Al-Madina

I FREQUENTLY write about how the country’s reputation is a red line that no one is allowed to cross. This is especially true in the face of the reality that the whole world is turning into a small village wherein national and international media are getting mixed.

In addition, there are many enemies who are watching us and waiting for a small mistake on our part to internationally harm our reputation. This was what immediately crossed my mind while watching a video that went viral showing a religious sheikh allegedly describing women as quarter-brained.

I realized that this was going to be a hot topic of debate for the Western media. We are already used to the media taking advantage of such incidents and turning them against our beloved Kingdom despite the fact that most of these shameful incidents do not represent the public opinion in our country.

As a matter of fact, is not just the media that is responsible for harming our reputation. The people who send such malicious videos to each other are equally responsible. Most of the time these people upload video clips after necessary editing to highlight their viewpoints or aspects they like. They delete crucial portions of the lecture to make it look as negative as possible.

Some people believe that this was what actually happened with the sheikh I mentioned previously. On the other hand, people who came to the defense of the sheikh uploaded other parts of the same lecture in which the sheikh was seen showering praise on some women by saying they were smarter than a lot of men. He also said women must not be described as crazy or disparaged in any way.

As a result, we end up thinking that every party wants to show the rest of the world what they actually wanted them to believe while removing the rest of the lecture. This is misleading and people who commit this should be punished.

However, when we actually watch the full video showing the sheikh giving his lecture, we can see that he was indeed throwing unbelievable insults at women. So I am truly proud that the governorate of Asir instantly reacted to the video and ordered the arrest of the sheikh. He was arrested not only because he angered the public but also because he insulted the entire society.

Anyone who attacks women does not attack half of society but society as a whole. Whoever insults my mother, sister or daughter insults me as well. In addition, his egregious action led to the international media severely criticizing our Kingdom and the entire Saudi society. There this is a serious case where the perpetrator must be severely punished along with everyone who shared the video through social media platforms.

This is in no way a demand for preventing the freedom of speech but a demand for a responsible freedom of speech where we do not deceive others, violate the rules or contravene public interest.

Our obsession with our personal reputation and that of our family should be accompanied by a concern for the Kingdom’s reputation, which we should not allow anyone to malign.