1957-11-15 — Page 4

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THE CHINA MAIL, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1957.

Myopic monarch on a golden tightrope --- KING SAUD

A JUKE BOX IN THE HAREM

Oil King Of Kings

by Simon Kavanaugh

London.

THERE'S a juke-box in the harem of His Majesty

King Saud Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud, This is typical of the man. For the myople monarch of Saudi Arabla walks a golden tightrope between past and present.

In the age of the common man he rules with mediaeval patronage-and ruthlessness a country nearly as big as India; but supporting little more than six million souls.

He sees no paradox in simultaneously condemning "colczinlism" and condoning slavery within his borders,

Yel when the

Hestimentalist where desert ruler, children are concerned, presint Saud visited the Unite Nothing is too much troubly to States the President camo do for them, no expense too personally to the airport to meat great. Yet in the streets of his him. Nehru had had to be con- cities common thieves can have tent with a deputy. their honde chopped of int Forgings are the

Mighty as was old Ibn Saud, answer 10

his son wields greater influence. rikes.

Saud's father, the famous The explanation is simply King Ibn Saud, was a mighty that beneath his desert kingdom fighter who started his career lies something like one-tenth as little better than petty of the world's oll.

A clergyman examines the case for

25

the 'dog collar'

BARRIER ROUND THE PARSON?

HE was rather brusque,

matronly. and

She stopped me in the street one day recently and demanded to know whether the type of collar I was at that time wearing did not set up a barrier with people.

She Was a complete

stranger to me, and press-

-by the Rev.

R. MOTSON THOMPSON

Congregational Minister of Christ Church, Clacton

ed home her question with pitals

•

"dog

from that!).

But generally he

Nasser,

He

Each

-Old Ibn Saud carved himself allocation to the Society of a kingdom with the sword, Hia Virtue, a sort of auper Watch son would carve himself on Committee charged with the job empire with all royalties; on of ensuring that no one misses Arab cimplte, a great vile prayers, keeps pet dogs, drinks, wealthy blue between East and or attends secret elnent shown. It Sand Is big time spender, ambition is shared by another cause, as a traditionalist Arab, Unfortunately for Saud, his Gounter of wealth, it is bow man," Egypt's Gamal Abdul he ieniows it is expected of him. The fact that he is much hos his own special the Arab is often overlooked in new Arab," the dynamie proof For instance, Western diplomala brand of appzol, Nasser is the assessing Saud and his deeds. that a man of humble origins tut-tutted when Saud was ac cah kick his way up the top. cused by the British Foreign La the nationalist who Office of trying to bribe a. Buramai shekh to sell his oll thumbed his nose at the West.

concessions to Aramco. It is highly doubtful that TIBAY Saud's appeal plays on the Arabs look the some moralistic strong traditionalist streak in attitude about the incident. the Arab world, on the deep There is no reason why Saud typified by the hereditary auto- his father, respect for the old way of lito should be "Westernised,” Under Saudi Arabin was cratic ruler What is more, virtually a forbidden land to for- within his borders lies Mecca, eigners, partly because the coun- the holy place of Islam, and try contained the holy places of Saud is head of the puritanical Islam, partly because the old man could see the dangers to Muslin sect, the Wahabis.

Western exts, Saud's his dynasty of democratic ideas ostentation may cem vulgar. brought in by outsiders. But the ordinary Arab has a Saud, therefore, was brought vicarious pride in the munt- up in the old tradition. All the |ficence of his ruler.

book-learning he needed could If Saud sheds Cadillacs the be found in the Koran, Ha way other men shed collar stude, contacts with the outside world then the simple peasant can were few. Occasionally he acted feel that a country must be as his father's envoy to foreign great and strong which has a state occasions. such as the ruler so careless of the luxuries British coronation of 1997. But of the world. It is in the tradi- he held himself aloof from tion of the magnificence of the social intercourse at those times. Arabian Nights.

To

And Saud certainty is a big- lime spender. Even with a re- putes £150,000,000 a year in royalties from Aramco (the Arab-American Oll Company, which holds the Saudi Arabian oil concession), Saud has money troubles.

on

Saud bns continued the tradi on established by his father, fe belleves devoutly in the old Arab way of life and is deter mined to preserve it. Even is the most human of persona

before he was king, when there because he

An no wonder. Early in 1957 were signs that his father's purl. is always dealing with people's

a million U.S. tanism probleme und he splashed

was relaxing, Saud, os troubles, and sees beyond the dollars a fleet of sixty Prime Minister, tightened tho vencer of respectability

Some screwN. that specially built Cadillacs.

He banned the im- many people foolishly wear. of them were armoured, with portation of hard Hquor for the machine-gun mountings for his American oll community in He is shock-proof. And at descri warrior' bodyguards who Dahran, and possession of a times he sees the lurid and never leave him. Others were beltle of spiriis by his subjects seamy side of Ke. There me equipped for descri

hunting became a capital offence, many strange unpareonic kinds parties, with air-conditioning far as he could. he cut contacts of things that we are called to and refrigeration units. Some with the outside world. do. Some years ago I was Arst had jewelled cigarette lighters But Saud is shrewd enough winess for the defence in ย

and ruby-studded Axtures. to know there is a lime limit. trial for murder.

