Saudi Jeans

My cousin Ahmed al-Haddad, who got married last summer, has been blessed with a baby boy he named Mohammed after his beloved father. Both mommy and the baby are doing fine, and the whole family is happy.

I’m turning 24 today, and I don’t know what to make of it.

Usually, I’m not so big on birthdays. Why should people celebrate getting older, especially that few years later they will wish they were younger?

Living for almost quarter of a century, I have come to realize how useless my life has been so far. Not that I’m not trying, but I just fail. Again and again. Maybe I’m not trying hard enough? Or am I trying too hard that I can’t put things in perspective anymore?

I don’t know.

My birthday cake from last year. Courtesy of my roommate.

When I think about the past year, and despite all disappointments and failures, after all is said and done, I believe that I am blessed and lucky. Blessed because I have people in my life who made it their mission to see me happy and content; and lucky because although I have not done anything impressive, many good things happened to me.

I have made great friends, I have traveled to new places, and above all I have been overwhelmed by people’s kindness. Whether those people know me better than I know myself, or total strangers who recognized me in airports and restaurants, I have come to see and feel the goodness inside them, and it was a reminder that no matter how hard life can get, that it is with love and compassion that we survive.

My friend and fellow blogger Hadeel al-Hodaif has passed away. About three weeks ago, she has suddenly gone into a coma just two days after her 25th birthday. My heartfelt condolences to her family.

May Allah bless her soul in heavenly peace.

P.S. Because she always asked me to write in Arabic, here’s my good-bye.

So, four years, huh? Who would have thought?

Looking back today, I can’t help but feel nostalgic about the good ole days of 2004-05, when there was only a handful of Saudi blogs out there and almost everyone knew each other. I miss the over-excitement of Farooha over a lot of things, I miss the deliberately-politically-incorrect dark sense of humor by Wasma, and I certainly miss the shining thoughtfulness of Riyadhawi.

But don’t get me wrong. I am proud of the fact that I’ve worked to help create the active lively community that is the Saudi blogosphere, and incidents like Fouad’s detention and Hadeel’s illness have proved what a long way we have come. I just miss the good smell of freshness, witnessing the birth bangs of something new.

I wanted to say that this blog has changed my life, but I think it makes more sense to say that this blog is changing my life: it is introducing me to interesting people, it is opening doors of opportunity for me, and it is an amazing ongoing learning experience.

I never planned for any of this, and sometimes it can be overwhelming and exhausting, but I know one thing for sure: I don’t want to stop now.

Old timers on this blog probably know that I’m a big fan of Lubna Hussain, and they probably remember how I used to link to her articles in Arab News frequently here. Unfortunately, Lubna stopped contributing regularly to Arab News sometime ago. Earlier this week, I had the pleasure to meet Lubna for the first time, and I told her that I miss her potent and strong articles. She asked me if she can write in my blog, and I, surprised by her kind gesture, immediately said: “yes, that would be great!”

Lubna Hussain currently runs NBC Universal Riyadh bureau, and she is the host of Bridges, a weekly political talk show that airs every Saturday on Channel 2 of Saudi TV. I’m extremely honored to have her as the first guest blogger on Saudi Jeans and looking forward to read her posts here.

Welcome, Lubna!

I woke up around 5:30 this morning on the beeping of my iPhone which received a short message from the wife of my friend and fellow blogger Fouad al-Farhan telling me that Fouad has been released and that he is back home with his family now. That’s great news and this is just how I wanted to start my morning!

The good news made me less nervous and more relaxed about giving my presentation today. I’m doing some final revision now and should be standing on the stage in the main room at the Hilton Hall to speak in a couple of hours.

When the organizers of the L&T Symposium asked me few months ago who they should invite to speak about blogging in Saudi Arabia, Hadeel was on top of the list that I recommended. It would be hard for me to speak on the stage knowing that she is supposed to be there with me, but I will keep her in my thoughts and prayers.

I fly to Jeddah in a few hours. The symposium won’t kick off till Saturday, but I thought I would arrive a bit earlier to hang out with my friends and meet some people. I found out that fellow blogger Mohammed Milyani will also be speaking at the event but in a different session.

