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Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

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Ahmed bin Abdulaziz
Minister of interior
Minister of Interior
In office18 June 2012—present
PredecessorPrince Nayef bin Abdulaziz
Deputy Minister of Interior
Reign1975—2012
Deputy Governor of Makkah Province
Reign1971—1975
Born1941 (age 82–83)
Riyadh
Names
Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
HouseHouse of Saud
FatherKing Abdulaziz
MotherHassa al Sudairi
ReligionIslam

Ahmed bin Abdulaziz (Arabic: احمد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود ) (born 1941 ) is Minister of Interior and a member of House of Saud.

Early life

Prince Ahmed was born in Riyadh in 1941.[1] He was born to King Abdulaziz and Hassa al Sudairi. He is the youngest member of "Sudairi" brothers and supposedly the 31st son of King Abdulaziz.[2][3] Since his father died when he was eleven in 1953, he was raised by his mother and his brothers. His eldest brother King Fahd was a father-figure for him.[4]

Education

Ahmed bin Abdulaziz received his primary and secondary education at Princes School and Anjal Institute in Riyadh. He completed secondary education in 1961.[5] He studied English and some science subjects at the University of Southern California (USC).[5] He then graduated from the University of Redlands in 1968, with a bachelor of arts degree in political science.[1] On 26 July 1999, Prince Ahmed was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the University of Redlands.[6]

Early experience

After his graduation, Prince Ahmed dealt with business. He was the chairman of National Gypsum Company from 1969 to 1970.[5] In 1971, he appointed the undersecretary of the of Makkah Province.[5] He also served as the Deputy Governor of Makkah Province during the reign of King Faisal.[3] Later, King Fahd appointed him as the Deputy Minister of Interior in 1975.[5] He was the Deputy Minister of Interior until 18 June 2012. His main function as deputy minister was to deal with the different provinces of the Kingdom.[7] Ahmed bin Abdulaziz was also operational head of Special Security Force which reports directly to Minister of the Interior. This force was established in 1979 after the poor performance of the SANG at the Grand Mosque Seizure in Makkah.[8] He served as the Vice President of the Supreme Commission for Industrial Security and Chairman of Preparatory Committee for National Security, too.[5]

Prince Ahmed was given the task of introducing reforms in the Eastern Province in the early 1980s to improve the province where the kingdom’s Shi’ite minority lives.[9] In fact, this task was given him in the wake of the riots experienced in the province in 1979 to make observations about the effects of the Iranian Revolution and the Shi’ite dissention on the security of oil industry. Prince Ahmad openly declared that the Saudi government had neglected the region and had actively discriminated against its Shi’ite population. He also promised massive investments in the development of Al Hasa’s economic infrastructure, educational system, and other services.[10]

In July 1996, he and Prince Turki al Faisal went to Pakistan to meet with the Pakistan's then-interior minister, Nasrallah Babr and the chiefs of military intelligence.[11] Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi states that Prince Ahmed was mostly involved in administrative matters instead of security during his tenure as Deputy Interior Minister.[12]

Minister of Interior

Prince Ahmed was appointed Interior Minister on 18 June 2012 after the death of former Interior Minister Prince Nayef.[13] It was reported that he does not basically alter the security policies of Saudi Arabia since the country faces a threat from al Qaeda in Yemen and experiences an unrest among its Shi'ite Muslim minority.[12] His appointment as Interior Minister is also regarded as a move, signalling that he is the most likely candidate to rule Saudi Arabia after King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman.[14]

Popularity

Nawaf E. Obaid argues in 2002 that especially three members of House of Saud are popular, although many of them are believed to be corrupt. Prince Ahmed is one of these popular members, the others are then-crown prince King Abdullah and then-Riyadh governor Prince Salman.[15] He was also seen one of the potential candidates to the Saudi throne at the beginning of the 2000s.[16]

Together with the former Interior Minister Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Prince Ahmad was reported to pay massive bonuses to successful security officers, but also have a reputation for honesty and using the massive security budget only for the mission and not to enrich themselves.[7]

