, The root cause of Saudi Arabia's problems lies in the lack of diversity in opinion and religious interpretation, according to one of the participants in the Convention for National Dialogue, which opened on Sunday in the holy city of Makkah.
The landmark meeting is essentially a brainstorming session for a group of 60 thinkers, including clerics and other prominent members of society, over how to address the problems plaguing Saudi society.
Dr Sami M. Angawi, an expert in Islamic architecture, believes “the root of the problem lies in the single interpretation of religious matters”.
“For a long time, we have only had a single opinion on religious matters, from a group of people who think along a single direction,” he said. “I am not saying that their way of thinking is wrong, but the fact that there is only one interpretation is wrong.”
Dr Angawi said this practice was not customary in Islam, and whenever it has happened in the past, “it was bad”.
“My main objective is to allow a diversity of opinion on every level, and different schools of thought, starting from mosques, education, and the media,” he said. “The two holy mosques in Makkah and Medina have always allowed diversity in opinion. Only in the last 50 years has this been stopped.”
There are four main madhahib (schools of thought) in Islam. These are Maliki, Shafai, Hanbali and Hanafi.
“For 1,400 years, we had a diversity of opinion and interpretation. This diversity started to slowly fade out about 50 years ago, until there was only one school of thought left,” he said.
“The Prophet (PBUH) told us to follow our hearts after listening to a wide range of advice. When you have only one advice, you have no choice. Today the problem is that young people are not given a choice. They are taught one school of thought, which is a bit dry and very strict.”
One of the more controversial figures attending the conference is Sheikh Sayed Mohammed Alawi Maliki, who has been living quietly in Makkah for many years, banned from teaching or preaching, and even accused of heresy on a couple of occasions because he does not represent the official school of thought in Saudi, which derives from the Hanbali madhab. Sheikh Maliki is a proponent of the Maliki school.
There are also a number of Shiite clerics, notably Sheikh Hassan Al Safar, apparently known for his tolerant views.
Dr Angawi said at certain points, the discussion became heated, “but this was a good thing, because it opens up our minds and our hearts”.
“It showed us how easy it is to misinterpret the words of one another when we are far away, but when we discuss things in person, we have the chance to explain ourselves if there is a misunderstanding.”
He conceded that some thinkers and scholars might feel left out of the process, but he regretted that young people, in particular, were not asked to take part.
“The whole conference is about young people,” he said. “It would have been helpful if they were invited to join us and speak on their own behalf.”
