Faisal of Saudi Arabia

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فيصل بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود Faisal bin Abdul Aziz
House of Saud
Faisal bin Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Faisal ibn Turki Al Saud
Offspring
Abdallah Khalid Sa'd ‘Abd ar-Rahman Turki Saud Muhammad Haifa

Faisal bin Abdelaziz Al Saud (1903 or 1906—March 25, 1975) (Arabic: فيصل بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود) was King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975.

Faisal was born in Riyadh, the third son of Ibn Saud. Faisal's mother was Tarfa bint Abdullah ibn Abd al-Latif al-Shaykh, who Ibn Saud married in 1902 after capturing Riyadh. Thus, Faisal was descended from Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab through his mother whose father was one of Ibn Saud's principal religious teachers.

Being one of Ibn Saud's eldest sons, Faisal was delegated numerous responsibilities during Ibn Saud's quest to consolidate control over Arabia. In 1925, Faisal, in command of an army of Saudi loyalists, won a decisive victory in the Hijaz. In return, he was made the Governor of Hijaz the following year. After the new Saudi kingdom was formalized, Faisal received the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1932.

After the United Nations partition of Palestine, Faisal called on his father to break relations with the United States, but he was overruled. When his brother Saud's financial ineptness resulted in the bankruptcy of the nation, Faisal was appointed regent, assuming office on March 4, 1964. On November 2 of that year, he became king after Saud abdicated his rule and left for Greece.

Faisal's rule saw oil production increase, which along with the rise in price of oil, gave the Saudi government riches not seen in the past. This allowed Faisal to introduce various reforms, including girls schools and television. Despite opposition from some Saudis to these reforms, Faisal sought to modernize while remain in the fold of Islam, as he would put it. Faisal's rule also saw an increased emphasis on Islamic identity in the political realm, which was in part due to the rising influence of socialist and pan-Arabic doctrines, popular in places like Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. Although the aftermath gave Saudi Arabia increased importance in the Arab world.

In 1973, Faisal began a program intended to increase the military power of Saudi Arabia. On October 17, he withdrew Saudi oil from world markets, quadrupling the price. Faisal's action was the primary force behind the 1973 energy crisis. In 1974 he was named Time magazine's Man of the Year. Some say this was the reason behind his assassination. Another potential reason for his assassination was the 1966 killing of the assassin's brother during a protest against the introduction of television (which was seen by fundamentalist as against Islam).

Contents 1 Assassination 2 Family 3 Attitude towards Jews 4 Trivia 5 References

[edit] Assassination

On March 25, 1975, Faisal was shot point blank and killed by his half brother's son Faisal bin Musad, who had just come back from the United States. The murder occurred at a Majlis, an event where the king or leader opens up his residence to the citizens to enter and ask him questions.

Prince Faisal Bin Musad was captured directly after the attack and declared officially insane. He was later found guilty of regicide and in June 1975 he was beheaded in the public square in Riyadh.

Faisal was succeeded by his half-brother Khalid.

It is said that King Faisal was warned by the assassin mother and responded that God wishes will prevail.

[edit] Family

Faisal's sons have held and continue to hold important positions in Saudi government. Prince Khalid is the Governor of Asir Province in south-western Saudi Arabia. Another son, Turki ibn Faisal al-Saud served as head of Saudi intelligence and in numerous diplomatic posts, including his present post as ambassador to the United States. Saud ibn Faisal al-Saud is the minister of foreign affairs. A grandson Amr ibn Muhammad al-Faisal is a well-known columnist in the Arab World. Faisal's wife was said to be Turkish in origin. His sons received exceptional education compared to other princes born to Saudi monarchs. Turki ibn Faisal was introduced to the USA while on a trip accompanying his father who underwent surgery then. He then went to receive formal education in prestigious schools in New Jersey then George Washington University according to interview he gave recently on C-SPAN.

[edit] Attitude towards Jews

Apparently, King Faisal was an avid reader of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and financed their wide dissemination throughout the kingdom and the Arab world. He even gave Henry Kissinger a copy, during a state visit in 1974. He also believed in the blood libel against Jews. King Faisal wrote in the Arabic weekly Al-Musawwar:

Israel has had malicious intentions since ancient times. Its objective is the destruction of all other religions. It is proven from history that they are the ones who ignited the Crusades at the time of Saladin the Ayyubid so that that war would lead to the weakening of both Muslims and Christians. They regard the other religions as lower than their own and other peoples as inferior to their level. And on the subject of vengeance -- they have a certain day on which they mix the blood of non-Jews into their bread and eat it. It happened that two years ago, while I was in Paris on a visit, the police discovered five murdered children. Their blood had been drained and it turned out that some Jews had murdered them in order to take their blood and mix it with the bread that they eat on this day. This shows you what is the extent of their hatred and malice toward non-Jewish peoples.^[1]

[edit] Trivia

• King Faisal was reportedly a fan of the American rock band Grateful Dead, and according to 'Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, the song 'Blues for Allah' was written in his honor on the occasion of his assassination.
• In Pakistani history text books, King Faisal is highly decorated and praised as a true friend and leader.
• The city of Lyallpur in Pakistan was renamed Faisalabad (meaning the "City of Faisal") in 1979 in his honor.
• The Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan is named after him as well.
• The main highway in Karachi, Pakistan was renamed Shahrah-e-Faisal; an residential area close to Karachi Airport was renamed Shah Faisal Colony.
• There is a team in the Ghana Telecom Premier League named after King Faisal. The King Faisal Babies, nicknamed the "Nokia boys," play in Kumasi and qualified to participate in the 2006 CAF Champions League competition. They did not make it into the tournament's second round.

[edit] References

1. ^ Gerber, Jane S. (1986). "Anti-Semitism and the Muslim World", p. 88. In History and Hate: The Dimensions of Anti-Semitism, ed. David Berger. Jewish Publications Society. ISBN 0-8276-0267-7

Preceded by Saud

King of Saudi Arabia and head of the House of Saud 1964–1975

Succeeded by Khalid