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Conspiracy kingdom

Published 19 July 2007

Teaching English in Saudi, Harry Nicolaides discovered a land of black markets, Black Label and beheadings

Somewhere in the Arabian Desert, a Rolls-Royce rockets along the highway under a smuggler's moon. The driver is a Savile Row-suited ex patriate. By day, he teaches English. By night, he transports illegal consignments of alcohol from Bahrain into Saudi Arabia's capital city, Riyadh, through biblical sandstorms. The expatriate is found dead in his flat a week later.

This story of the eccentric Englishman who was a teacher by day and a smuggler by night is often told by expatriate teachers in Saudi Arabia as one of several cautionary tales about the dangers of living and working in the kingdom. William Sampson is another - a Canadian national who was wrongly arrested over a car bombing, imprisoned for two and a half years and sentenced to death, before being granted clemency. Five Britons and a Belgian were arrested at the same time over a spate of bomb blasts that the Saudis claimed was a result of rival western gangs involved in smuggling illegal alcohol. However, the most gruesome is the story of the decapitated body of the US expatriate Paul Johnson, discovered in a remote area of Riyadh a few days after he was kidnapped at a fake police checkpoint and beheaded on film.

Riyadh is honeycombed with black markets in pirated goods, arms and munitions, drugs and alcohol. There are more guns in neighbouring Yemen than there are people; most of these guns can be purchased openly at markets and then smuggled across the border. Kalashnikovs, grenades, rocket launchers are bought by Saudis for recreational use at their desert camps, where they also chase African ostriches and hoon around on muscular quad bikes. When a student drove me home from a camp recently, I was not surprised to see a loaded revolver in the glove compartment of his four-wheel-drive - most students have their own firearms, as evidenced by the number of ammunition shells I keep finding on the ground, and even in the classroom.

Did you know that the 11 September 2001 attacks didn't really happen? Yes - this is the view of a number of students in my advanced English communication class. I am shown a documentary which purports to show that the official explanations of 9/11 simply do not support the evidence of eyewitness accounts and film footage. Explanation? The CIA created an elaborate hoax as a pretext to start the "war on terror".

The Saudis are a very insular, suspicious people. Anyone who is not a member of their large tribal groups is suspect. The 9/11 hoax is one of a catalogue of conspiracy theories the Saudis entertain involving Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world. On the other hand, students relish viewing their own bootleg copies of Borat (banned in Saudi Arabia). They adore the character: that Sacha Baron Cohen is Jewish is unknown to them. The topics some students choose to give oral presentations about - Adolf Hitler, Viagra, conjoined twins and the Bermuda Triangle - are prompting me to indulge in my own conspiracy theories. "Saudi Arabia needs more terrorists," blundered another student. He meant tourists.

Pornography is not an urban myth in the kingdom: it is beamed into every home wired up for satellite television - including mine. While women in the kingdom are covered from head to toe in black, and images of women in conservative lifestyle magazines are blotted out by the censors' black markers, a galaxy of hardcore porn programmes is available on subscription. There are also dozens of free-to-air channels that promote phone sexlines. Pirated copies of Hollywood films featuring flesh scenes are, of course, available under the counter at video stores throughout the kingdom. And although the internet is officially censored, there are dozens of proxy websites circulated by students, which provide an anonymous, uncensored portal into everything on the web.

For those who know where to look, there are unlimited opportunities in the kingdom that let you take the step from illicit fantasy to reality. On a recent train journey to the east coast, my colleague and I encountered many truly hospitable and sociable Saudis. We were having our breakfast at Starbucks in the coastal town of al-Khobar when a Saudi gentleman offered us a ride along the Corniche beach in his four-wheel-drive. He introduced himself as a doctor at a military hospital. It wasn't until we were a few kilometres down the road that, from the back seat, I noticed the Saudi man's hand massaging the inner thigh of my anxious, per spiring friend sitting in the front passenger seat. Later, when I tried to explain to the Saudi man that my colleague was heterosexual, he was surprised: "Is he fasting?" He then suggested we all go swimming in the Arabian Gulf - naked.

While many compound-dwelling, western expatriates build and maintain small distilleries to produce their own home-brewed alcoholic drinks, including wine, I was invited to join the secret Single Malt Scotch Whisky Society of Riyadh. Every fortnight, a group of connoisseurs - foreign diplomats, British, US and Australian expatriate lawyers and bankers, senior government officials, prom inent businessmen and Saudi royalty - meet at an apartment in a western compound to consume dozens of bottles of the finest whisky in the world. Under a cloud of Cuban cigar smoke, interesting discussions develop - World Trade Organisation standards, the Gal ileo satellite navigation system, the looming introduction of new national Saudi identification card technology - before business cards are exchanged, secrets shared and deals made.