The symposium blog confirmed yesterday that Queen Rania of Jordan will be the opening night keynote speaker. If you want to follow the event keep an eye on their blog and this page. The sessions will be broadcasted live on ART (probably the open-to-air Ein channel), and it will also be webcast courtesy of MeduNet.

I’m not sure how often I will be able to update the blog while I’m in Jeddah but you can always check out my Twitter page to read some fresh bits and pieces.

Dr. Mohammed al-Hodaif, father of fellow blogger Hadeel, said earlier today that his daughter was found lying in her bed and she has gone into a coma. Hadeel has just celebrated her 25th birthday two days ago and I have been looking forward to meet her in Jeddah where we are scheduled to speak in a discussion panel at the L&T Symposium next Saturday. She is in the ICU now and her father said she is in a critical state. Please pray for her. الله يشفيها ويقومها بالسلامة يا رب

Read More

• In the Making: Blogger Hadeel in Danger
• Latest updates on Twitter from family and friends
• Murtadha Almtawaah: bloggers,, sharing the pain with Hadeel

Many people in the KSU community have been excited about appointing Abdullah al-Othman as a new rector. Although I despised all the ass-kissing published in the university newsletter after he took the helm at Saudi Arabia’s oldest university, I must give the man some credit for many good initiatives that he’s been pushing. One of the these initiatives is opening the campus for new voices rarely heard around here.

As part of their regular weekly events, the student affairs deanship at KSU will host tomorrow a discussion panel featuring Mufleh al-Qahtani and Saleh al-Khathlan from the National Society for Human Rights. It should be a good chance to raise awareness among ignorant students — if they show up, that is — and also talk about the current state of human rights conditions in the country.

Unfortunately, I have a practical exam at the same time so I won’t be able to attend, but I will try to finish early and catch what’s left by the time I’m done with my exam.

This is an open event, so if you are interested I highly encourage you to come. Girls are out of luck because AFAIK this event won’t be transmitted to the girls’ campus in Olaysha. Unless, of course, you have the ovaries to come to the boys’ campus and try to find a seat there. A few female journalists were allowed to attend Prince Turki al-Faisal lecture last month at Hamad al-Jassir auditorium.

What: Human Right — Between Reality and Ambition
Who: Mufleh al-Qahtani, VP of NSHR; Saleh al-Khathlan, member of NSHR
When: Monday, April 21, 2008. 12:30 PM
Where: Building No.7, Auditorium 7A, opposite to the College of Arts

I stayed in Jeddah for a week in 2006, and I loved it. The visit was to meet friends and fellow bloggers and also to see the city for the first time as I never been there before. I had a blast, and I’ve been seriously thinking about moving to Jeddah after I finish school here in Riyadh.

I will visit Jeddah again this week for a few days to participate in a conference. I was invited by Effat College to speak about blogging in the Kingdom at the 6th Annual Learning and Technology Symposium that will be held on April 26-27. As always, I’m lucky to have the company of great people who will share the stage with me. This time I’m honored to be joined by fellow blogger Hadeel al-Hodaif and videoblogger Baba Ali.

However, it saddens me that I won’t be able to see my friend Fouad when I visit his hometown. Last time I was there he took me to his favorite places in town and we had a lot of fun. I received the invitation and agreed to participate just a few days before he was arrested.

During the last few weeks I was hoping that he would be released before I come to Jeddah but unfortunately not much has happened since then. I thought about withdrawing because it will be painful for me to visit Jeddah again knowing I won’t see him, but then I decided it was better to go and talk about his case instead of staying home.

It is too late for you to register for the conference now, but if you happen to be a lady then you might be interested in another event hosted by Effat College this week. Head Over Heels in Saudi Arabia is a play that touches topics concerning Saudi women and addresses many questions raised about them. The performance is open for ladies only, and the ticket price is SR 100. For more information, please call 0530899829 or 026364300 ext. 1316 or ext. 5001. (Hat tip to fellow Jeddawiah blogger Glow!)

Finally, I leave you with the unofficial soundtrack for my trip: Jeddah (My Hometown City) ‘02 by Qusai aka Don Legend the Kamelion. Trust me, you want to give this song a listen!

