RIYADH: The King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue is holding in Jeddah today the third Saudi Cultural Discourse on “Tribalism, Regionalism and Intellectual Categorizations and Their Influence on National Unity”. Around 60 participants will be involved in looking at what they describe as issues of “extreme importance to Saudi society”. “These issues have flared up via popular television channels such as poetry channels and other forms of media, and King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has made it clear that the nation comes above all and that there is no place for the exploitation of tribalism, regionalism and sectarianism,” one participant said. Topics will include people's understanding of tribal issues, the depth to which they are rooted in Saudi society, their influence and effect on society in the light of current changes, and combining national loyalty and positive regional and tribal branch loyalty and independence of thought. Abdul Muhsim Al-Qahtani, President of the Jeddah Literary Club, who is taking part in the discourse, said the dialogue was particularly significant given the changes that have occurred across the Kingdom. “These are sensitive but important areas to society and involve pride in regional and sectarian identity,” he said. “It requires courage to go into them properly and sincerity in conveying what previous generations have gone through. Was our generation regionalist and tribalist, or was it nationalist? This question needs to form the basis of the dialogue as it will reveal the true state of affairs.” Al-Qahtani said that “intellectual sects” and “exclusion” are some of the most threatening issues to national unity. “Let's hope the participants in the dialogue can analyze the negatives with honesty, integrity and objectivity and find answers. These categorizations pose a threat because anyone who want to hold on to one of these areas will find support from the narrow wishes of society.” Researcher Muhammad Abdul Ghani Atiya said the dialogue subjects were consistent with the program of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his setting up of the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue. “It means involving all points of view from thinkers and intellectuals so they feel the importance of their role in consolidating national unity,” he said. “Some of these categorizations have come to the surface and begun to represent a genuine threat to national unity. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has reiterated the need to address them,” Atiya said.
