Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, نايف بن عبد العزيز آل سعود, ''Nāyif ibn ‘Abd al ‘Azīz Āl Su‘ūd''; 1934 – 16 June 2012) was the
crown prince of Saudi Arabia
The crown prince of Saudi Arabia is the second-most important position in Saudi Arabia, second to the King, and is his designated successor. Currently, the Crown Prince assumes power with the approval of the Allegiance Council after he is nomi ...
and deputy prime minister from October 2011 and the
minister of interior
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...
from October 1975 until his death in June 2012.
Early life and education
Nayef bin Abdulaziz was born in
Ta'if
Taif ( ar, , translit=aṭ-Ṭāʾif, lit=The circulated or encircled, ) is a city and governorate in the Makkan Region of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat M ...
in 1934 to
King Abdulaziz
Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...
and
Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi
Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi ( ar, حصة بنت أحمد السديري; 1900–1969) was one of the wives of King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, with whom she had seven sons and four daughters. Her sons included two future Saudi kings, Fahd and Sa ...
, making him one of the
Sudairi Seven
The Sudairi Seven ( ar, السديريون السبعة, ''As Sudayriyyūn as Sabʿah''), also spelled ''Sudairy'' or ''Sudayri'', is the commonly used name for a powerful alliance of seven full brothers within the Saudi royal family. They are al ...
. His full brothers included
Fahd and
Salman, who would both become
kings of Saudi Arabia
The king of Saudi Arabia is the monarchial head of state and ruler of Saudi Arabia who holds absolute power. He is the head of the Saudi Arabian royal family, the House of Saud. The king is called the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" (), a ...
, and Prince
Sultan bin Abdulaziz (later
crown prince of Saudi Arabia
The crown prince of Saudi Arabia is the second-most important position in Saudi Arabia, second to the King, and is his designated successor. Currently, the Crown Prince assumes power with the approval of the Allegiance Council after he is nomi ...
).
[ Nayef was the twenty-third son of King Abdulaziz. Prince Nayef received education at ]Princes' School
Princes' School is a school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
History
The Princes' School was established by King Ibn Saud specifically to ensure a high level of education for members of the House of Saud and sons of other foremost Saudis. In 1356 H (corr ...
and from senior ulema
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
( Muslim legal scholars). Additionally, he was educated in diplomacy and security affairs.
Early experience
From 1952 to 1953 Prince Nayef served as vice governor of Riyadh Province
The Riyadh Province ( ar, منطقة الرياض '), also known as the Riyadh Region, is a regions of Saudi Arabia, region of Saudi Arabia, located in the geographic center of the country. It has an area of and with a 2017 population of 8,216 ...
. In 1953, he was appointed as the governor of Riyadh province and stayed in this post for one year. He then served as governor of the Medina Region.[ In 1970 King Faisal appointed him as both deputy interior minister and minister of state for internal affairs.
]
Minister of Interior
On 30 March 1975 following King Faisal's assassination, then Minister of Interior Prince Fahd became the crown prince, and Prince Nayef was appointed to the post by King Khalid
Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, خالد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود ''Khalid ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'' ; 13 February 1913 13 June 1982) was a Saudi Arabian statesman and politician who served as King and Prime Minister of ...
.
Timeline
In March 1980 King Khalid established a constitutional committee with eight members under the presidency of Prince Nayef. However, the committee could not manage to produce the basic law that had been promised. From 1992 Prince Nayef's influence increased over provincial governors through the Law of Provinces.[ In December 1994, he ordered hundreds of terrorism-related arrests with the support of Prince Turki, head of Saudi intelligence services.][
Prince Nayef established the General Directorate of Prisons in 2000 as a separate unit within the ministry.][ In April 2001, he, not foreign minister Saud bin Faisal, went to Iran as Saudi envoy in an unprecedented move. He issued all women in Saudi Arabia identity cards. Women were previously registered under their husband's or father's name in November 2001.][ After the ]September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
, as the man in charge of the Saudi investigation he received US criticism for his continuing to insist that the Saudi hijackers were dupes in a Zionist plot for over a year after 9/11, and for not undertaking sufficient action against extremists.
In 2003 Prince Nayef, who was in charge of foreign labor, decreed that foreign workers and their family members should not exceed 20 percent of the Saudi population in 2013. Senator Charles Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...
lobbied through Prince Bandar
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
to remove Prince Nayef as minister of interior in July 2003.