I’m flying to Cairo this Tuesday to participate at a workshop organized by the Arab Network for Human Rights Information aka HRinfo.net, which is blocked in Saudi Arabia btw. The two-day workshop will focus on human rights and the internet — how activists can use the net to promote human rights and how the net can help the activists to do a better job.

I will be meeting some friends like fellow blogger Khaled Al Nassir and Wael Abbas, the Egyptian A-list blogger whom I’ve met in Beirut last year. I will also be looking forward to meet Gamal Eid, Ahmed Gharbia and Abdelmenim Mahmoud as well as the famous couple Manal and Alaa.

As I have to be back right away for school, I won’t have much free time to spend in Cairo, but any pointers on what I should do and what I should see are highly appreciated. I’m thinking about having a meet up with bloggers so if you are interested please let me know.

Demanding the release of detained Saudi blogger Fouad Al Farhan, the Hands Across the Middle East Support Alliance (HAMSA) has called for a vigil today in front of the Saudi Embassy in Washington DC from 13:00-14:45. If you cannot attend, please take a moment to join over 1,200 other people and send a letter to Saudi officials calling for Fouad’s release.

On a related note, all bloggers are invited to participate in “Fouad’s Week,” a week long event in which we are going to embrace “We Are All Fouads” as a slogan. The event will take place between Saturday Feb 9th and Friday Feb 15th. You can read more on the goals of this event and how you can take part here.

Done with the finals and back to blogging. I will probably spend most of my spring break here in Riyadh because I have some stuff to do. I miss my family and friends in the east, but I’m not complaining. On Monday, I will be attending a course in patient education at the lectures auditorium of King Abdulaziz Historical Center. As for the rest of the week, I will be hanging out with friends and doing some press interviews. I will leave town next Sunday, relax for a few days in the EP, and then get back here for the start of the 2nd semester.

I won’t be blogging for the next two weeks in order to focus more on my studies. I will be back in the first week of February, but I will update the blog in case there was any breaking news regarding Fouad’s case. Meanwhile, you can follow my latest updates on Twitter and Facebook. See you soon.

Wishing you all a peaceful and prosperous Eid, enjoyed with your family and friends. May Allah accept your deeds and forgive your lapses.

The Eid header shows my cousins Mohammed and Zainab, and my brother Hadi, playing and having fun during the same time last year.

Next Saturday I will be flying to Beirut, Lebanon to participate at the 2nd Arab Free Press Forum, a media conference organized by the World Association of Newspapers and An-Nahar daily. The conference will provide an overview of the latest press developments in the Arab world, from obstructive government policies, to case studies of newspapers that combine editorial independence with commercial success, to the rise of blogging and the role blogs play on the Arab media scene of today.

I will be speaking on the second day of the conference on a discussion panel titled “Blogs, an Alternative Way of Telling the News.” I’m humbled to be joined on the panel by Egyptian A-list blogger Wael Abbas, Jordanian blogger Mohammed Azraq, and Wadih Tueni, IT Manager of An-Nahar. The panel is moderated by Egyptian human rights lawyer Mohammed Abdelfattah.

It will be my first time to speak in a conference so I’m excited and nervous but I’m also looking forward to it. I hope I will be able to update the blog from Beirut, but I read that using the internet in Lebanese hotels is outrageously expensive. If any of you will be in Beirut at the same time and would like to meet up, drop me a line and we will see if we can pull something off.

My friend Carol Fleming has recently moved her excellent blog from MySpace to WordPress. In case you don’t know, Carol’s blog offers some really interesting views on Saudi Arabia through the eyes of a former US diplomat who is now married to a Saudi and living in Riyadh. She has a lot of good ideas and I thought I would steal one of them: is there any topic that you would like to read more about on Saudi Jeans? Mirela, one of my readers, has asked me to write about handicapped people, accessibility, religion and marriage. What about you? You can leave a comment below, contact me here, or email me: ahmed at saudijeans dot org.

Middle East Broadcasting Corporation, or simply MBC, are looking for a woman to work on online community development for the imatter project which focuses on empowering women across the Arab World. I’m posting this because I thought some fellow female bloggers might be interested in getting this job, especially that the job description goes well with what they are already doing with their blogs. If you would like to apply please follow the instructions posted here, and let me know as I might be able to help.

Wishing you all a very happy Eid.

