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February 1, 2004 Special Dispatch No. 653

Saudi Princess Fahda bint Saud ibn Abd Al-Aziz: Conspiracy Theories and Other Writings

February 1, 2004
Saudi Arabia | Special Dispatch No. 653
The following is a collection of writings by Saudi Princess Fahda bint Saud ibn Abd Al-Aziz. According to the Saudi press, the princess is "the daughter of King Saud and the historian of her father's reign." [1]

Princess Fahda often warns about conspiracies by "neo-conservatives" to control the world and by Israel to attack Saudi Arabia. She explains that her father, King Saud, set forth a plan of how the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all Muslims today should deal with the "cancerous Zionist threat," and how to fight against U.S. propaganda campaigns. The princess is also reported to be the chairwoman of Saudi charities. [2] The following are excerpts of articles by Princess Fahda:

The Neo-Conservative Conspiracy to Control the World

On November 15, 2003, writing in the Saudi government daily Okaz, Saudi Princess Fahda bint Saud ibn Abd Al-Aziz wrote an article titled "The Bombings: Who is Behind the Scenes? Who is Behind Terrorism?" The following are excerpts from the article:

" It is our turn to think and say that we, in our country, are in dire need of revealing the truth to our peoples and to explain who stands behind the violence in our country and behind the conspiracies that shook its security and took us by surprise like a spark flamed by the wind throughout the country. We need to realize who stands behind those simpletons, who tempted them and supplied them with weapons and money to commit their crimes against their people and their country… We say that Islam disavows them, because what they do is as far as can be from the true Islamic ideology and method.

"Therefore, blaming Islamists [for terrorism] is a policy played by those who want to undermine security in our country. And the Muslims know that the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] is the only country in the world that follows Islam and its laws in every sector of life, and although many [Saudi] Islamists are against American policies in the region, they do not rise to hit and kill their brethren…

"So, who stands behind the violence in our country? Let us stop for a while and think in earnest and let us urge our nation to wake up and see the great enemy who is fiddling with our fate, our unity and our resources and is trying to shatter it for whose benefit?

"Wake up, oh Saudis, and look around you… We should comprehend that Islam is the target, and [so is] the undermining of our Islamic values, ideologies, and unity which made us into a safe and cohesive society, and a supreme example in Islam. Furthermore, the goal is to create strife within [our] society and paint a bad image of it and its cohesiveness. That is why we have to think and analyze who is behind these sudden bombings and agitation, and who is directing them from behind the scenes?

"It is not a puzzle … and it is not a mystery to us … most of us know the truth and who is behind it. We are now required to go beyond questioning to the phase of acting and contributing [to the effort] to put an end to the conspiracies which were never a trait of our society. All the Saudis, with their varied ideologies: Islamists, intellectuals, thinkers, preachers, academicians, educators, liberals, and the people at large should put an end to the conspiracies by standing together, by being cohesive and by containing these misled youngsters so that they do not participate in implementing conspiracies against the unity and security of their country.

"And let us say together: Wake up Saudis because the conspiracies are surrounding our society and agitating our youth. Let us stand as one and do everything in our power to expose these conspiracies and let us fight our enemy with the weapon that he fears most, our unity, and by organizing an all-inclusive forum, not only for dialogue, but also to reveal the truth to our society and to be able to fight back the great conspiracies and to expose who is planning, financing, and implementing them, and how to get to them, because the country is the victim of this major conspiracy." [3]

A New American-Jewish $95 Million Research Center Established to Attack Saudi Arabia

On December 5, 2003, Princess Fahda wrote an article titled "Extremists in Our Midst Play Into Our Enemy's Hands." The article claimed that Israel has opened a new $95 million research center to attack Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, and criticized failed Saudi PR efforts to respond:

"In his report from Washington, Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi said a group of writers, intellectuals and former politicians from the American-Jewish community has opened a new research center named Yamit, or Truth, with the aim of attacking certain governments, particularly Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan. The suggestion to open this center came from two PR companies after they made a $95-million deal with Ariel Sharon to 'explain Israel's policy to U.S. public opinion and clarify the stand of Arab nations that are openly hostile to Israel.'

"But where are the equivalent Saudi plans to explain Saudi policy to U.S. public opinion? We don't know anything about Qorvis Communications, the international public relations company that has been hired by Saudi Arabia at huge expense, except that it has published two reports and received a total of $46 million. We do not know what successes, if any, this company has achieved in terms of explaining our policy to U.S. citizens. All we have are the reactions of a few dedicated individuals whose impressions so far have been negative.

