The assassination of Jamal Khashoggi seems distant and the royal Iranian involvement of Saudis from rural areas

AD DILAM, Saudi Arabia – Dozens of men left the mosque and crossed the street to get to the weekly vegetable market, where farmer Saleh Othman al-Haqbani was selling green onions at the back of his pickup truck.

Rashid al-Awadin approached and the two men snuggled their noses in a traditional greeting popular with locals in this rural farm town, in the hot scrublands 120 km south of the capital, Riyadh.

"Life is beautiful here because our crown prince is still working hard for us and improving our lives," said Awadin, a 50-year-old retired soldier, to a visitor while he was paying for his onions. "I support it, and nothing will change that, no matter the case. I will follow his example as long as he is alive. "

The murder – and dismemberment – of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who according to the Saudi government is a premeditated murder committed by Saudi agents, has provoked outrage from the international community.

The widespread suspicion that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was implicated in the plot to kill a frequent critic – which the Saudi government vehemently denies – has overshadowed the once rosy perceptions of the mighty young prince of Washington and Europe. . The Trump administration has imposed visa restrictions on the agents involved in the murder and is considering new sanctions.

But in this region of Saudi Arabia, far from the big cities, people interviewed on the al-Diyrra market said the incident was tragic but far removed from their daily lives. Most said they were aware of this, even though at least one person said they did not hear about it. Each respondent stated that she refused to believe that Mohammed was involved.

"Nobody believes these stupid things," said Haqbani, 51, an onion seller. "If he wanted to kill him, he could have brought him back here. But it is much bigger than that. And he is much smarter. "

Another of his clients, Yahya al-Obili, 55, heard the conversation about Khashoggi and added that Mohammed's alleged involvement "makes no sense. That's exactly what the media say. According to Obili, an accident probably caused Khashoggi's death.

Turkish officials said they had an audio recording proving that Khashoggi had been killed and his body dismembered. Turkey said the killing was committed on October 2 in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul by Saudis who had gone to Istanbul that day. Khashoggi, who published articles in the Washington Post's Global Opinions section, went to the consulate to retrieve documents related to his wedding plans. The Saudi authorities arrested 18 people and sacked five officials, including two relatives of the Crown Prince.

"Maybe he had a stroke," Obili said of Khashoggi, who was living in voluntary exile in Virginia. "I do not think the crown prince would let his important work order the killing of a man."

In general, the Saudis are reluctant to criticize Muhammad, whose government regularly jails human rights defenders, clerics, business leaders and even royal relatives who dared to criticize or challenge him. Human rights groups and others, including Saudis speaking privately, describe a climate of fear in which people fear being arrested for even crossing the prince, who is only 33 years old and has consolidated an unprecedented power in his hands.

Some foreign critics have stated that Mohammed no longer has the moral status of Crown Prince and that he should be dismissed by King Salman, his father, and some Saudis would wish him privately. But many commentators have stated that the elimination of MBS, as it is commonly called, is highly unlikely and that most Saudis prefer stability to the upheaval that could result.

A former Riyadh-based Western diplomat said he had not noticed the appetite for the Crown Prince's withdrawal to Saudi Arabia and that the Saudis were offended by outside pressure in the country. 39, Khashoggi case. He said that this is especially true in rural areas, where support for the monarchy is strong.

"Saudis of almost every allegiance encircle wagons against a hostile world that they consider unfair," he said. "Almost everyone says," Who will replace MBS and continue the reforms? "Honestly, their biggest fear is that something is happening to him, leaving a vacuum and chaos."

At the weekly market, held in a canvas tent beside the ruined remains of the city's old sandstone walls, support for Mohammed was solid. Most people pointed to the concrete ways in which Mohammed improved their lives here, away from the major business centers of Riyadh and Jiddah. Nearly all respondents were grateful for Mohammed's economic and social reform program, called Vision 2030.

A billboard in the main shopping street of the city contains photos of Muhammad and the king and thanks them for the efforts of Mohammed to modernize Saudi society and diversify the oil economy.

During interviews over the last two weeks, residents of Riyadh spoke about the dramatic measures taken by Mohammed, legalizing movie theaters and other entertainment venues, offering more jobs to women and allowing them to drive. , taking the power of the religious police and removing them from the malls, which they once patrolled. .

But those interviewed in ad-Dilam pointed to more everyday benefits: better roads, a new university campus, a new shopping center and an administrative restructuring that has provided larger budgets and more government attention to a city ​​long neglected. They said these improvements seemed more immediate in their lives than the killing of a journalist in Turkey – which they assured that they had nothing to do with Mohammed.

"No. Never, no," said Obili, emitting a tsk-tsk sound with his teeth when asked if Mohammed could have ordered the murder.

"We are a smart nation and we know the outside world," Obili said. "What happened in Khashoggi is terrible and goes against Islam. Our Crown Prince did not do that. We trust him and we feel the changes that he has made for us. "

All around him, men dressed in white robes and red and white headdresses were picking fresh tomatoes, peppers, dates, melons and squash to take home for lunch. According to tradition and culture, virtually no women could be seen on the market.

Abdullah, who refused to give his last name, sat on a red carpet sitting on the asphalt market, between a Ford SUV and a crumbling Toyota. In front of him, there was a pile of agarwood shavings, plus two wheeled suitcases and two briefcases also filled with wood, burned like incense as a traditional form of welcome.

"The Crown Prince improves everything; I am for everything that it does, "said Abdullah, weighing some of the expensive wood chips and slipping them into a paper bag on behalf of a customer. Referring to Mohammed's comments at a major investment conference in Riyadh last week, Abdullah said, "Yesterday he said we would be another Europe, and that's something we all support. . "

"Saudi Arabia and the United States have been allies since [President Franklin Delano] Roosevelt, he says. "We and the Americans are the same. We are both against terrorism. We are peaceful people. "

Asked about Khashoggi, Abdullah said, "We support our flag, our king, our crown prince and our country."

As the market calmed down and the men left with their plastic bags, Mohsin Mohammed al-Mohsin, 26, was sitting in his Toyota van next to the market entrance.

"Khashoggi was killed by mistake," he said. "We do not believe the media. The media always lie.

Many Saudis suspect that Saudi rivals – Iran, Turkey, or more specifically Qatar – have been implicated in Khashoggi's death, even though the Saudi authorities claim that the killing was planned and carried out by Saudis.

Mohsin, a graduate of the University of Riyadh and looking for a job teaching religion in public schools, said that Khashoggi's murder was "troubling" him because he violated Islamic teachings.

But, like many interviewees in recent days, he said that even if it was proven that Mohammed had ordered Khashoggi's death, it would not change his support for the Crown Prince.

"People should not disagree with their leaders, no matter the circumstances," he said, rubbing red prayer beads in his right hand. "There is an Islamic saying:" It is better to be patient and live with an unjust leader for 50 years than to live without a leader for a day. "

Read more:

Despite Khashoggi case, US companies and a Saudi prince present themselves at "Davos in the Desert"

Khashoggi's death sheds new light on Saudi prince's crackdown on dissent

In the midst of the tumult of Khashoggi, many Saudis see a foreign plot to gather around their prince

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