Arrived safely to Riyadh on Tuesday afternoon. We had tons of fun in New York despite the short amount of time we were given there. Of course two days are absolutely not enough to see even a little part of this big city but we tried our best to use all the time we had while there. The highlight was attending The Lion King in Broadway. The show was truly amazing and the way Times Square was buzzing with people and lights is one of a kind. I guess I will be probably writing a longer post about the whole trip shortly, but for now I’m exhausted and I need to get some rest after all the traveling.

It was ironic that we only had 48 hours in New York and it took us almost as much as that to travel from NYC to Saudi Arabia. We were supposed to leave NYC to Frankfurt and then take another plane to Riyadh. The departure from JFK was delayed and we could not catch our connecting flight. The next flight to Riyadh was about 11 hours later and it had to go first to Abu Dhabi where we also had to wait for another six hours. The return trip was really tough and exhausting.

I want to thank those who nominated and selected me. I want to thank all the people I met in the States during these two weeks. You made this trip so worthwhile and unforgettable. I want to thank my friends who accompanied me on the program for making this trip fun and informative. And finally special thanks to someone who made these two weeks far more enjoyable than I was expecting them to be (you know who you are

Alabama wasn’t so much fun, but it was absolutely amazing to see the landmarks of the civil rights movement and experience the stories of its history in places like the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church and the house of Martin Luther King. Tomorrow morning we fly to New York which will be the last stop in our trip. Our time in NYC is short but we will get a chance to attend a Broadway show and meet some friends. It should be exciting.

We are finally in Montgomery, Alabama after a long trip all the way from Bozeman, Montana. More from here later.

So today was our last day in the state of Montana. We spent the day doing meetings and had a chance to meet Governor Brian Schweitzer who used to work in Saudi Arabia in the 1980’s and spent seven years there. It was certainly refreshing to meet an American official who lived in our country and know about our culture. Tomorrow morning we will fly to Montgomery, Alabama in our third stop to learn more about the civil liberties movement. It should be interesting.

Back from Yellowstone National Park. Now I probably have not seen much of the world, but these colorful lands have to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is amazing that when you go to spend some time in the nature you realize how we human beings are always touched by the simplest things in life, like sitting on the grass by the river talking with a friend or walking slowly between the long trees. A lot of emotions and ideas are floating in my head upon returning from Yellowstone but I don’t think now is the right time to bring them out. Some pictures can be found here. I leave you with this fascinating scene of the Old Faithful geyser erupting like it has always done for thousands of years:

Our second day in Bozeman, Montana, was good. Aside from the regular meetings, we got a chance to visit a middle school were we met American kids and answered their questions about Saudi Arabia. We also enjoyed some home hospitality in one the most beautiful places that I’ve ever seen in my life. It was unbelievably awash with colors and had this amazingly peaceful feeling. A group of the Saudi Students Club have come to meet us while we were there, and they even were nice enough to invite us for breakfast. Tomorrow we will spend the whole day in Yellowstone National Park, a place everyone here says is fascinating. Later folks.

Ramadhan Kareem everyone Here is the view from my room window in the Holiday Inn of Bozeman, Montana. It was a long journey from Washington DC through Chicago to Montana but we are finally here. The place is very different and quiet, but we are interested to explore more.

On our last day in DC we finished our meeting early so we got a chance to go to George Town and visit the National Gallery. More pictures can be found here. This picture is particularly dedicated to my friend Roba: Eat your heart out!

When you read this post, I will most probably be at Bahrain International Airport waiting for my flight to Washington D.C. through Frankfurt. It is the first time for me to visit the United States as well as being my first trip to a non-Arab country. The two-week trip is a part of a long-running exchange program called the International Visitor Leadership Program. It is sponsored by the State Department and a number of prestigious NGO’s, and it has been running since the early 1970’s.

Last year, there was this American professor who was visiting Saudi Arabia to learn more about the country and its people. The professor has been reading my blog for a while and he wanted to meet me to talk about blogging and youth culture in the Kingdom. We met in a hotel lobby in Riyadh and talked for a few hours. Present at that meeting was an official from the US Embassy who was coordinating the professor’s trip.

