Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia is a country defined by paradox. It is a modern state driven by contemporary technology and possessed of vast oil deposits, yet its powerful religious establishment would have its customs and practices rolled back a thousand years to match those of the prophet Muhammad.With Inside the Kingdom, journalist and bestselling author Robert Lacey has given us one of the most penetrating and insightful looks at Saudi Arabia ever produced. While living for years among the nation's princes and paupers, its clerics and progressives, Lacey endeavored to find out how the consequences of the 1970s oil boom produced a society at war with itself.Filled with stories that trace a path through the Persian Gulf War and the events of 9/11 to the oil-market convulsions of today, Inside the Kingdom gives us a modern history of the Saudis in their own words, revealing a people attempting to reconcile life under religious law with the demands of a rapidly changing... Publishers Weekly Lacey (The Kingdom) delves into the paradoxes in Saudi society—where women are forbidden to drive but are more likely to attend universities than men—and why this nation yielded most of the terrorist team on September 11, Osama bin Laden and one of the largest group of foreign fighters sent to Guantánamo from Afghanistan. Lacey's conversational tone and anecdotal approach to storytelling and analysis gives us a vivid portrait of personal and political life in Saudi Arabia's public and personal spheres, the traditions that govern everyday life, the country's journey from relative liberalism on the tide of extreme oil wealth in the 1980s to a resurgence of traditionalism. Lacey shows us a land where the governing dynasty gives rehabilitated Guantánamo returnees an $18,000 stipend toward their marriage dowry, and 15 young girls died in a schoolhouse fire in 2002 because they were not properly veiled, and religious police forbade them to escape and prevented firefighters from entering the burning building. Lacey's eye for sweeping trends and the telling detail combined with the depth, breadth and evenhandedness of his research makes for an indispensable guide. (Oct.)
Map: Saudi Arabia and Its NeighborsPreface: Welcome to the KingdomFamily Tree: Rulers of the KingdomNote on the Islamic CalendarPt. 1 Kingdom of God1 Angry Face 32 The Brothers 143 Siege 244 No Sunni, No Shia 375 Vox Populi, Vox Dei 466 Salafi Soccer 547 Jihad in Afghanistan 628 Special Relationship 689 Dawn Visitors 7810 Stars in the Heavens 8611 Into Exile 9712 The Dove and the East Wind 10513 Vacationing Jihadi 114Pt. 2 Kingdom at War14 Desert Storm 12715 Battle for Al-Khafji 14116 Awakening 14817 Stopping the Sins 15718 In from the Cold 16719 Change of Heart 17420 Enter the Crown Prince 18021 The Students 19322 Infinite Reach 20423 New Century 214Pt. 3 Al-Qaeda Comes Home24 Fifteen Flying Saudis 22525 Fire 23726 Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula 24427 Prodigal Sons 25328 King Abdullah 26429 Girls of Saudi 27430 Illegitimate Occupation 28431 End of the Affair 29232 Condition of the People 303Epilogue 316Time Line 333Glossary of Names and Arabic Terms 335Notes 343Suggested Reading 377Acknowledgments 381General Index 389House of Saud Index 401Photographic Sources 403
