Al Sudairi Clan
Since Fahd's ascent to the throne in 1982, the most influential clan of the Al Faisal branch of the Al Saud family has been the Al Sudairi [Sudeiri], known by the patronymic of Fahd's mother [Hussa bint Ahmad Al Sudairi, known later as Umm Fahd]. Among the sons of Ibn Saud, the so-called Sudairi Seven (King Fahd along with princes Sultan, Abdel-Rahman, Nayef, Turki, Salman and Ahmed, who are full brothers) hold positions of significance, although neither Prince Abdel-Rahman nor Prince Turki hold formal office. Fahd had seven full brothers, including Minister of Defense Sultan, who was second in the line of succession, Minister of Interior Nayif, and Governor of Riyadh Salman. Sultan and Salman were considered to be Fahd's closest political advisers. In 1983 Fahd appointed one of Sultan's sons, Bandar, to be the Saudi ambassador to the United States. Another of Sultan's sons, Khalid, was the de facto commander of Saudi armed forces during the Persian Gulf War. At least once a week, the king and his full brothers met for a family dinner at which they shared perspectives about national and international politics. In addition to his full brothers, seven of Fahd's half brothers were sons of other Al Sudairi women whom his father had married. As the sons of Fahd and his brothers matured and assumed government responsibilities during the 1980s, some Saudis began to refer to the clan as Al Fahd instead of Al Sudairi.
Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz
Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz is Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General. Prince Sultan was born in Riyadh in 1928, and received his early education in religion, modern culture and diplomacy along with his brothers at the royal court. Prince Sultan was appointed Governor of Riyadh in 1947. Much of his time, however, was taken up in assisting his father in the setting up of a national administrative system based on justice and the implementation of Islamic Shari'ah law.
HRH Prince Sultan became Minister of Agriculture in 1953 and Minister of Communications in 1955. In 1982, on the accession of King Fahd, Prince Sultan was named Second Deputy Prime Minister. Prince Sultan began public service when he was appointed Governor of Riyadh in 1947. In 1953, when the Council of Ministers was formed, he became Minister of Agriculture. In 1955, he was appointed Minister of Communications in which position he made a major contribution to the development of the Kingdom's road and telecommunications networks. At that time, he also oversaw the construction of the Kingdom's rail link between Dammam and Riyadh.
In 1963, Prince Sultan was appointed Minister of Defense and Aviation, an appointment he still holds. In this role, Prince Sultan has presided over the development of Saudi Arabia's army, navy and airforce, providing the Kingdom with a modern, well-equipped and well-trained defense capability, based on a network of military cities across the Kingdom. Prince Sultan is also Chairman of the Board of Saudi Arabian Airlines, the Kingdom's national airline. In addition, Prince Sultan is Chairman of the Higher Council for Islamic Affairs, a recently-formed organization dedicated to the service of Muslims and Muslim minorities throughout the world.
One of Prince Sultan's sons, Bandar, holds the internationally prominent post of ambassador to the US, while another, Khalid, has been deputy defence minister since January 2002.
Prince Sultan denied the United States use of Saudi bases to stage military strikes on Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks, stating that his government “will not accept in [Saudi Arabia] even a single soldier who will attack Muslims or Arabs.” Years before, on the same way, Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Sultan stated his country would not permit allied aircraft to launch preventive or major retaliatory strikes against Iraq from bases in Saudi Arabia.
In November 2003 a U.S. District Court Judge has dismissed a lawsuit that was brought against certain members of the Saudi government. Judge Robertson said: "Plaintiff’s allegations that Prince Sultan or Prince Turki funded those who carried out the September 11th attacks would stretch the causation requirement … not only to the farthest reaches of the common law but perhaps beyond, to terra incognita.”
Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, born in 1934, had an education that included studies in religion, diplomacy and security affairs. Positions held include: Governor of Riyadh, 1953-54; Deputy Minister of the Interior; Minister of State for Internal Affairs, 1970; President, Supreme Council for Information; Minister of the Interior since 1975. The Ministry of the Interior oversees public security, coast guards, civil defense, fire stations, border police, special security and investigative functions, including criminal investigation. Recent successes for Prince Nayef have included placing Mubathath (Interior Ministry) employees in all overseas embassies.
