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Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
Ministry of the Interior
Born: 1934, Taif
Education: Educated in the study of religion, diplomacy,
and security affairs
Offices: Minister of the Interior
Lineage: Son of King Ibn Saud, member of the "Sudairi
Seven"
Line to Throne: Second
Since 1975, Prince Nayef has headed Saudi Arabia's Ministry of the
Interior, which oversees the nation's civil security forces and
maintains stability within the kingdom. As the primary threats to
the Saudi government have shifted from external countries such as
Iraq and Iran to internal volatility, power has shifted subtly
from Prince Sultan's military to Nayef's interior service forces.
Prince Nayef's politics are aligned with the conservative Islamic
tenets that underpin Saudi Arabian society. The House of Saud is
historically bound to a particularly devout platform of Islam
based upon the teachings of the 18th century cleric Muhammad ibn
Abd al-Wahhab, who was an important ally of Saud family patriarch
Muhammad bin Saud. While Crown Prince Abdullah has begun to
advance reformist policies, Prince Nayef has garnered political
clout from conservative Saudis and courted support for the Saud
regime with right-wing religious factions. In what some viewed as
a tough stance toward Western power, Nayef denied the U.S. access
to several Saudis implicated in the 1996 bombing of Khobar Towers
in Dhahran, which killed 19 American servicemen. More recently,
Nayef has been accused of turning a blind eye to the activities of
radical clerics who wish to cleanse the Islamic holy land of
non-Muslims. Progressive Saudis criticize hardliners like Nayef
for seeking to uphold the kingdom's strict Islamic traditions at
the expense of its citizens and its future.
An influential player within the House of Saud, Prince Nayef's
rank within the family rose even higher with the death of his
brother King Fahd. Younger than Crown Prince Sultan and an active
participant in state affairs, Prince Nayef may yet get his chance
at the Saudi throne.
Source: PBS.org
As of March, 2006
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