The eccentric Englishman who taught English by day and smuggled alcohol across the desert by night ended up dead because of his racketeering. Or did he? In Saudi Arabia, foreign nationals have been kidnapped at fake police checkpoints and British embassy staff investigated by Scotland Yard after the Saudis accused them of masterminding the bombing spree - and all the while, innocent men have languished in Saudi jails because western powers didn't want to jeopardise multibillion-dollar defence contracts.

There is no doubt that living in the kingdom is dangerous. There have been dozens of isolated, targeted killings of westerners in recent years - not including the 2003 Riyadh compound bombings that resulted in 35 casualties and more than 160 wounded (including Americans, Australians and Britons) in a single, co-ordinated attack on three residential compounds. Of the isolated murders, some people were killed in supermarket car parks, using cashpoints, shopping, sitting in their cars at traffic lights. Despite these events, thousands of western expatriates continue to live and work in the kingdom.

To leave, foreign nationals must obtain exit visas. The application process is weighed down by layers of bureaucratic officialdom. Many of the teachers at the college where I work are desperate to leave by the time annual holidays are due. They have endured stifling temperatures, which the government reportedly misrepresents to avoid declaring public holidays, and restrictions on a western lifestyle. The lucky few who know people of influence obtain their visas early and leave. The others, like the dispossessed European émigrés in the film Casablanca, wait and wait and wait.

Harry Nicolaides is an Australian writer teaching English in Riyadh

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22 comments from readers

hana
22 July 2007 at 08:11

Good morning,

I think that the incidents you've mentioned are rare and can't be generalized over the whole Kingdome, such things can happen in any society. If you are trying to criticize the country, it is better to be more convincing. I assume that as an English teacher you have met many Saudis better than that doctor. I hope to see the other face of Saudi Arabia in you coming article.

aussie expat
22 July 2007 at 08:26

this is an appalling article, not least because of some of the generalised racist slurs leveled at saudis. certainly most of the saudis i work with and met are well educated and have a broad world view. some of the incidents mentioned do occur, but are rare and isolated. this sort of one-sided sensationalist "journalism" belongs on mr nicolaides' personal blog site, not in a publication like the new statesman. as an aussie expat living and working in riyadh, i feel safer than in london where i lived for the last 8 years and am constantly surprised by the warmth and generosity of my saudi hosts.

abdulaziz_1984
22 July 2007 at 14:00

This article is nothing short of a sly attempt to polarise 'East' and 'West'.

In fact, It is too generalized that i could not tell what it was about? Arms smugling, Yemen, Saudi, what ever. This is the reason why selective topics about places mislead the public. Mr Nicolaides is writing a book about the 'middle east' by the way, and with his mindset, many people who read his book and come to this part of the world will probably think:" hmmm. It's not what I expected."

BrettScottMelbAust
23 July 2007 at 01:59

This article is very much the aura of Harry's writing style, he is the kind of man who is able to discover a side or sides of a story that many others would not touch or possibly would feel it untrue or stretched truth. I have known Harry for many years and have even met many of those depicted in his stories. The above written blogs are small minded and scared people who cannot see past all the good or want to, to understand these sort of people are there and that Harry is not running down a country or being a racist, in fact these experiences help Harry to enjoy his host city and the people that inhabit them.

Keep up the great work Harry and don't let negative views like above slow you down!

saudisteve
23 July 2007 at 07:02

A quick check on the net for Harry reveals his true credentials as a writer of fiction. His skills appear to rest with taking a few basic facts and hearsay and turning them into colourful tales. Whilst there is certainly some talent there for creative writing, which no doubt helps book sales, reproduction of such stories as fact in a magazine that bills itself as "the essential read for bright thinkers everywhere" is just wrong. I live in Riyadh and whilst there is some passing acquaintance with the truth in this story, it displays a high level of ignorance and a deep lack of understanding of Saudi society. There is a real clash of old and modern cultures which throws up some stark contradictions and exposes unacceptable levels of oppression, but the Kingdom is changing - fast - and articles like this just retard the process. I'd suggest Mr Nicolaides make an application to the British tabloid press as that is where this nonsense belongs.

