way. It will not wait for us," he said, adding that unless the Arab mind is capable of dealing with the modern changes, "we will always be zero in today's world."

Al Hamad said the Arab world cannot embrace democracy without first embracing liberalism, with its three main tenets: freedom, individualism and tolerance. "Islam is not a totalitarian religion," he said, "on the contrary, it stresses individualism."

He said Islam emphasised the private relationship between man and Allah. It also guaranteed freedom of religion and expression. As for tolerance, Islam encourages its followers to associate with other people and learn their cultures.

"Unfortunately, some of us are using rigid interpretations of the text to use the religion for their own goals," he said. "They aim to terminate those who are not like them."

Al Hamad was "condemned to death" by religious extremists early this year. In a "death fatwa" posted on several Islamist websites he was accused of blasphemy.

Al Hamad said those who condemn others to death were encouraging hypo-crisy and duplicity in Arab societies because people who are afraid of extremists' reprisals are forced to hide their real opinions. "Hypocrisy is a result of lack of freedom," he said.

Religious extremists have been on the run in Saudi Arabia since the May 12 terrorist attacks on residential compounds in the capital Riyadh, which left more than 30 people dead, mostly foreigners.

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said on Wednesday that the crackdown on had been successful.

Just this week, six people were arrested in the holy city of Makkah on Monday and one person was killed in a shootout with the police in Riyadh yesterday. They are said to be members of Al Qaida, the Osama bin Laden-led network.

Al Hamad said the solution to the problem of extremism was in creating a modern pluralistic state. "There is no modern state without plurality, and no plurality without democracy and no democracy without liberalism," he declared.

Prince Nayef said recently political reforms in Saudi Arabia must be compatible with Islamic tenets.

"We do not oppose anything that is in the citizens' interests, provided it does not contravene the principles of Shari'a," or Islamic law, which underpins the kingdom's social and legal system, he was quoted as saying Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia announced last month it would hold its first ever polls within a year to elect half the members of the new municipal councils.

Reports said elections would be held within three years to fill one-third of the 120 seats of the appointed Shura (Consultative) Council, and that half the members of regional councils would be elected within two years.