The Return of the King

King Abdullah has returned to Saudi Arabia. Since he was out of the country for the last three months, having back surgery in New York and recovering in Morocco, his return yesterday is a BIG deal. In the last few days, I have noticed the appearance of rows and rows of green Saudi flags and hundreds of posters, billboards, and several-stories-high banners of the 86-year-old King, waving from the road with a friendly smile, traditional dress, and his youthful brown beard. The posters are accompanied by words welcoming him home and saying "alhamdulilah" for his good health.

This poster of King Abdullah waves to the traffic from the median. I took these photos from my taxi on the way home from work.

Josh and I have watched in astonishment as nearly all the countries immediately surrounding us have erupted in protests against their leaders. Tunisia (whose leader took refuge in Saudi Arabia) was just the beginning. We watched Egypt with curiosity, recognizing names of places we had been only last summer (our youth hostel in Cairo was right by Tahrir Square). Many of our Egyptian friends and co-workers kept a constant eye on the news, celebrating the day of Mubarak's removal from power with chocolate cake all around. Bahrain was another big surprise, especially the violent way in which the government reacted against protesters. Josh took a small weekend trip there with some work friends just one weekend before the protests broke out. Other protests have been happening in Jordan, Yemen, Iraq, and - particularly disheartening - in Libya, where the government's blatant turn against its people has resulted in between 300 and 700 deaths so far, depending on sources.

All of this has people wondering what this means for Saudi Arabia. However, protests in Saudi have always been nearly nonexistent. It seems to me that either the people truly revere their beloved King, or that the King has an excellent PR office. Perhaps both are true. When the girls at university write about their role models, they often choose a parent, Prophet Mohammad, a past king, or King Abdullah himself. One of the first celebrations in Misha's kindergarten this year was in honor of the King. Misha came home with Saudi flags, buttons of King Abdullah, a crown with King Abdullah inside a heart, and coloring sheets that read "I am Misha and I love King Abdulah." We have read and heard that King Abdullah is moderate and modern-minded, trying to lead his people gently in the future. That seems to be an accurate description.

That being said, the fact that the King has, upon his return, just allocated 35 billion dollars to programs to benefit Saudi citizens seems to lead one to conclude that he is slightly concerned about the possibility of his citizens taking this moment to make some demands. Government employees will receive a 15 percent raise, and huge amounts of money are going toward education-abroad funds and housing loans for the people. In addition, the King has proclaimed that this coming Saturday be a national holiday - which means no school! We are all thrilled to have our first-ever three-day weekend. With teachers proclaiming "Long live the King" and students in great moods about their extended weekend, it seems that the King's decision has indeed boosted public opinion of him.

The King smiles from the overpass with the Faisalia Tower in the background.

For those wondering if we feel safe here, the answer is yes. We do, naturally, feel restricted in various other ways, but with safety, we have no qualms. In all of the Middle East, I don't doubt that we are in the safest place possible.