westerninsaudi
24 July 2007 at 05:07

WestreninSaudi

Albeit many of the illustrations on Saudi society are factful and true, I would not generalize the entir population of the Kingdom to be in this pot of soup. There is much more to Saudi Arabia and its people than the unidirectional view that Harry has put before. My sincere hope is that his views and picture that is laid befoe through this article does not alter the good that many people around the world have known and experienced, including myself. The kingdom itself faces many daunting and uphill tasks in curbing grevious and deathly menace that the local Al-Qaeda chapter there poses to its citizens and expatriates alike. The plummeting incidences in terrorist attacks there are a testimony of the saudi authorities' capabilities in handling their war on terror situation. The Saudi society is constantly being poured down through their very own sieve of time where a sifting takes place of fundamentalists, ideologists and extremists from the modern man and woman who want to stand in the global crowd of people and not be chastised for their unfortunate association with 9/11.

Brian Ward
24 July 2007 at 16:25

22 million people live in Saudi Arabia. Nearly 6 million of them are foreign workers from Bangladeshi, India, Phillipines, Pakistan, Afganistan and Eritrea. It is said that a person's true character is revealed when we observe them treat service staff. Well, ask any of these foerign workers what they think of their Saudi masters and you hear tales of maids being sexually abused and young men raped, nannies locked indefinitely in rooms without food & water, worker exploitation and mistreatment that would have been regarded cruel a century ago. Amnesty International has just reported that beheadings in execution square are up up this year to 102 with half being foreigners and the latest women - a 19 year old Phillipino housemaid is condemned to death by beheading because an infant in her care died while she was breastfeeding him. Another Phillipino was recently beheaded for killing a Saudi who tried to rape him in a taxi. The executioner usually nicks the back of the condemns neck causing the person to raise their head and making the target easier for the long sharp sword. Fact.

Michael Cooke
24 July 2007 at 16:55

In March 2002, in the holy city of Mecca 15 school girls were burnt to death when the religious police (muttaween) prevented them from fleeing a burning school building because they were not wearing the black abaya and veil. Several religious policemen were seen beating the girls to stop them from fleeing the fire shouting it ws sinful for anyone to approach them. Did a royal commission follow? No. International sanctions for human rights abuse? No. Repatriation to the victims' families? No. For westerners to muse that the kingdom is changing is naive and supercillious. Give the Saudis a few thousand years, a rennaissance, reformation and cultuarl revolution and then - maybe then - will they be ready to be part of the family of nations.

abdulaziz_1984
25 July 2007 at 01:51

“Small minded and scared people”? Thank you for proving my point that this is an attenuating attempt to polarize ‘East’ and ‘West’.

As far as ‘negative’ views is concerned, isn’t ‘Conspiracy Kingdom’ a negative not to mention very exaggerated representation? It doesn’t compare to 2 or 3 blogs.

abdulaziz_1984
25 July 2007 at 01:56

Furthermore we have our bad apples and so do other nations that have to refute misrepresentations and selective reporting such as 'Conspiracy Kingdom'.

aussie expat
25 July 2007 at 06:51

I'm not saying life here is all rosy. Quite the opposite. It's tough and there are a lot of reforms needed. But progress is being made. ANY country which imposes the death sentence is barbaric in my view. 53 prisoners were executed in the USA in 2006, bringing to 1,057 the total number executed since the use of the death penalty was resumed in 1977. Around 3,350 prisoners were under sentence of death as of 1 January 2007. Here in Saudi, the power of the muttawa is being seriously questioned here, both legally and morally. It's great to see young Saudi women stand up to them in shopping malls, which is happening more and more often. Yes, change must and will come. To say a few thousand years, renaissance, reformation etc shows an ignorance of both the local situation here and the history of those European events. We all have to deal with extremists. Whether it's Osama Bin Laden or George Bush who are committing the crimes, knee-jerk two-dimensional thinking won't take us forward as a civilisation. Change is a process that takes time, but change IS occurring in Saudi.

swanzie
25 July 2007 at 08:07

I have worked with this man and find his comments disgusting. The Arabs have saying “His behavior is like drinking from a well and then spitting in it.” He came to Saudi as a guest; he accepted the Arab hospitality and then spit upon it. Every country in the world has laws and when you enter the Riyadh Airport it says in bold letters that smuggling alcohol and drugs is punishable by death. So should foreigners have their own laws? If you smuggle drugs in the USA you won’t go to jail? If you know what the penalty is and choose not to follow the laws, what do you expect?