Views and activities

Ahmed bin Abdulaziz visited Pakistan in November 2005 for three days and examined the extent of destruction caused by the Kashmir earthquake from an airplane. He promised to provide Pakistan whatever needed for the rebuilding process after the earthquake. He encouraged all Muslim nations to provide aid to Pakistan. He also condemned terrorism and stated it was incompatible with Islam.[17] Prince Ahmed called for a "border fence" between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The plan for the fence was initiated in 2006 and he stated repeatedly it would not become a "segregation wall".[18]

On 29 November 2010, he attended the Crown Prince Cup, an annual horse race on behalf of late Crown Prince Sultan who was in Morocco.[19] He said in a press conference in 2011 that for women, driving is against the law.[20] After his appointment as the Interior Minister, it is argued that like Prince Salman, he is also supporter of King Abdullah's cautious reform initiatives.[21]

Personal life

Ahmed bin Abdulaziz has two wives with whom he has five daughters and seven sons. His eldest son, Abdulaziz (born 1963), is secretary general of Arab Ophthalmology.[22] Another son, Nayef, holds a Ph. D. degree from Cambridge University[23] and is a colonel in the Saudi Armed Forces with responsibilities for strategic planning.[24] Prince Ahmed is honorary president of Saudi Alzheimer's Charitable Society.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b "Minister of Interior". Saudi Embassy Washington DC. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
  2. ^ Abdullah Al Shihri; Brian Murphy (18 June 2012). "Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister, Named Crown Prince". Huff Post. AP. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  3. ^ a b Sharaya, Ali (19 June 2012). "Profile: Prince Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz". Asharq Alawsat. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  4. ^ "Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz". Wikipedia. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Who is Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz?". Saudi Gazette. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Biography of H.R.H Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior". 21 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  7. ^ a b Anthony H. Cordesman (2004). "Saudi internal security: A risk assessment" (PDF). Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 26 May 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Gonzales, Michael G. (2009). "Combating Deviants: The Saudi Arabian Approach to Countering Extremism and Terrorism". United States Army Command and General Staff College. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  9. ^ "Challenges Facing The New Crown Prince Of Saudi Arabia". Alifarabia. 30 October 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  10. ^ Reinhold, Baron (June 2001). "Omnibalancing and the House of Saud". Naval Postgraduate School, California. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  11. ^ "Al Sudairi Clan". Global Security. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  12. ^ a b McDowall, Angus (18 June 2012). "Saudi appoints Prince Salman as crown prince". Reuters. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  13. ^ "Prince Salman named Saudi crown prince". Al Jazeera (english version). Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  14. ^ McDowall, Angus (19 June 2012). "Saudi succession in spotlight after new heir named". Reuters. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
  15. ^ Obaid, Nawaf E. (January–February 2002). "In Al Saud we trust". Foreign Policy,. 128: 72–74.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  16. ^ Taheri, Amir (2004). "Saudi Arabia: Between Terror and Reform" (PDF). American Foreign Policy Interests. 26: 457–465. doi:10.1080/10803920490905523. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  17. ^ "S. Arabia promises 'unlimited' help". Dawn. 9 November 2005. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  18. ^ "Border fence with Iraq 'not a segregation wall'". Gulf News. 2 October 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  19. ^ "Crown Prince Cup". Saudi Gazette. 9 January 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  20. ^ Al Omran, Ahmad. "Driving while female: More Saudi women stopped on the road". NPR. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  21. ^ Irfan Al Alawi; Stephen Schwartz (22 June 2012). "Weekly Standard: Hope for Reform In Saudi Arabia?". NPR. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  22. ^ Sharif, Sabri (2001). The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. New Delhi: I. S. Publication. ISBN 81-901254-0-0.
  23. ^ Kechichian, Joseph A (2001). Succession in Saudi Arabia. PALGRAVE.
  24. ^ "Underpinning Saudi National Security Strategy". JFQ. 2002. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  25. ^ "Deputy Interior Minister hails Alzheimer's Society achievements". Ministry of Interior. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of the Interior
2012- 		Succeeded by
Incumbent

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