The least that can be said about those who sought and succeeded in dropping the name of Hatem al-Tai from a school in Hail, and change it to ‘Hatem School' without ‘al-Tai', under the pretext that the bearer of this name was a pre-Islamic infidel, is that they are pugnacious, zealots and extremely ignorant. But credit must be given to Sheikh Abdullah al-Manea, member of the High Committee of Saudi Scholars, who criticized this move and refuted it, saying that it can be taken as an act of “pugnaciousness and extremism which Islam has forbidden”. Sheikh Abdullah rejected this act which was carried out by a group of employees in the education and schools sector, especially with a figure such as Hatem al-Tai, the Arab historical personality famous for generosity, magnanimity, morality and idealism. I do not understand how the Ministry of Education has approved changing the school's name and removing ‘al-Tai' from Hatem, the generous, noble and magnanimous man in the Aga and Selma?! Who approved such an ‘impulsive' decision that was carried out in a dark night?! Is the emirate of the region aware of this and did it prefer to remain silent?! What are the justifications that led the ministry and the emirate to approve the change and strip Hatem from the title of his tribe?! Has the school, for example, become an attraction for tourists from home and abroad, while the people were unaware?! Who are those who objected [to the name]? What knowledge, culture or authority do they have?! Were reliable scholars consulted in taking such a decision before it was carried out?! Why did Hail repudiate Hatem al-Tai, who gave Hail many of his qualities, his history and his name?! Does history now reward idealists with denouncement and repudiation, just because of the instigation of some extremists, whom the country is confronting on account of their Takfiri [of excommunication] ideas and terrorist plans? When the Director General of Education in Hail Mr. Hamad al-Omran was asked about this, he replied unconvincingly, betraying the weakness of his department and a lack of knowledge regarding his own authority, as he said, “I have no knowledge of this issue and only heard of it after it happened”, and indicated that the decision could have been taken by the previous administration. (Al-Watan, December 2010). Unfortunately also, there still are some desperate attempts by those extremists to remove the tomb of Hatim al-Tai in the village of Toarn (40 km northwest of Hail), on the premise that this and others are pre-Islamic symbols that must be obliterated. There are also those who are opposed to heritage on the premise that it is a form of idolatry. Those were not content by polluting young people's ideas with terrorism and extremism, and went on further to wage campaigns against any beliefs that are contrary to their ideas, under the pretext of their fear of idol worship. For this reason, they always call for the elimination of heritage and the distortion or concealment of its features, even when it only involves names of historically influential figures. Everyone remembers how the Taliban rejected the calls of Muslim peoples and scholars to not obliterate statues and ruins in Afghanistan, since these are the property of the people and all mankind and must be protected and not destroyed, especially so when they were not deities being worshipped. Otherwise, why did Amr ibn al-Aas not destroy Egypt's monuments and the Sphinx?! In mid-2006, the decision to demolish the mosque of Al-Katibya located at Bab al-Anbaria in the central area of the city of Medina caused a heated debate between the advocates of conservation of monuments and those who fear that the latter might turn into shrines, until the Saudi government intervened and ordered the demolition to be stopped. There is also a renewed debate regarding some of the Islamic monuments in Mecca and Medina, where people concerned and clerics defend Islamic archaeological monuments located in the two holy cities, demanding that they be protected from the destruction advocated by the extremists, and warning that Islamic heritage is about to disappear if it continues to be demolished under ‘false' pretexts. Moreover, some contrarians attempt from time to time to impose their opinion by advocating the removal of certain Islamic monuments such as Al-Bai'a mosque in Mina and the Buqai' cemetery in Medina, and the grave of “Our Mother Eve” in Jeddah. In addition, there were and still are some ‘extremist' calls for the removal of the headstone at Mount Mercy in Arafat, where the Prophet (PBUH) once stood during the Farewell Pilgrimage. Sheikh al-Manea said to the newspaper Okaz that the figure of Hatem al-Tai is revered among the Arabs and Muslims, and that when the Prophet met Hatem's daughter, he did not say that her father was a pre-Islamic infidel. Sheikh al-Manea stressed that naming the school after him does not run contrary to the teachings of Islam, since it is in reverence of generosity, one of the most important qualities of the Arabs that Islam espoused and advocated. The Sheikh then called for the name to be restored, and said that removing it is an extremist and pugnacious act that is unaccepted and misplaced. Therefore, I call on the Ministry of Education, headed by Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, to rename the school to Hatem al-Tai, and pay no attention to those extremist calls that have no impact what so ever on the minds of believers and pious people. The continuation of and complacency towards such ‘sick' attempts by those extremists, require a firm stand that ends extremism and lays the foundation for a healthy extremist- and pugnacious-free society. It is not acceptable that people living in the 21st century feel threatened by monuments and historical landmarks that link the nation to its history and its past, and enable specialists to conduct studies, research and observe the evolution of civilizations, not to mention the implications for tourism by conserving these monuments. This is especially significant at a time when Saudi Arabia is attempting to have its archaeological sites included in the World Heritage List, while the extremists attempt to impose their views by removing these monuments, believing that people's minds are empty.