Between 2003 and 2006 he led Saudi Arabia's confrontation against Al Qaeda, which sponsored a series of domestic attacks on expatriate housing compounds, oil infrastructure, and industrial facilities. His political stance was strengthened because of increased media exposure and the successful end to terrorist attacks.
In March 2011 during the 2011 Saudi Arabian protests
Eleven or 11 may refer to:
*11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12
* one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11
Literature
* ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn
*''E ...
200 people who called for more information on their imprisoned relatives were denied a meeting with Nayef.
Second deputy prime minister
Since Crown Prince Sultan could not deal with demanding duties due to his extended absences for treatment and King Abdullah was about to travel to Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...
to attend the League of Arab States
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
Summit before going to London for the G20
The G20 or Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigatio ...
summit, it was imperative to leave a senior official in charge, which added burdens to the leukemia-suffering 76-year-old Nayef. Therefore, on 27 March 2009 Prince Nayef was made second deputy prime minister. His appointment caused a public split in the royal family. Prince Talal asked the King to clarify that the appointment did not necessarily mean that Nayef would become crown prince.
His appointment as second deputy prime minister expanded Prince Nayef's influence into all corners of Saudi domestic policy and allowed him to participate in the development of foreign policy. He was not expected to interfere in economic matters, but to influence the judiciary.[
Prince Nayef chaired many cabinet meetings when King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan were away for health reasons.][ Critics said he was behind the cancellation of the nation's only film festival in the summer of 2009.][ In November 2010 he undertook all Hajj-related responsibilities. In some government offices, his picture was added next to King Abdulaziz, King Abdullah, and Crown Prince Sultan.
]
Crown Prince and first deputy prime minister
Prince Nayef was appointed crown prince and first deputy prime minister by King Abdullah on 27 October 2011, five days after the death of Crown Prince Sultan. Shortly thereafter he vowed that Saudi Arabia would "never sway from and never compromise on" its adherence to Wahhabi
Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, an ...
doctrine which he stated was "the source of the kingdom's pride, success and progress."
During his time as crown prince, Nayef brought about modernizations such as "removing religious authorities who objected to the mingling of men and women in public spaces."
Influence
Prince Nayef's career was propelled by his full-brother King Fahd. Under Fahd, the ministry of interior became one of the most influential bureaucracies in Saudi Arabia. Prince Nayef served as a mediator in disputes between King Fahd and Prince Sultan. As King Fahd's health deteriorated, his power gradually diminished as well. In 2003 he "threatened to cancel certain business deals with the French government" if the narcotics investigation of Nayef bin Fawwaz Al Sha'lan
Nayef bin Fawwaz Al Shaalan Al Ruwaily (born 1956) ( ar, نايف بن فواز الشعلان) is a Saudi Arabian diplomat and businessman. As a grandson of Prince Nuri Al-Shaalan, Nayef is a prince and a member of the House of Al-Shaalan.
Busi ...
continued.
When meeting with US diplomats in 2009 Prince Nayef voiced support for aggressive activity against Iran after what he believed was a breach of the 2001 security agreement. He urged European nations to turn in suspected terrorists and asked for US intercession. He said the most effective way to combat extremism was through Friday sermons.
As crown prince Nayef was the most influential of the Sudairi Seven. He delegated the day-to-day responsibilities of his ministry to his son, Prince Muhammad and then-deputy minister Prince Ahmed. Prince Nayef had members of the ministry of interior placed in all overseas embassies.[Al Sudairi Clan]
''Global Security''. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
Various positions
Prince Nayef served for a time as the supervisor general of the Saudi committee for the Al Quds intifada, which provided aid to Palestinian refugees
Palestinian refugees are citizens of Mandatory Palestine, and their descendants, who fled or were expelled from their country over the course of the 1947–49 Palestine war (1948 Palestinian exodus) and the Six-Day War (1967 Palestinian exodu ...
. He headed the supreme council on information which oversaw the media and regulated the internet in the country.[ He also chaired the supreme committee on the Hajj and headed the ministerial committee on morality and the ministerial oversight committee on the ]World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...
.[Who is Prince Nayef?]
''The Weekly Standard'' (23 December 2002). Retrieved 13 October 2011.
Views
Prince Nayef was considered to be one of the more conservative, but also pragmatic, members of the Al Saud family.[ He viewed the potential erosion of the official Wahhabi- Salafi doctrine as a diminishing of the core legitimacy of the state itself and resisted such moves, not from a pronounced sense of religious devotion, but rather a desire to maintain a firm grip on the levers of state power.