In the middle of an answer to a question I mentioned that I’ve never been to the States or Europe. The American official was a bit surprised that my English was very good despite the fact that I’ve never been to the US or the UK. Later, she said they have this exchange program at the embassy and asked me if I would be interested in such thing. I said “yes,” although I thought she was just being nice, and shortly I forgot about the whole thing.

Few months later she contacted me saying that I was nominated for the program and they will need some information about me. Even at that point, I did not take this thing seriously. I was saying: there will be a lot of people nominated who are much better than me and they will certainly be chosen over me.

It wasn’t until the beginning of this summer when the embassy contacted me saying I was selected for the program so they should start arranging for my participation in the program. They have taken care of almost everything: I just had to sign the papers and show up for the visa interview.

However, visiting the US Embassy in Riyadh for the interview was not a very pleasant experience. One day in August, at 6:40 AM, I was standing in a quickly growing line outside the embassy building. Around 7:20, they started allowing people to enter.

I was somehow lucky because when I showed the security officer my papers he took me ahead of others. I went through the highly-guarded gates, took a number and waited for my turn. The process was relatively slow and the atmosphere inside the embassy was cold and dry.

Before going in, I thought the interview would go something like this: you come into a room and sit on a chair facing two or three people who would ask you some questions, chat with you a little bit and then you leave. Needless to say, that was not the case.

After waiting for about two-and-a-half hours, it was finally my turn for the interview. I went to the the interview window (yes, not a room, just a glass window) not knowing what to expect, and there was this blond lady who asked first me to put my fingers on a device to take my fingerprints.

She started questioning me in a rather accusing tone about my intention of the visit and who nominated me for the program. She asked me why I was nominated for which I did not have a good answer and it was a question she better ask to those who nominated me.

The way of questioning made me nervous and it felt to me more of an interrogation than an interview. After a long pause and some staring at me, she said my papers were incomplete and there was a missing form that I had to provide. I told her it was her colleagues at the embassy who prepared all the paperwork for me and all I had to do was to sign them. She said my application could not be processed until I provide the missing form. She gave me my passport and said someone from there would contact me later.

Few days later someone from the embassy called and said the missing form was still in Washington; as soon as it arrived they sent it to me. I signed the form and fedex’d it with my passport. After two weeks I had my passport back with a short visit visa.

Now that I got the visa, I have to admit that I expected the process to be smoother than how it was. I mean: the program is sponsored by the State Department and they were responsible for arranging the whole thing. In general, the experience was relatively good, but that’s maybe because I was expecting it to be worse, except for the interview part which really sucked.

I am looking forward to this program, and I want to make the most out of this trip. I will be joined by three other Saudis, two ladies and one gentelman, who were also selected for the program, but I have yet to meet them. I will be first at Washington DC and will spend some time at NYC later in the month, so if you would like to meet up just drop me a line and we’ll see if we can pull something off. Hope that I will be able to update the blog with more words and pictures while I’m there so stay tuned.

For Saudi students who would like to pursue education in the United States, the US Embassy in Riyadh offer you a chance for a web chat with Council Kathleen Riley to talk about the visa application process. According to the Embassy website, she will discuss how to schedule an appointment for a visa interview, the documents that students should bring for their interviews, and the entry and registration requirements for Saudi students studying in the U.S. The discussion will take place on September 9th at 15:30, and you can join in here, but you need first to login using the address: student_visa@state.gov. No password is needed.

Posting on this blog was light in the past few days because things were hectic around here. The Asian Cup, the wedding, and other stuff. I’m leaving later today to Riyadh, and should be back tomorrow to attend another wedding and a birthday party after that. Regular posting should continue shortly. Meanwhile, here is some pictures that I have taken in the past week. Enjoy.

My cousin Ahmed al-Haddad is getting married tonight, and the whole family is excited about the wedding. Since he is just three years older than me, I have known him for almost my entire life. During that time, he wasn’t only my cousin, but also a good friend of mine and one of the role models that I look up to in the family. Words cannot describe what an intelligent, generous and warmhearted person that he is. Tonight, as Ahmed starts a new chapter in his life, I want to dedicate this post to him and wish him and his wife Ruqaia all the best on their wedding. Here’s to many, many years of happiness and memories.

UPDATE: here is the wedding photo. More photos from the wedding will be uploaded to my Ikbis account soon ishallah.