Robert Lacey
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Robert Lacey

  • Home
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    • Latest Books

      Battle of Brothers

      October 15, 2020

      Latest Books

      The Crown Volume 2: The Official Companion

      November 19, 2019

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      October 1, 2017

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Death Of The Tiger

January 3, 2016
Death Of The Tiger

Here’s a comment I have just posted on the University of Columbia Gulf 2000 website reflecting on the recent execution of the Shia cleric Nimr Al-Nimr by the Saudi government:

Elana DeLozier’s thoughtful post of yesterday reminds me of listening to the Ashura press conferences delivered in the Qatif area within a few days of each other in January 2007 by the two principal Saudi Shia leaders, Sheikh Hassan Al-Saffar and Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr – the Tiger of the Tigers. The tone could not have been more different.

Al-Saffar was conciliatory, moving, passive – quietist in a constructive fashion, anxious to emphasize the gains for the Shia community that he and his colleague Jaffr Al-Shayeb had made through engaging in dialogue with the government.

Al-Nimr was anything but quietist. He was positively incendiary – angry, inflammatory and notably uncompromising. He was contemptuous of Al-Shayeb and Al-Saffar for playing the Saudi game, and called openly for the overthrow of the house of Saud.

At the time the Saudi journalist Rasheed Abou-Alsamh reported as follows: “Sheikh Nimr al Nimr is one of the critics of the dialogue that Al-Shayeb and Sheikh Saffar have been having with the government, insisting that Shiites in Saudi Arabia will only get their rights by fighting for them . . . .”

Abou-Alsamh quoted Al-Nimr as saying: “The government is not going to give us our rights; the people are going to have fight for them. If people fight for their rights, they have to expect to pay the price for it . . .”

For western reporters to describe Al-Nimr as promoting peaceful protest in Saudi Arabia is not an accurate portrayal of the man that I heard calling for civil disobedience – especially in contrast to the stance taken by Sheikh Al-Saffar. They should have seen the storm troopers surrounding the “Tiger” at that press conference in 2007 and should consider the record of his supporters since then. It is no coincidence that all violent and weapon-toting demonstrations in the Qatif area have emanated from Al-Nimr’s village of Al-Awamiyya, with tragic deaths occurring among the demonstrators inspired by Al-Nimr, as well among the Saudi policemen trying to deal with protestors who were openly carrying – and making use of – firearms.

In his 2007 report, Abou-Alsamh suggested an economic reason for Al-Nimr’s aggressive approach:

“The division between the Saudi Shiites is due in part to economic differences that have left a large portion of the Shiite community in a state of financial desperation. Sheikh Nimer is one of those living in a poorer area, so poor in fact that he was not able to hold nightly Husseiniyas, or religious lectures that are held during Ashoura, because he did not have access to a building in which to hold it.
“In contrast, Sheikh Saffar held daily Husseiniyas in a brand new, three-storey building in Tarout that is owned by a local family.
“‘If Sheikh Saffar and his followers think things are improving for Shiites that is their opinion, but I don’t agree with them,’ said Nimr.”

Abou-Alsamh’s article – very valuable in having become an historical record of events nine years ago – can be read in full here.

As I look back to Ashura of 2007, I have an enduring memory of Al-Nimr’s fury at that press conference. I thought there was something threatening – and certainly deeply uncompromising – about his pride in having recently been jailed by the Saudi government, and his suggestion that more should follow his path.

His arguments had justice, and looking at the poor village around him, one could see the reasons for his anger. But nine years later I can also see why his hated enemy, the Al-Saud, might have decided that compromise was pointless with the tiger who was never going to make peace with them.

The question is, having demonstrated their ability to punish, can the Saudi government now issue proper rewards to the Shia who play their game?

Saudi Arabia
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Robert Lacey

Robert Lacey

British historian and writer

Robert Lacey is a British historian noted for his original research, which gets him close to – and often living alongside – his subjects. He is the author of numerous international bestsellers. lege felicter - may you read happily

Lege feliciter - may you read happily

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Posted @withregram • @crownpublishing Did anyone Posted @withregram • @crownpublishing Did anyone else spend their entire Sunday watching the new season of The Crown on @netflix? Because same 😃 If you want even more, check out the official companions, exploring the history behind the earlier seasons. 👑
Thanks to @podsave and @harpercollinsuk for this p Thanks to @podsave and @harpercollinsuk for this photo of Robert Lacey following his chat with @anngripper about his new book #battleofbrothers.
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Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult. Published on October 15th. 

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In 'Battle of Brothers' Robert Lacey is set to she In 'Battle of Brothers' Robert Lacey is set to shed further light on the relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry leading up to and following on from #Megxit.

Read the exclusive article in @tatlermagazine about Robert's new book which will be published on 15 October.

https://www.tatler.com/article/robert-lacey-battle-of-brothers-prince-william-prince-harry

(Photo: UK cover on the left and US on the right)

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In the forthcoming book Battle of Brothers: Willia In the forthcoming book Battle of Brothers: William and Harry — the Friendship and the Feuds, biographer #RobertLacey will “address the unique and complex relationship at the heart of the royal family’s recent woes,” #battleofbrothers #britishmonarchy #harryandmeghan #williamandkate #williamandharry #bookstagram
The Year 1000 - published in 1999 and co-authored The Year 1000 - published in 1999 and co-authored with Danny Danziger. 
Ever wondered what life was like at the turn of the first millennium? How did monks communicate if they were not allowed to speak? What punishments could the law impose without stone and iron prisons in which to lock up offenders? Why was July called ‘the hungry month’? Why did they grind pigeons’ eggs in mortar? The Year 1000 answers these questions and reveals many more secrets such as the recipe for a medieval form of Viagra and an hallucinogenic treat called ‘crazy bread’. A vivid and surprising portrait of life in England a thousand years ago, The Year 1000 brings this distant world closer than ever before. Robert Lacey teams up with Danny Danziger on this informative Number 1 bestseller that inspired the BBC radio series.

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