Dr.Clarke
25 July 2007 at 13:35

Saudi Arabia 2007: state-sanctioned beheadings, amputations, lashings, duress and torture used to elicit confessions, conservative dress for foreign women mandatory while thobe-wearing saudis in Dubai whoremonger and carouse, gender apartheid, sexual apartheid, one road for muslims/another for non-muslims, anyone with a crucifix or rosary is arrested, non-muslims cannot testify in criminal court, women have no right to drive, vote, think etc., 107 beheadings this year according to Amnesty International - half foreigners. This from Human Right Watch 2007: "Saudi law does not protect many basic rights and the government places strict limits on freedom of association, assembly, and expression. Arbitrary detention, mistreatment and torture of detainees, restrictions on freedom of movement, and lack of official accountability remain serious concerns. Saudi women continue to face serious obstacles to their participation in society. Many foreign workers, especially women, face exploitative working conditions"

Dr Wilson
26 July 2007 at 08:16

I think folks are starting to get a little distracted here. KSA has lots of problems. That's a given. But this is a poorly written article. It's emotive and somewhat sensationalised and contains a number of dubious statements. It's not journalism. It's some bell-hop's opinion, based on a peek through a door to a world he doesn't really know or understand.

Citizen Kane
26 July 2007 at 12:38

I must say I am shocked that a reputable publication would publish a piece of tabloidish titillation like this. Whatever one thinks of the views expressed, it is simply bad journalism. Note how, for instance, Mr. Nicolaides mentions the exact number of English-speaking victims of the compound bombings, while failing to mention that the majority of victims were Arabs, including a large number of Saudis. From the jaundiced cliches ("biblical sandstorms"), to treating events which happened several years ago as though they were breaking news, to stating the bleedin' obvious (Riyadh is hot in summer. No, really? There are restrictions on "Western lifestyles" - surely not?), this tripe belongs not in a serious magazine, but in one of the amaterurish expat rags where Mr. Nicolaides normally plies his trade.

Now, I will agree that , while the viewpoint of this article is clearly distorted, much of what is written here is factually correct - with the exception of the bullet-strewn classroom floors and the comparison between privileged teachers and war refugees. But the last comparison is necessary, because the author needs to portray himself, not as someone who was enjoying a salary and benefits (paid accommodation, health insurance, transport) which very few ESL teachers will get anywhere else in the world, but as some sort of suffering hero. And we all know how newsworthy are those "Westerners" who are oppressed by the evil Arabs. If Mr Nicolaides had told the truth of his situation - that he was an ESL backpacker living in a city where the most obvious danger is extreme boredom, and that he freely chose to accept a well-paid job in a country which he must have known did not openly indulge 'Western' proclivities - the article would have been more honest, though less salacious and hence less saleable.

Saudi Arabia is a fascinating country, one which certainly has its faults, but one which offers a journalist worthy of the name the unique opportunity to observe a society struggle to reconcile tradition with modernity. It's a shame Mr. Nicolaides did not take the time to discuss such matters with his students in a context of mutual respect, as so many of our colleagues have done. Instead, he abused their hospitality and sought to portray them, not as young men not altogether different - in their priorities and inaniites - from their peers the world over, but as freakish exhibition pieces. Rather, with an odd sense of justice reminiscent of "Midnight Express", he demands we reserve our sympathy for smugglers and drunkards. "The Saudis are a suspicious and insular people", the author tells us from the vantage point of a few months spent in a walled expat enclave. Well, with people like Mr. Nicolaides entrusted with the "education" of their young men, who would not be suspicious of foreigners?

Peter-d
26 July 2007 at 13:49

Stop press: Outragous yellow journalism! The same article has been published in one of the USA's most revered politcal magazines - and a further feature to appear in one of the world's largest circulation newspapers! What next - Harry of Arabia.

Bald Mike
27 July 2007 at 06:43

I have worked with the likes of Nicolades, and can say very frankly that many people come to Saudi Arabia hoping to cash in on the unusual country and customs, just like he has. This is simply an English teacher trying to make more cash by printing trash journalism - which many others could ahve done but have not out of respect for ther employers, the students and the coutnry that has hosted them. Its sad that the paper would pick up this kind of tabloid article, but the reality is those who have never been in Saudi, and certainlynot for any extended period of time, may not see through this facade of a soap opera turned article. The reality is that he never did his job, and its doubtful that any students learned English from this guy, when he clearly hated the country and was there with an agenda to come out making more cash off of them then they ever imagined. Saudis and other companies should bemore careful fo who they hire, and they often have a hidden agenda or hate the country. This guy just took the money and ran, and now he acts like he knows a thing or two about the country. To the publisher, please print newsworthy articles about Saudi next time - and nothign more from this charalatan turned teacher for one year.

