“I hope that you will become good messengers for your nation, and that you will deal properly with your people, of whom you are part, and always keep the doors of your embassies open to them. The embassy is there only for the sake of the Saudi people and for serving them, and for pleasing God almighty.” “I hear – and I do not accuse anyone – that some embassies have shut down their doors, and this is not acceptable at all. You have to open your doors and hearts, and be tolerant with the Saudi people. You should know that anyone who comes to you, no matter who he is, is from the Saudi people, and I am from the Saudi people and everyone is my son and brother. Never say that he is with no value, but rather appreciate and respect him so our people would respect us back. There are some remarks which I do not want to present now, but I will hand them over to Prince Saud, and he will, God willing, pass them on to you.” These are excerpts of an improvisational speech penned by the heart of King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz, the custodian of the two holy shrines, on behalf of his citizens, when he received last week the kingdom's ambassadors to international capitals. The humanitarian king spoke on behalf of Saudi citizens, their dignity and value, and stressed the importance of taking care of them and protecting their rights and duties, after he listened and sensed the complaints of citizens who resort to their country's embassy in foreign countries but find no one to open the doors or take care of them and of their needs. King Abdullah spontaneously told the ambassadors what crosses the mind of every Saudi citizen who travels outside his country and finds no one to care for his question or solve his problems, except for unclear answers and useless questions. No one cares for him and the embassy does not carry out its required role. In the past, the Saudi embassies and diplomatic missions did not care much for the citizen, as they used to carry out a role which they claimed to be “diplomatic,” disregarding the needs of the citizen, his concerns, problems, and crises. Therefore, he was left alone in the face of laws and regulations with which he was not very acquainted and which were hard for him to quickly understand. The events of September, 11, 2001 mirrored the missing vision, as they underscored the importance of educating the Saudi citizens living abroad and the need to help them after it was revealed that some youths were involved in [terrorist] activities and issues, either because they were not acquainted with the laws and culture of these countries, or because of their naïve behavior and the weakness of their minds, or because they felt homesick. Thus they believed it was easy to overcome these laws because they are far from their society's monitoring. Al-Qaeda organization manipulated the naivety of Saudi youths before and after the September 11 events. Its cancerous cells managed to attract, recruit and fill the minds of Saudis with takfiri and explosive ideas, ones that led them to suicide and thus spread death in various countries. Thus, the picture of Islam and the Saudi society and its people was defamed. During the past two years, it was noticeable that the Foreign Ministry has been warning the Saudis against heading to “hot” countries. It has also directed the immigrants on how to clearly deal with the challenges facing them outside their country. For example, during last summer, a statement was made calling on the diplomatic missions abroad to take care of the Saudis, and to ensure that any citizen who is plagued with swine flu receives necessary medical care in his country of residence. The statement also explained how to address urgent cases. Moreover, during last summer, an important statement was made by the Foreign Ministry that included clear-cut instructions for all the ambassadors and consuls to contract lawyers or law firms from various specialties to help the citizens abroad and defend them against what they could be exposed to during their daily activities. This measure encompasses all the permanent residents or those coming for tourism, business, or treatment. In addition, a series of other directions and instructions were issued, ones that serve the Saudi citizen wherever he is, so that he does not become an easy prey for any side or party that tries to manipulate him because of the lack of proper care by the diplomatic missions. Beyond no doubt, the Saudi citizen needs such policies and clear directions that serve his country, at least in case of his lack of knowledge or unfamiliarity with the laws of some countries, so as to help and assist him in “resolving” the problems he faces. The only remaining problem is that some Saudi diplomats and the heads of the Saudi nationals sections in the embassies are not acquainted with their responsibilities and the rights of the citizens, whether it is when they ask or meet with them. This gives a “pessimistic” impression for the Saudi resident or visitor. The custodian of the two Holy Shrines opened the file of following up on the roles of the embassies and their way of dealing with the citizens. Thus, they should take his “warning” words into account to establish a “new approach” in dealing with the Saudi citizens, give them priority, open the doors before them, and solve their problems without slackness or delay.