Later, in Lausanne, another He knows that he cannot Inde- Clothes don't make the man, spending spree set him back on finitely stand off the tide of and it doesn't really matter estimated £345,000. 01 this Westernisation while his in- much what you wear.

£182,000 was spent on a fleei fuence It's tho

in the Middle East Is e151,000 on confined inside the

that of German cars, clothes

by the borders MAR

and jewellery. counts. I know that we parsons watches

and Saudi Arabla.

He knows that only for so are silli thought of as oddities; £12,500 on hotel bills, car hires and I

general have heard it said that and

expenses....And long will his flamboyance keep there ere threo sexes:

there was a juke-box for the the eyes of his subjecte diverted. royal harem.

from the growing Westernisa-

and prisons, and usually admitted, the alacrity - "Do you think even in crowds when some collar" is very useful!

People They will even take your that wearing a collar the one is in trouble,

a word at the box-office when you Wrong way round brings still ask for help from

you have

not come mrson nowadays, if only to find that

with sufficient you any nearer people?"

and money, promise to send the rest on!

"That depends, madam,"

sign a form,

A barrier

་

I answered. "Sometimes it does and sometimes it does. not. I'm just off to a hos- pital now and the ward But "dog collare" do carry an sister would probably not atmosphere of frigidity with admit me in non-visiting them, especially where young hours without my 'dog people are concerned. And they collur.'

can be a barrier to a hear: to heart....

I remember onec opproaching

a railway carriage full of men.

The window was open, and

the

An offer

men.

Then there is his fleet of royal

ton of neighbouring states.

of

heard one say to another: "women-and parsons. Lord, 'ere comes o bloody parson." If I had had any doubt because, strangely enough,

But most of us are in the job aircraft, painted in cream and

His race is against time, and we bearing a quotation from the about entering that carriage,

Nasserism. For Nasser lo am like it, and feel that we are Koran.

bitious and his overlordship of hadn't ofter that remark. I went called into it,

in, and squeezing

the Arab world would doubtless straight

between three burly

When he went 10 Baden- mean the end of the line for myself workmen, said: "Yes, you're

Baden to seek a cure for stomach the hereditary autocrats. quite right: I'm a bloody parson,

trouble (he is a prodigious cater) So, simultaneously with his "I can imagine that it.

and I represent 511 bloody

five highly-expensive specialists Arabian Nights act, Saud hustice might be a barrier to some

During the war, the wearing religion, and a Man Who gave Of course, we should never were summoned from different around the power points of the of a "dog collar," which was His blood to save chaps like rely on the collar being turned parts of Germany to attend Middle East and clsewhere, people, though certainly not sometimes called in the mess "a you and me."

wrong way round for our him.

talking, plotting, promising and to you." She sorted slipped halo" (very slipped),

authority; but it often helps The actions are those of a bribing. desperately trying slightly, and we parted. was compulsory on duty.

There The

was complete sllence the mon is the street to know pampered vulgarian. But Saud to obscure the paradox of the But I was intrigued by men

for a moment or two, and then who's who and what's...what.

13 neither

nor apostle of Arab pampered

nationalism quickly knew who you one of them said "Tell us

depending for his living on the the woman's direct ap were and where they stood. about Hima, padre." So I did. It I was walking part a group of vulgar,

In his younger days as Crown economis colonists of the West... Prince Ee commanded his Nor are all his troubles out-

his

own borders. Hin father's army and fought no side holds-barred campaigns against prolide father, who once boasted that he peopled the country tough, rebelilous tribesmen.

Once, he saved his father from he founded, left Saud the herit an assassin's knife by throwing age of a regiment of princely. himself between the old man brothers ambitious, to succeed and his attacker. He was him. They have to be subsidis- wounded as a result.

ed into quiescence,

proach.

in

And if you knew your stuff was better than any church workmen with prayer-book was fairly easy to break down service, for there was singing hand, on my way to take

that might exist

When I had Do parsons' collars serve any barrier a useful purpose? Yes, on canteen. A chat about home, a

between you, especially in the reality in that rallway carriage. funeral service.

got past them, but still within carshot, I heard one say to his Decusion. For instance, if mug of tea, and a cigarette soon

pal: "Lazy devil parson; wish you want a railway com- did the trick, as it does just the

I ad 'is job." partment to yourself! It's same in Civvy Street. a pretty sure guaran. tee.

1

I

Reminder

n

As for being a vulgarian: his

1 turned back. *You Cath For

believe that, for a good have my job if you want. I'll the parson's collar is really badge of friendship many people, the parson's collar take your shovel, and you have

It is perhaps well for Saud metrs something. representing the "Friend that

It reminds my prayer-book. I'm just going puritanical upbringing based on that his growing myopla com- Personally, I hate them, sticketh closer than a brother," them of another kind of life to bury the body of a little boy | strict observance of the Koran pels him to wear dark glosses. I

which, in their best moments, who was knocked down by disavows this. Indeed, he carries For, at Umes it must be dit- feel It is a good and useful thing on somehow, never,

one and I occasion to wear one's badge of the long for: # speaks; lorry not far from here....Give his puritanism to the point of cult to keep the naturul in

proclaims something.

me, your shovel; here is my making a £1,000,000 a year from his cyps. nearly always feel a hypo- crite. But they have their

cfice.

book.

1 know that ⚫ parson cin And if you want to go some- become, If he docan't watch out, uses, especially in hos where where the pubile are not a mere offelal (God spare me

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