Faisal, the former head of Saudi Intelligence and ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland and to the United States, hopes to see his grandchildren live in a society of harmony and well-being and get an opportunity to reach their maximum capabilities. In an exclusive interview for Saudi Gazette conducted at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, Prince Turki also talked about the vision of Late King Faisal, who wanted to see Saudi Arabia become “a wellspring of radiance to mankind.” “I hope that the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies through its work has managed to be a tool that applies that vision to reality by reaching out and being of service to mankind. This is a universal beehive of research, academic and scholarly work. It's a wonderful place to be for someone like me, who is in retirement,” Prince Turki said. u Read the full text of the interview on P3INTERVIEW WITH PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL ‘I wish I had a crystal ball' Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud, the former head of Saudi Intelligence and ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland and to the United States, has had vast international experience and has been involved in some of the most important world events of the past 30 years. Joseph Richard Preville recently interviewed Prince Turki for Saudi Gazette at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. In the interview, Prince Turki candidly talks about his student days in the United States and the many myths about Saudis and Saudi Arabia. “I wish I had a crystal ball to look into the future,” Prince Turki said when asked about the future of the Kingdom in the next five decades. However, he hoped that his “grandchildren will live in a society of harmony and well-being and have an opportunity to reach their maximum capabilities”. Q. Your father, King Faisal (1906-1975), was an influential world leader, and very beloved by the people of Saudi Arabia. What was the best advice he gave you? A. To finish my studies. That is the best advice that I received from him. He was not one to proclaim his views to his children, but, rather, he sought to do things so that they became examples for his children to follow, such as how he treated people with humility and tenderness. He was firm and strict in keeping time. He was a stickler for seconds, counting every second because all of his life he had a daily routine. And time was the essence of that routine. Q. You attended Georgetown, the oldest Catholic university in the United States. Was it an ecumenical environment in the late 1960s? Were there many Muslims there at that time? A. Not many, but there were people from different faiths. When I was there in the 60s there were some people from the Levant. There were a few Egyptians, but only a few Saudis, who were mostly doing post-graduate work. I was, I think, the only undergraduate Saudi at that time. They had people of many faiths and nationalities from all over the world. So, it was a very ecumenical congregation. Some of my teachers were Jesuit priests, and they were very open-minded. Q. You are very familiar with the United States. In your opinion, what is its greatest strength, and what is its greatest weakness? A. Their strength is their weakness. It is their good heartedness, and I mean that in the best possible sense. Because being good-hearted you have to have several qualities. One, of course, is an open mind, and most Americans that I met had absolutely no inhibitions about discussing any subject or inquiring about anything or listening to anything. They have a very inquisitive nature. The other part of their good heartedness is tremendous generosity. Another thing I find endearing about Americans is their genuine naiveté on many subjects. These qualities are not weaknesses, but they can cause problems. By being so easy, Americans can be taken advantage of and they can be intimidated, or wrongly misunderstood. Q. The King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies was established in 1983. Why is this center unique in the world? A. It is an application of the late King's philosophy in life. In the last interview he ever gave – and it happened to be to an American television station – he was asked by the reporter, “How do you see Saudi Arabia in 50 years?” He responded by saying he hoped that Saudi Arabia in 50 years would become “a wellspring of radiance to mankind”. That's a very powerful ambition for any society or any country and I hope that the center through its work has managed to be a tool that applies that vision to reality by reaching out and being of service to mankind, whether from the publications aspect, or from holding conferences in the center over the last 30 some odd years. This is a universal beehive of research, academic and scholarly work. It's a wonderful place to be for someone like me, who is in retirement. Q. Saudi Arabia is the object of international curiosity. What myths can you shatter about the Kingdom? A. When I went to school in America, the first question people would ask me is, “How many oil wells do you have?” That's a huge myth that people have of the Kingdom, where they think everybody in Saudi Arabia owns an oil well. People have also asked me, “How do you travel - by camel, horse or by donkey?” My favorite myth of all is when people ask me, “Do you live in a tent?” One of my brothers likes to respond to this by saying, “Yes, we live in a four-story tent.” These are the kinds of myths that are day-to-day myths, and so it's been a struggle for the Kingdom to overcome them. Q. How was the new film, “Arabia 3D,” received at the recent premieres in London, England, and Louisville, Kentucky, USA? A. It was wonderful. Prince Charles graciously attended the London premiere and watched the movie to the very end. The movie had another premiere in Louisville, Kentucky. I must tell you, the community that attended – Muslim and otherwise – was simply blown away by what they saw. Wherever this film has been shown, it has successfully managed to raise people's curiosity about the Kingdom, and to open their eyes to things they never expected to see, whether it's about our society, the Haj pilgrimage, or the sacred places in Makkah and Madina. It's fantabulous! Q. What books should people from around the world read about the Kingdom? A. I recommend these books: Natana J. DeLong-Bas, “Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad” (Oxford, 2004); David A. Howarth, “The Desert King: A Life of Ibn Saud” (Collins, 1964); Joseph A. Kechichian, “Faysal: Saudi Arabia's King for All Seasons” (University Press of Florida, 2008); and the series of classic books on Saudi Arabia by Harry St. John Bridger Philby. Q. How do you see Saudi Arabia in 50 years? A. I wish I had a crystal ball to look into the future. My hope is that my grandchildren will live in a society of harmony and well-being and have an opportunity to reach their maximum capabilities. Whatever shape that might take, I don't know. It is something that I devoutly and sincerely hope for.
