Challenges facing young Saudis

By KHALID ALNOWAISER | ARAB NEWS

Challenges facing young Saudis

There is no doubt that the situation of young men in Saudi Arabia is very critical, almost as difficult as the situation of Saudi women.

Given the fact that the future of the country is wholly dependent upon our youth, who comprise the largest demographic segment of Saudi society, it should be our top priority to address and solve the problems facing them. It is clear that the country's unemployment rate is rising and that the Saudization program has been ineffective and impractical. An unfortunate consequence is the growing number of expatriates who work at jobs that either do not appeal to young Saudis or require more skills than they possess.

We seem to be preoccupied with the rising price of oil instead of addressing this insidious problem that threatens to cripple Saudi Arabia’s future economic development. It is time we realized that our young men are the future of the country.

Socially, it is sad to see our youth marginalized in an unprecedented way as a result of the compulsory segregation of males and females. Their inability to interact normally in public inhibits their emotional development so that they grow up somewhat isolated as human beings. Young people are constantly watched to see that they do not interact with one another in public places. This attitude cripples their spirits and makes them place emphasis on activities that do not promote the well-being of society as a whole.

In the context of education, the situation is getting worse. Our education system places too much emphasis on theoretical materials which deal with hearts rather than minds and which ignore scientific study. The current system relies on repetition of religious principles instead of independent thinking and logic and on memorization rather than creative ideas that lead to innovation. In order to compete in the global community, young Saudis must study applied sciences and other important courses of study to strengthen and protect themselves from being misled by others, specifically terrorist organizations. Philosophy is an example of such a science, which is not taught in Saudi schools, even though it can expand one's thinking process and culminate in new ideas that can benefit the society. Other areas of study such as mathematics, music and sports need to be given more emphasis so our youth become well-rounded individuals.

Culturally, our youth have been prevented from expressing their opinions, ambitions, and expectations by forces that are focused on killing the arts. Cinemas, theaters, exhibitions, festivals, and competitions have been banned on the pretext of halal and taboo. Indisputably, art is the instrument, which creates mental, psychological and sentimental balance for individuals, helps them to act normally in their societies, and opens new and broad outlooks. During the last 30 years, art has been fought vigorously in the Kingdom, so our youth have become apathetic and uncreative. In reality, Saudi young people will remain at risk until we promote arts, which have been considered from the beginning of the creation of mankind as an essential ingredient to help human nature settle down and live in peace, stability and happiness.

In such an unhealthy environment, why are we surprised to see terrorism in our society when our youth live such painful lives where all doors of life are closed in their faces?

Rising unemployment, restrictions, and a relative lack of freedom, coupled with ignoring this problem, combine to feed terrorism. There is no question whatsoever that the Saudi government is genuinely determined to fight terrorists who threaten the Kingdom, but determination alone is not enough.

For those who love our country, it is painful to see the unprecedented and extraordinary achievements made by Saudi security forces to crush terrorists while the root causes of the problem have not been dealt with in a coordinated, serious and pragmatic manner. Unless we address this problem among our youth, we can expect more extremism and radicalism within the Kingdom.

The solution is clear. We must call upon our government officials and ourselves to address the unemployment rate among young Saudis, re-shape the educational system to make it comparable in quality to other developed nations, promote and not hinder the arts, and open up our society without the constant monitoring of our youth by self-appointed religious advocates. Only in these ways can we achieve a healthy society that will give real freedom and opportunity to our young people.

— Dr. Khalid Alnowaiser is a Saudi lawyer and columnist. He can be reached at: khalid@lfkan.com