"We should be ready with all financial, human, and intellectual capabilities, and have the courage to choose the right PR companies and experts who are best suited to represent us and explain our policies in the U.S.…" [4]

Outside Forces are Trying to Control Saudi Arabia

In an earlier article titled "We Should Be On Guard Against Weak Minds and Treacherous Souls," Fahda discussed U.S. influence in the Middle East: "Today, our country and the Arab nation at large are facing crucial times. Attempts are being made to control and dominate each country in the region by surrounding it with foreign military bases and muzzling the voices of honest people demanding their rights.

"As citizens we should embark on some soul-searching and judicious planning to cope with this foreign military and media onslaught against our most valuable assets: our religion and our country… We should be on guard against weak minds and treacherous souls." [5]

"As My Father King Saud Said, 'The Zionist Threat is Like Cancer '"

In an extensive article titled "King Saud and the Issue of Palestine," Princess Fahda explains, "Just as in earlier times, the Kingdom faces an unjust propaganda and diplomatic offensive by America and Israel." The article states that since its founding, the Saudi Royal Family, led by King Saud, has opposed the existence of Israel.

The following are excerpts from the article which, according to Fahda, contains important lessons for today's Arab world:

"As leader of a country dear to the hearts of all Muslims, King Abd Al-Aziz firmly opposed the Zionist movement and Jewish immigration into Palestine. Enraged by the call at a Zionist conference in America for the creation of a Jewish state, King Abd Al-Aziz threatened to sever relations with both Britain and the United States should they support that call…

"Crown Prince Saud made a touching pledge in a firm sonorous voice: 'By Allah, we will never bid Palestine farewell as long as blood is throbbing in our veins…'

"The Kingdom … did not cease its efforts. It went much further in supporting Arab issues with the Palestinian issue always on top of the agenda… Several months after Crown Prince Saud's visit to Washington, the United States voted at the United Nations in November 1947 for the partition of Palestine, and the creation of two states: One for the Jews and one for the Palestinians. King Abd Al-Aziz was furious. U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lovett sent through the American Minister Plenipotentiary in Jeddah his government's reply to the points raised by the crown prince during his Washington visit. Lovett claimed that his country's vote was in the interest of peace. He mentioned that the U.S. was instituting an embargo on arms supplies to Palestine and neighboring countries while the security issue was under consideration at the United Nations.

"President Truman's stand in favor of the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine needed no further clarification. He took the stand showing little regard for the pledges made orally and in writing by his predecessor to King Abd Al-Aziz. The king had fought strenuously to prove that Jewish immigration into Palestine was absolutely illegal and he blamed both the international community and the American administration for the usurpation of Arab territory. The accession of Crown Prince Saud to the throne after the death of King Abd Al-Aziz (may his soul rest in peace) coincided with the election of Dwight Eisenhower as president of the United States."

'Arabs will Not Accept an Israeli State Amidst Them'

"As the struggle for the restoration of Palestinian rights intensified, King Saud realized that the unification of Arab ranks was a pressing need. The Israeli threat backed by the West was growing. To face such a threat successfully, a joint endeavor by Arab countries was indispensable in King Saud's opinion. As part of his assessment of the danger, King Saud made the right diagnosis: 'The Zionist threat is like cancer — in dealing with it neither medicine nor surgery will do any good.' This royal statement was meant to emphasize that the Arabs do not, and will not, accept an Israeli state amidst them.

"In 1954, King Saud called for a conference of Muslim countries in order to discuss aid to Arab forces in and around Palestine. The conference, scheduled to be held in Jerusalem, would discuss the Palestinian issue as a whole, work for the unification of Muslims, and explore ways in which financial and military aid could be channeled…"

The Saudi Army was Trained to Repulse Israel

"Because of the tense situation, King Saud agreed with Egypt and Syria to set up a three-pronged collective security pact and a joint military command. The three countries agreed to adopt a unified foreign policy and cooperate closely in all fields. At the same time, Israeli forces launched repeated attacks on Gaza and across the line of armistice. Saudi citizens cabled King Saud their willingness to proceed to the Gaza Strip in order to stand by the Egyptians in repulsing any Israeli attack. The Saudi Army had undergone intensive training and was ready to face all eventualities…

