Remembering the Anti-Israel King of Arabia Who Dared to 'Punish' America

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Exactly 51 years ago today, the world lost a respected leader from the Arabian Peninsula. Faisal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the third king in the history of the Saudi dynasty, fell on 25 March 1975 after being shot by his own nephew. His father, Abdul Aziz, passed away in 1953. Initially, Saud, as the eldest son of the late king, was to be appointed as his successor to the throne. Faisal was given the position of prime minister. However, rivalry then emerged between the two. It seemed that Saud, as king, disliked the existence of the prime minister position, which made his power seem less absolute. In the end, Faisal was forced to resign from the prime minister position in 1960. King Saud then took direct control over the cabinet. However, political instability still occurred. On 23 March 1964, Saudi ulama issued a fatwa calling on King Saud to hand over all government affairs to Faisal. They wanted the king to serve only as a symbol of national unity, without executive power. The fatwa received support from the ministers. Finally, the king accepted the fatwa. Political turmoil did not cease after that. At the end of October 1964, several members of the Saud Dynasty along with ulama issued a stronger statement. They called for Saud to abdicate the throne. Subsequently, Faisal was urged to ascend as king. Starting from 2 November 1964, this change came to fruition. Faisal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud thus became the king of Saudi Arabia.