Read original article by Anita Kumar on McClatchy DC Bureau or read a summary below;
- “Donald Trump described Muslims as sick people who have hatred on their minds and he proposed banning them from entering the United States. Yet surprisingly, many people in Saudi Arabia, a nation considered the birthplace of Islam where citizens are required to be Muslim, don’t hold his words against him.”
- “In more than a dozen interviews, residents suggested the billionaire businessman turned Republican president simply was using stinging rhetoric to appeal to supporters and defeat Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. He was, they say, the ultimate salesman.”
- “In Saudi Arabia, people aren’t allowed to speak against King Salman and his government, which controls the media, forbids demonstrations and doesn’t allow for political parties or trade unions. It is likely that Trump would have faced protests upon his arrival in Riyadh had they been allowed.”
- “Several people had agreed to interviews with McClatchy but canceled at the last minute because they said they were afraid of repercussions from the government. Those who went through with the interviews agreed to speak about American politics but not Saudi politics.”
Interviewees Quotes – (The interviewees appear to be middle-upper class citizens)
Adeel Alhathlol, 38, a Riyadh businessman who imports sound systems, said – “What Donald Trump said before he was president was just marketing. Because he’s a businessman, he knew how to make followers. His goal is not to be racist but just to wake up people.”
Waheed Mohammed A. Alghamdi, 37, who works for the city of Yanbu in the western part of the kingdom, who said he was fired from being a teacher because of his outspoken views “Donald Trump is so smart to use the audience to support his campaign,” who said . “He’s a businessman. It doesn’t mean he’s racist. They know it’s just propaganda. He’s a smart guy.”
Mohammed Alhamza, 42, a social researcher and writer – “The things he said about Muslims from when he ran for President has served him to wake up all the republicans to support him but when he won he won he didn’t do anything. It was marketing, smart marketing for himself.”
Eman al Hafjan, 36, a university professor in Riyadh – ““I don’t think people dislike him that much, I think they see him as strange, somewhat entertaining, because we have very little political participation. We are very passive, not by choice.”
Mohammed Jawad, 30, of Alahsa in the eastern part of the country, who manages international training contracts for a company owned by the government, said ““We are really glad that it seems different than what he said during his campaign,” he said. “But I have some questions about credibility and willingness to solve the issues.”
Ahmed Gh, 36, an English teacher from Alasha in the eastern part of the country, said he prefers Trump to his predecessor, Barack Obama. “Maybe he will do something,” Gh said. “He’s a businessman.”
Abdulnasser Gharem, 43, a well-known Saudi artist.“Obama was living in his utopia world or something, He was trying to postpone things. He wasn’t taking action but this guy is.” “I can’t deny it’s a good thing,” Gharem said. “He activated the whole country.”
Huda, Mohammed, 47, of Riyadh who retired from overseeing special needs curricula for the education department, said she is confused about why Trump chose to come to Saudi Arabia first after saying so many negative things. “He said crazy things when he was campaigning,”
Saudi economist Ihsan Buhulaiga said – “It really doesn’t matter what he said – what matters is what he’s going to deliver,” “I will look at results and deeds more than talk.” Buhulaiga acknowledged that during his campaign Trump said things that weren’t fair to Muslims but he praised his Riyadh speech to leaders of the world’s Muslim countries, saying he showed respect to Islam as a faith and recognized Muslims as important. “Next we need to see if he will walk the walk,” he said.
Aziza al Yousef, 60, a human rights activist who was detained by police after she drove a car, which women aren’t allowed to do – “It’s recorded what he said – that he said he would let the Gulf states pay for improving the economy in the States, They are worried . . . what are you going to offer us except taking money from us?”
Mohammed Alhamza, 42, a social researcher and writer in Riyadh, said Saudis always have had better relations with Republican presidents, including both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, than Democrats because they are more business-minded. Alhamza said Trump’s campaign remarks “annoyed” him even though he knew the whole time it was just a gimmick and that as president Trump wouldn’t want to make himself the enemy of the world’s more than 1.6 billion Muslims. He also had faith that other branches of the U.S. government would rein Trump in. He cited, as an example, the Trump administration’s attempt at a travel ban on residents from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Several federal courts have blocked it, including the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which acted Thursday. “The American system isn’t run by one,” he said through a translator during an interview at his house. “This is a good thing.”
Mohammed Alhamza, 42, a social researcher and writer in Riyadh, said Trump’s anti-Islam remarks on the campaign trail ‘annoyed’ him. But he knew Trump was saying those things only to win votes. Mohammed AlKhawajah McClatchy