"The Kingdom was in the forefront of countries supporting Egypt in 1956. King Saud announced a general mobilization on Oct. 19, 1956, and cut off oil supplies to Britain and France, the first time such a step was taken by Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Army took up positions in Jordan and offices to receive volunteers were opened throughout the Kingdom. King Saud placed the Ministry of Defense under his immediate control and personally supervised the recruitment of volunteers. In addition, he deposited $10 million in Egyptian banks to increase Egypt's foreign currency assets and he gave instructions that goods purchased from Egypt should be paid for in dollars. The Kingdom broke off diplomatic relations with France and Britain. At the time, Saudi Arabia lost $300 million in oil revenues as a result of the oil embargo and another $50 million due to the closure of the Suez Canal…

"On King Saud's arrival in New York, Mayor Robert Wagner refused to receive him officially. Addressing a fund-raiser for Israel, Wagner said that the Americans were at the end of their tether because of the discriminatory treatment of American Jews to whom both the Saudi Air Force and Aramco were off limits on orders from King Saud. He also stated that he had doubts as to whether King Saud was a real ally of the United States. The next day King Saud made a speech at the United Nations in which he said that power politics had failed and caused much harm to mankind…

"President Eisenhower personally received the king the next day at Washington Airport. Such a gesture was a first in the annals of American protocol. The king stayed in Washington as the president's personal guest. The matter of Palestine topped their agenda and King Saud briefed the president on regional political realities as well as on Arab feelings and rights. Eisenhower summed up his attitude by saying that Israel was there to stay, that America would not stand idly if Israel faced elimination and that the Arabs must understand that…"

Saudi Representative at U.N. Calls for General Assembly to Help Jews Resettle in Europe

"The messages exchanged between King Saud and the American president took two different directions. The Saudi position was stated clearly whereas the American one was an elusive political attempt to make Israel a participant in the discussions. King Saud was determined to defend the rights of his country, even if he had to resort to force.

"On Oct. 2, Al-Shuqairi called on the United Nations to discuss the Middle East question. He presented the General Assembly with a three-point proposal for the settlement of the Palestine issue:

1. The repatriation of one million Palestinian refugees.

2. The branding of Zionism as an unlawful movement.

3. The establishment of a United Nations Agency to help Jews resettle in their former European homes.

"Al-Shuqairi said that thousands of Israelis would like to emigrate from Israel and that a United Nations agency should be set up to facilitate their return to the countries of origin now that both Nazism and Fascism had been eliminated.

"Commenting on Al-Shuqairi's remarks, the Israeli delegate at the United Nations said: 'We have seen a delegate of a member state calling officially and in a dreadful manner for the liquidation of another member state.'

"The next day Eisenhower was highly critical of Al-Shuqairi's speech in which the Saudi had denounced the West's policy in the Middle East. The American president told a press conference that he doubted that Al-Shuqairi's speech reflected King Saud's line of thinking. In reply to this, an official Saudi source at the United Nations announced that the speech was fully in accord with the Kingdom's policy and was endorsed by King Saud."

Saudis Support PLO Charter to Liberate Palestine

"Al-Shuqairi followed up his contacts with another round of similar activities in February 1964. The Arab Radio of Jerusalem broadcast a Palestinian National Charter consisting of 29 articles on which the liberation of Palestine would be based. The idea was to set up what later became known as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The first Palestinian conference followed soon after; it was convened in Jerusalem on May 28, 1964 and was opened by King Hussein of Jordan.

"We can easily see that the Palestine issue has always been a vitally important topic of discussion between Saudi Arabia and the United States.

"If we look at what is going on today in the Palestinian theater, we can see a striking resemblance. The Kingdom gives full support now to the Arab people of Palestine as it did during King Saud's reign. In those earlier days, the Kingdom faced what it faces today: An unjust propaganda and diplomatic offensive launched by America and Israel. How wise is the saying that history repeats itself: This requires that we read history and examine it and its events in order to understand what happened and prevent its happening again…" [6]


[1] Arab News (Saudi Arabia), September 5, 2002.

[2] Ain-Al-Yaqeen (Saudi Arabia), December 19, 2003. According to the Ain Al-Yaqeen website, she is Chairwoman of the Al-Faisaliah Society, which provides services for the Al-Tawahid Society.

[3] 0kaz (Saudi Arabia) November 15, 2003.

[4] Arab News (Saudi Arabia), December 5, 2003.

[5] Arab News (Saudi Arabia), July 19, 2002.

[6] Arab News (Saudi Arabia), September 5, 2002.

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