In November 2002 Prince Nayef said, "It is impossible that 19 youths carried out the operation of September 11, or that bin Laden or al Qaeda did that alone. ... I think he Zionistsare behind these events." He later proposed that Americans visiting the Kingdom should be fingerprinted like visitors to the United States.][Simon Henderso]
Desert Schism: Prince Nayef Bids for Saudi Thro"1ne
''The Washington Institute for Near East Policy''. 31 March 2009
According to leaked cables, Prince Nayef argued for a tougher approach than King Abdullah towards the then Yemeni president Saleh in 2009. Leaked cables also argued that his views on Iran were more sophisticated and comprehensive than those of King Abdullah.
His motto was "no to change, yes to development".[ He believed that no change is necessary in Saudi Arabia: “Change means changing something that already exists. Whatever exists in the Kingdom is already well-established; however, there is a scope for development – development that does not clash with the principles of the nation”.] In a similar vein, in March 2009, he publicly stated that he saw no need for either elections or women in government
In many countries, women have been underrepresented in the government and different institutions. This historical tendency still persists, although women are increasingly being elected to be heads of state and government.
As of October 20 ...
.
After visiting Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
for planned health-tests in March 2012, Prince Nayef addressed the controversy over the participation of Saudi women athletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London from his residence in Algeria. ''Al Hayat
Al-Hayat ( ar, الحياة meaning "Life") was a London-based, pan-Arab newspaper owned by Saudi Prince Khalid bin Sultan, that had a circulation estimated over 200,000. It was the newspaper of record for the Arab diaspora and the preferred v ...
'' reported that for him women can represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympics as long as they do not break Islamic laws.[ His approval was conditioned on women competing in sports that "meet the standards of women's decency and don't contradict Islamic laws", though even this concession seemed surprising.][ However, only a few days later, his statement led to other statements by Saudi officials. At a press conference in Jeddah, the head of the Saudi Olympic Committee, Nawwaf bin Faisal, explicitly stated that Saudi women athletes would not be sent to the Olympics: "We are not endorsing any Saudi female participation at the moment in the Olympics or other international championships."][ He further added that Saudi women taking part on their own are free to do so, and the Kingdom's Olympic authority would "help in ensuring that their participation does not violate the Islamic shari'a law."][ Though he did emphasize that this was in accordance with a previously stated position, it did seem a rebuff to Crown Prince Nayef.]
Personality
Prince Nayef, before being appointed second deputy prime minister in 2009, was generally described as elusive, ambiguous, pragmatic, unimaginative, shrewd, and outspoken. According to leaked cables, he had a reputation of being anti-Western, but tended to do business if there were shared interests. It is further stated that his conservative approach did not reflect his personal religious personality (indeed, he was rumored to be a heavy drinker in his younger days). However, his conservative views allowed him to gain support from social and religious conservatives. He seemed to be reserved and even a bit shy. He was described as neither well-spoken nor articulate, and had a tendency to repeat platitudes in private as well as in public. He did appear to understand and speak at least some English. On the other hand, Prince Naif was considered by other princes to be one of the kinder members of his royal generation in his approach towards nephews and nieces.[
Prince Nayef and his full brother and then-deputy interior minister, ]Prince Ahmed
This is a list of characters in ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ''The Arabian Nights''), the classic, medieval collection of Middle-Eastern folk tales.
Characters in the frame story Scheherazade
Scheherazade or Shahrazad ( fa, شهرزاد} ...
, were reported to pay massive bonuses to successful security officers. They both also had a reputation for honesty and using the security budget only for the stated purposes, not enriching themselves.
Personal life
Prince Nayef married three times. He was the father of ten children.
His first wife was Noura Alfarraj Alsubaie who died in August 1994.[ His child from this marriage is Jawahir, wife of King Fahd's son, Mohammed bin Fahd, who is former governor of Eastern Province. Jawahir bint Nayef was raised by her aunt Princess Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz Al Saud.]
Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz bin Musaid Al Jiluwi was his second spouse. His children from this marriage are Mohammed, Noura, Saud and Sara.[
His third wife was Maha bint Mohammed Al Sudairi. They later divorced. They had five children: Nouf, Nawwaf, Mishail (born 1986),][ Hayfa and Fahd. His daughter, Nouf bint Nayef (born 1984), is the wife of Mohammed bin Abdullah, one of King Abdullah's sons. Nawwaf bin Nayef was arrested in March 2020 along with his half-brother Muhammad bin Nayef and his uncle Ahmed bin Abdulaziz.
