I was waiting for this. The great Dr. Hamza al-Mizeini is writing about the statement against women’s driving, and teaches those opponents a lesson in constructional criticism. “How dare these petitioners to describe their Saudis counterparts, and other Muslims who have the same opinion on this subject, as corrupted and atheists? Does it even worth it?” he asks. For all of you who can read Arabic, this is a must-read.

The Louvre, the world’s largest museum, is to get a new wing to display its vast collection of Islamic art thanks to a 17 million-euro gift by the Saudi Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal bent on mending post-9/11 ties between the West and Arabs.

The gift of the prince, one of the richest individuals on the planet, is one of the largest in France’s history, French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres said at a ceremony Tuesday.

Ironically, some Saudis think Prince Al-Waleed is wrong, and he could spend this huge amount of money in his country instead of donating them to the Louvre. Prince Al-Waleed is not so popular among conservatives in the country because he always promoted social reform, especially his stance on women’s rights.

After September 11, everything has changed for Saudis when it comes to the United States. Turky al-Dakheel writes on his experience on these changes. He says he does not blame Americans for tightening their security regulations.

Asharq al-Awsat interviews designer Lamia al-Kuwaiti on the emergence of colored abayas and hijabs among Saudi young girls. “Young girls like colored hijabs because they are looking for something new that can go with their new generation,” she said.

Hsuein Shubukshi thinks that Saudis can use the event of the World Cup next year in Germany to improve the picture of Saudi Arabia, and give the world a chance to know our country better. It is a good idea, actually.

Gaina al-Ghamdi thinks we cannot blame the judge who denied the right of a father of the custody of his children because he has a satellite dish in his house, simply because this judge is a product of our own environment. He says we need to change the environment that allowed this judge to issue such ruling, and he is sure the judge is surprised by all the fuss around this case.

Dear Mahmood, I’m visiting Bahrain again on Saturday, and I thought maybe we could meet over a cup of coffee or something. I’ve been looking for your email to write you about this, but I could not find it on your website. Please, send me an email on alomran at gmail dot com to discuss the details. Thank you.