The young and the restless Saudi Arabian youths struggle with r

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- They can be seen on the streets and in coffee shops -- teen-agers flashing their phone numbers on pieces of cardboard or leaving them on bits of paper stuck to car windows.

These young Saudis are risking a public flogging in hopes of snaring a date -- even if it's confined only to the phone.

About half the population is under 18, and these days their closeted life is coming under scrutiny by older Saudis as they try to fathom the frustrations that might lead young men into the arms of militant Islam. The soul-searching has intensified since it emerged that 15 of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were Saudi.

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam, and its strict and ascetic interpretation of Islam means movie theaters, nightclubs and dating are banned. Even to visit a mall on the weekend, a young man must be chaperoned by a female relative to keep him away from girls.

"There's nowhere for us to go except cafes and cruising the streets," said Anas al-Masoud, an 18-year-old student. "Everything else is closed in our faces. How can you expect some men not to make mistakes?"

His 21-year-old brother, majoring in accounting, talked about life after graduation, when "it takes forever to find a well-paying job and forever to save money to get married."

Boyfriends by phone

A group of 16-year-old girls at a mall one weekend said the food court and a round of shopping were the week's highlight.

Eating McDonald's burgers and fries -- which they said tasted better than the local rice-based, spicy dishes -- they compared notes on their "boyfriends."

These were basically men with whom they were in a telephone relationship, and the talk was about how the guys sound on the phone when they're angry, and whose mobile phone has the best ringing tone.

"We do this every week and it's getting boring," said Hana, who did not want to be further identified. "But the alternative is sitting between four walls at home."

Many Saudis are appealing to officials to find jobs for the young, provide them with recreation outlets and ease the growing costs of marriage; a dowry and wedding party can cost over $50,000.

The problem confronting youngsters is in part that the oil wealth has dwindled. Three decades ago the Saudi population was much smaller -- 7 million to 8 million -- and the government could afford to give a graduate a gift of nearly $30,000, plus a job and land on which to build a house.

Per capita GDP has fallen from $28,000 in 1981 to just under $8,000 in 2000 and the population has doubled. There are no statistics for unemployment, but it is estimated at 15 percent.

Abdulrahman al-Tuwaijri, secretary-general of the Supreme Economic Council, said the government is modernizing laws to attract investors.

"It's time for us to live like the rest of the world," said al-Tuwaijri, a former executive director with the International Monetary Fund in Washington.

The outside world is intruding faster than Saudi Arabia's rulers would like. Satellite dishes, illegal but widespread, beam down "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Friends" to kids fed on a steady diet of religion.