In the early 1960s Prince Nayef lived in Loxwood House in the north London suburb of Totteridge.] He donated £1,000 () to his local member for parliament, Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
, when she was canvassing during the 1964 United Kingdom general election.
Illness
Prince Nayef was said to be suffering from diabetes mellitus
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
and osteoporosis as well as leukemia.[ In March 2012, he went to Morocco for a "private vacation", then to Cleveland for pre-planned medical tests. This news raised some speculation about his health and Saudi succession. He returned to Saudi Arabia after staying in Algeria in April 2012.]
Prince Nayef again left Saudi Arabia for medical tests on 26 May 2012. Although it was unknown where Prince Nayef went, Prince Ahmed stated in '' Al Watan'' on 3 June 2012 that he was "well and in good health ... and he will soon return to Saudi Arabia".[ After his death in June 2012, it was reported that Prince Nayef had gone to ]Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
on 26 May 2012 for treatment for a knee ailment.
Death and funeral
On 16 June 2012 at about 1 pm (UTC+3
UTC+03:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +03:00. In areas using this time offset, the time is three hours later than the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Following the ISO 8601 standard, a time with this offset would be wri ...
), Saudi state television reported that Crown Prince Nayef had died. According to Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was esta ...
, he died in Geneva, Switzerland. A medical source in Geneva said that Nayef died of "cardiac problems" while staying at his brother's residence there.[ His body was kept at the Geneva Mosque before being taken to Jeddah.][
The royal court stated that his funeral would be held on 17 June 2012. It was reported that Crown Prince Nayef's body was brought from Geneva to Jeddah. Funeral prayers were held in the Masjid al-Haram, also known as the Grand Mosque, in Mecca after sunset prayer, led by Sheikh Saud Ash Shuraim. His body was buried in an unmarked grave in ]Al Adl cemetery
The Al-Adl cemetery ( ar, مقبرة العدل, Maqbarat al-‘Adl, lit=Cemetery of Divine Justice) is one of the earliest and largest and of six resting places in Mecca. It is also the second substantial cemetery in the city.
History and locat ...
in Mecca as per his wish on 17 June 2012.
Major political figures sent their condolences to King Abdullah, including US President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
, French President
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...
François Hollande, UK Foreign Minister William Hague
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Turkish President Abdullah Gul
Abdullah may refer to:
* Abdullah (name), a list of people with the given name or surname
* Abdullah, Kargı, Turkey, a village
* ''Abdullah'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film directed by Sanjay Khan
* '' Abdullah: The Final Witness'', a 2015 Pakis ...
, and other leaders of Arab and Persian Gulf States
The Arab states of the Persian Gulf refers to a group of Arab states which border the Persian Gulf. There are seven member states of the Arab League in the region: Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. ...
.[
]
Legacy
On 6 July 2012 King Abdullah renamed the Qassim Regional Airport in Buraidah
Buraidah ( ar, بريدة ') is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Region in north-central Saudi Arabia in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. Buraydah lies equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and Persian Gulf to the east. Its known fo ...
as the Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport
Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport ( ar, مطار الأمير نائف بن عبدالعزيز الدولي) , formerly Qassim International Airport, is an international airport serving Buraidah, Saudi Arabia. Located in Mulayda ou ...
.
Honours and awards
Prince Nayef was the recipient of several honours, including the military Order of the Cloud and Banner by Taiwan (1977), the Legion of Honor by France (1977), the Al Kawkab Decoration by Jordan (1977), the Order of National Security by Republic of Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...
(1980), and the National Order of the Cedar by Lebanon (2009).[ In addition, he was awarded the followings;]
*
Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
(First Class)
*
Order of the Liberator
The Order of the Liberator was the highest distinction of Venezuela and was appointed for services to the country, outstanding merit and benefits made to the community. For Venezuelans the order ranks first in the order of precedence from other or ...
by Venezuela (1977)
Posthumously Prince Nayef was honoured by the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
with the Outstanding Donor Award for the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People on 28 June 2013.
Ancestry
References
External links
*
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, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Nayef Abdulaziz
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1934 births
2012 deaths
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Heirs apparent who never acceded
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Order of National Security Merit members
Recipients of the National Order of the Cedar
Recipients of the Legion of Honour
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Sudairi Seven