In December 1994 Prince Nayef directed the crackdown on fundamentalists and ordered hundreds of arrests. In doing so he had the active support of Prince Turki bin Faycal, head of the intelligence services.
Prince Nayef is the supervisor general of the Saudi Committee for the Al Quds Intifada, which helps the families of suicide bombers. A Saudi government press release from January 2001 notes that the "Saudi Committee for Support of the Al-Quds Intifada", headed and administered by Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, the kingdom's interior minister, had distributed $33 million to "deserving Palestinians"including "the families of 2,281 prisoners and 358 martyrs." Other releases from subsequent months detailed further payments to Palestinian "martyrs" totaling tens of millions of dollars. In July 2001 Prince Nayif Bin-Abd-al-Aziz, the minister of interior and the general supervisor of the Saudi committee for supporting Al-Quds intifadah (uprising) directed the committee to disburse an amount of SR5.57m [Saudi riyals] to help the needy people in Palestine. The financial assistance will be disbursed to 28 families of the martyrs, 248 injured people, 232 families whose houses were demolished by the Israeli occupying forces and 29 Palestinian charitable societies in charge of distributing food baskets to the needy people. The executive committee for supporting Al-Quds intifadah has started disbursing the money directly to the needy people in Palestine.
A decision to begin issuing women with identity cards was taken for the first time in November 2001. The Directorate of Civil Status issued the first identity cards to women on 3 November, thus making it much easier for women to carry out transactions - financial, legal and social - and is therefore considered a highly significant move. Previously Saudi women were registered on their husband's or father's identity cards. The move has the backing of Saudi Arabia's Interior Minister, Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, who had made a series of supportive comments. On March 16, 2002, fourteen girls wre killed and over 50 were injured due to a fire in a girls school in Mecca. The Religious Police ( Mutaween) did not allow the Fire Department to save the girls in the pretext that girls should be covered up and that Men can not enter a girls school. Prince Nayef, Minister of Interior, promised stiff action against these Mutaween.
Prince Abdel-Rahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Among the sons of Ibn Saud, the so-called Sudairi Seven hold positions of significance. As of 1999 Prince Abdel Rahman, then 68 years old, was the Deputy Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General.
Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Among the sons of Ibn Saud, the so-called Sudairi Seven hold positions of significance, although Prince Turki did not hold formal office. Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud should not be confused with Prince Turki Al-Faisal bin Abd Al-Aziz Al Saud, who was head of the Department of General Intelligence between 1977 and 2001. Prince Turki Al-Faisal is a son of former Saudi King Faisal, who was assassinated in 1975.
Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
Prince Salman bin Abdel Aziz, governor of Riyadh, arbitrates disputes among the 7,000 members of the royal family. Although he is the 16th eldest, and his brother Prince Sultan would be considered before him, succession is determined by family consensus, and Salman is probably on the short list. Many Saudi businessmen say their choice to succeed Abdullah would be Prince Salman, whose hard-working habits are legendary. Although western diplomats consider him a voice of reason, he was sued by the families of the victims of Sept. 11, who accused hime of supporting charities linked to terrorism. Salman is traditionally more favorable to an agreement with Wahhabit fundamentalists. Prince Salman maintained ties with their leaders, particularly those in the regions of Burayda and Durraya where he travels often. During the war in Afghanistan, he organized transportation for moudjahidines from different Arab countries to Pakistan to help back the most fundamentalist Afghan movements. During the mid-1990s his major opponent was the Minister of Interior, Prince Nayef who is also a Sudeiri.
Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz serves as Deputy Minister of Interior. The head of Saudi Arabian intelligence, prince Turki al Faisal, and the country's deputy interior minister, prince Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz, travelled to Islamabad on 10-12 July 1996 for talks with Pakistan's interior minister, Nasrallah Babr, as well as the chiefs of military intelligence. Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud should not be confused with Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz [the first Arab owner to win the Kentucky Derby].
