Until recently, female U.S. soldiers stationed in Saudi Arabia were required to wear abayas, long gowns that covered the body from head to toe. The U.S. military announced that this policy is no longer required, just strongly encouraged. But while women in the military in Saudi Arabia don’t have to wear the abayas anymore, they still aren’t allowed to drive vehicles or leave military bases without a man with them.

This decision has caused many questions to come out of the woodwork regarding Saudi Arabia. Some wonder why the U.S. military has continued to allow women to have their activities restricted by the local cultures. Others wonder why the United States would make a decision that could offend Saudi Arabian citizens at a time when terrorist acts as a result of religious fanaticism are a concern for the military.

But let’s take this a step further – what is the U.S. military doing in Saudi Arabia?

Sunday, Saudi Arabian officials asked the United States to reduce its military presence in the country. The U.S. military currently has almost 5,000 troops in the country; troops have been stationed in Saudi Arabia since the 1980s, and hundreds of thousands were sent there during the Persian Gulf War.

Osama bin Laden has made it clear that military presence in Saudi Arabia, his native country, is a large motivation for his hatred of America. Saudi Arabia is the home of Islamic holy cities – like Mecca – and there are those who believe foreign troops on that soil is a desecration of Islam.

So, if the Saudi Arabian government doesn’t want us there, and if us being there in the first place is a reason for terrorist attacks against us, why not leave? The military uses Saudi Arabia as a strategic military spot in the Middle East, enforcing no-fly zones over Southern Iraq. Under Saudi rules, U.S. warplanes can only act in self-defense out of Saudi Arabia.

There are those in the administration (as well as outside the administration) who say leaving Saudi Arabia would look like we are making a concession – hence, a victory for Osama bin Laden and the terrorists.

But this is simply not true.

If anything, it can be argued that the departure of the U.S. military is just another step toward eradicating terrorism.

Anti-American sentiment and support for bin Laden and his holy war against America is strong in some parts of the region. What better way to eliminate those hostile feelings toward America than to eliminate the reason we are there. It’s not appeasement; it’s common sense and a rational, pro-active solution to a problem. It would be smart of the United States to start eliminating the reasons some of these people call us “infidels” and “evil.” Bombs alone can’t do that.

While exiting the country at this point in time may not be a popular sentiment, it seems as though it is a strong way to win favor back in the region.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Zach Calef, Omar Tesdell, Charlie Weaver