Lunch with a princess

By Ellen Ratner
Last Friday, I had the privilege – along with five other journalists – of lunching with Princess Loulwa Al-Faisal, a daughter of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. The lunch was held at the Saudi private residence on the property of the Saudi Embassy and was fit for a king, or queen.

Royalty or not, the women of the Middle East are normally seen and not heard by Westerners. This luncheon was a welcome exception. Here are some of my notes (which are not from tape) of the questions and answers during the luncheon.

Question: Can you comment on the Saudi-born insurgents in Iraq?

Answer: Some may be Saudi, but they are not going into Iraq from Saudi. They are going in through Syria.

Q: Why are many of the terrorists Wahhabi (the religion of Saudi Arabia)?

A: You call them Wahhabis, we call them criminals. You know, these people are not fighting, they are using people.

Q: The polling shows that some inside Saudi Arabia do not think bin Laden is a criminal.

A: Yes, there is some polling going on, but that is the hard-core groups, criminals, who still don’t think he is a criminal. One branch of the bin Laden family changed their name.

Q: Where do you think bin Laden is?

A: We don’t know where he is, but in mountains, it is not easy to find people. This has always been the case, dating back to the British. They had trouble entering mountainous regions.

Q: Can you tell us about the new TV shows that are airing in regions where former terrorists are "confessing" their acts on live television?

A: Yes. They come out and tell their stories on television for 15 to 25 minutes.

Q: What is the family background of terrorists?

A: The leaders are from middle to lower-class families. They did badly in school and turn to crime.

Q: Does your religion advocate their behavior?

A: Our religion says to fight the enemy, but don’t blow yourself up. This is against the precepts of Islam. Though there were Palestinian suicide bombers, it mainly started after bin Laden and has become a fad. Their desire is to fire the occupiers. Look at the Old Man of the Mountain during the Crusades. [This is a reference to a group of assassins led by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man of the Mountain).

Q: What are your thoughts on the war in Iraq?

A: Everyone in the region opposed this war. They could have gone in with a small force. The army came in and left all the arms everywhere. There are so many factions everywhere.

Q: Do you think Iraq will be broken up?

A: The break up of Iraq will be bad for Iraq. We knew there was going to be an insurgency if there was no control. There are too many powers in the region that would like sections of Iraq. Iran and the Shiites, the Kurds want independence, Jordan wants some, Israel wants some for their borders.

Q: How has Saudi Arabia attempted to stop money being funneled to terrorist organizations?

A: Now any money going to other countries must go through two accounts first and money that goes to the Palestinians must go through the United Nations or World Bank.

Q: What are your thoughts on the high price of oil?

A: We are trying to bring the prices down, but I think they will go up further. There is so much crude, but not enough refineries. China has entered the market and the buyer sets the price, not the producer.

Q: Can you comment on the status of women in Saudi Arabia?

A: We are building training centers for women and men to to deal with unemployment. There are no more taboos. Government has cancelled taboos. For example, women no longer need "agents" to do their business for them. Women will be involved in elections of all Saudis. Forty percent of our population is under the age of 13. Where do they get work when they are 37, 31, 26? We must move into technology and services. It is now time to move to the sciences.

Q: What advice would you have for Karen Hughes? (The presidential appointee in charge of improving the U.S. image abroad)

A: Try to get things settled in Iraq. Iraq is destabilizing the whole region. We watch what is on the news – the dead and mutilated in Iraq.

Q: Can you comment on the "Freedom House Study" that uncovered Saudi government sponsored hate literature in U.S. mosques?

A: That literature was over 20 to 30 years ago. There are worse ones now, but not by the government. There are still tapes of bin Laden’s voice floating around Saudi Arabia, but they are collecting them and giving them out on their own. (This was partially answered by the princess’s staff.)

It was a pleasure to be able to talk candidly and to understand that there are real complexities in understanding the politics of the Middle East, and that there are real leaders trying to make real changes in an environment with so many factions and with a very complex history.