joannasmithksa
18 August 2007 at 06:43

Firstly, I have lived in Saudi Arabia my entire life so I am a fairly credible source of information when it comes to Saudi Arabia. Yes there are people who smuggle drugs and alcohol into the country. But its nothing like what Mr. Harry Nicolaides seems to think its like. And the numerous expats he says have been caught with alcohol and beheaded is false. It is a commonly known fact that if a Westerner is to be beheaded for any serious crime they are immediately extradited to their own country. And unfortunately for Mr. Harry Nicolaides, I personally knew Mr. Paul Johnson. And the kidnapping of Mr. Johnson had absolutely nothing to do with alcohol. The people who tapped his beheading were religious fanatics, and if one were to question that fact (Mr. Nicolaides), one need to do nothing more but watch the video. The hooded men clearly state why they were killing Mr. Johnson. And I am insulted and appalled that a man like Mr. Nicolaides has the tenacity to come across as a expert on a country he has been in for barely a year. Here is a tip to Mr. Nicolaides, "If its so dangerous and life threatening for you to live there, then by all means leave. Obtaining an exit only visa is not that difficult. Or is the money in Saudi just too good?"

A note to those who have read this article, this man is not a credible source of information. The bottom of the article states that he is Australian, but just to prove that he is not as credible as he seems to think he is let me state that, hes not Australian hes Croatian. If a man is that confused as to where he is from, I find his information to be nothing but pitiful, misconstrued complaints of a bored poor excuse of a human being.

Sincerely,

Joanna

axaladl
18 September 2007 at 22:54

Harry seems to have hit a nerve... So many responses from so many people who don't seem to be used to reading very often. Desperately trying to discredit him by transparently twisting his words, or putting new ones in his mouth, decrying him as a novelist (!), a confused immigrant (!!) (should he know his place?), an ingrateful guest, lusting for money. Does this shrieking intolerance of anything that undermines their worldview/mealticket draw these people to Saudi or does it blossom while there?

Gerald
31 October 2007 at 05:13

I agree with Harry on many points. One of my close friends lives in Al Khobar with two housemates. The unmarried male director of their Hospital where they work has set his abode in the same house as the 3 unmarried girls eventhough it is illegal in the kingdom of saudi arabia for unmarried males and females to associate within such close proximity. He is an Arab Director and he can get away with this. This is just the beginning of the horrors my friend recounts...When they first came to the house to stay, this guy who is their boss and sponsor, invited them to lots of free food good hospitality. Little did they know then what was to follow his generosity. ...Every night, this director knocks on the wall of his room (which is only a kitchen away from the rooms where my friend and her housemates sleep), signalling any ne of the girls to come into his room, while he walks around bare chested and bare-legged except for his boxer shorts. If they don't respond to his call, he calls them on their cell phones. They had to change thier cell phone SIMs to keep away from these harrassing calls. Then he demands the girl eitehr to color his hair or to shave his back, but most nights he demands that the girl give him a sensual massage and soon he is demanding sex. This happens every night and my friend and her housemates try to hide in the bathroom to avoid his unwelcome advances when he calls them. They cant complain to the police because once they did, they police did not believe their complaints. Instead they were insulted. Who would the police believe: a 'respected' public figure or some foreign girls??. This guy is 53 years old and he is a prominent person in this hospital. Above all, he manages the operations of the entire hospital. ...Last month, my friend tendered her resignation letter but this guy who is her boss - without even reading the resignation letter - threw it in the trash and he keeps harassing her both at her home and at her workplace. And to-date, he is refusing to return to her her passport and he is forbidding her from leaving Saudi to go back and join her family back home........Now you Arabs reading this blog, tell me this is not happening among you. This guy has been emotionally, physically and sexually abusing and tormenting incoming foreign nurses for the past 15 years and every time he has gotten away with his perversely immoral and abusive beahviour and acts against so many innocent helpless girls who happen to be his employees. He demands the girls to be his girlfriend and promises them financial and material support they agree to become his girlfriend.....Those of you who disagree with Harry's blog here, i challenge you to read this article - http://hrw.org/reports/2004/saudi0704/7.htm#_Toc75678069 - and tell us how wrong we are in our opinion about the kingdom. And in the due course of your lifetime, you will come across situations when you either stand up and be a man or bend down and be a pervert. What way are you going to go?

http://hrw.org/reports/2004/saudi0704/7.htm#_Toc75678069

Gerald
31 October 2007 at 05:17