Author Archives: Ahmed

Speak of the Devil…

That was fast. Only a few minutes after posting this, look what I found: Hamza Al Mozainy is very disappointed at Sheikh Salman Al Awdah for an article about Eid Al Fitr that he wrote for Al Jazirah daily which included what can be considered hate speech. Al Mozainy has denounced in particular the use of the term ‘raifdah’ to describe Shiite Muslims. “[I]t is not meant as a description but rather discrimination against a group of Muslim Saudi citizens,” he said.

Just like Al Mozainy, I found it very surprising that Al Awdah, a sheikh that has become known for his moderation and tolerance, would say something like that. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t some sort of a misunderstanding or misquoting, so I went to Al Jazirah website to read the article myself. You can find it here, and unfortunately that paragraph Al Muzaini quoted is there.

Still, I had a feeling that there was something wrong. I went to Islam Today, a website supervised by Salman Al Awdah himself, where you can find most of his published articles and media appearances. I found the same article, but the paragraph about the Shiites was no where to be found. What is going on here? Did Al Awdah write that paragraph or not? Is it possible that an editor in Al Jazirah has added the paragraph to the article without the knowledge of Al Awdah?

In an email exchange earlier this morning, Al Mozainy told me it is unlikely that someone at Al Jazirah would have the audacity to edit the article. However, “it is the responsibility of Al Awdah to clarify this,” he added. I have emailed Sheikh Salman Al Awdah asking about the issue and I have yet to receive a response. If he responded I will update this post.

Poor Journalism Says Hi

I’ve been following the local mainstream media closely for the last three years. One of the things that I observed is that some of the English-language press here do a better job when it comes to reporting important and controversial local stories. Part of this has to do with the fact that they are in English so they are not under the radar of the censorship, but more importantly because their editors are usually committed to higher standards than their peers in the Arabic ones.

arab_news_logoHowever, every once in awhile the very same publications come up with gems like this which make me reconsider that observation. Other than some unknown market analysts, the reporter relied completely for his story on one source only: the owner of a company that runs a few of these amusement parks and who apparently looks forward to open more of them. And why not? I mean he, after all, was the one who said his “centers were located in attractive places, close to beaches and residential areas” as well as being “equipped with advanced educational and entertainment facilities.”

This piece of lousy reporting, and believe me I’m being way too nice to describe it as reporting when it sounds like a paid for commercial more than anything else, makes me lose my hope in the future of the fourth estate in this country. When I spent two weeks in the States last September I decided to take a break from the Saudi MSM while I was there and guess what? I didn’t miss it that much.

Doing Business in Saudi Arabia is Easier

The World Bank has recognized Saudi Arabia as one of the top reformers in its most recent ‘Ease of Doing Business‘ report, ranking it at 23rd position jumping from its 38th last year, and making it the best place to do business in the entire Middle East. “Saudi Arabia eliminated layers of bureaucracy that had previously made it one of toughest places in the world to start a business,” the report said.

Great work by Amr Al Dabbagh and the people at SAGIA. I have to admit that I was very skeptic when I first heard him talking about making the Kingdom one of the top 10 most competitive countries in the world by 2010, but now it is obvious we are on the right track here.

Congratulations to all the people who worked on this. Keep up the good work!

Jeddah: Gurlz vs. Guyz

jeddah_boysI have said it before and I shall say it again and again: those Jeddawis never fail to impress me. Their latest is a 12-minute documentary featuring young men and women who talk about their views about the opposite sex and dating.

As I have said in a recent post, dating is a risky business in Saudi Arabia, and to have a documentary discussing it this way is truly amazing. The short film is produced by Izzaty Islamy, a two-year-old girl’s social club that sponsors monthly discussions and has conducted debate events at Dar Al-Hekma College and the International Medical Center. I can’t wait to get my hands on the film and watch it; and since it’s only 12-minute long the group might consider uploading it to YouTube or something like that.

Proud of You

Faris Bin Hizam has complained that some great accomplishments by the men and women of this country do not receive the attention they deserve in the mainstream media. He is right. That’s why I want to dedicate this post to these great people, especially women. I want to celebrate them and let the world know that our women are making a difference not just for Saudi Arabia but for the whole world.

I am proud of Dr. Huwaida Al Guthami, the heart surgeon at Prince Sultan Cardiac Center who pioneered some of most recent advancements in this field. Dr. Al Guthami was recently awarded with the King Faisal medallion of the fourth degree.

I am proud of Dr. Khawla Al Kuraya, the senior scientist at KFSH & RC and the director of research center at KFNCCC&R. She has recently received the Harvard University Scientific Achievement Award.

huwaid_guthami khawla_kuraya

buthainaI am proud of Buthaina Al Nassr, the first Saudi female news anchor. Buthaina was the first face to welcome the viewers at the launch of Al Ekhbariya news channel, and she continues to deliver some of the best reporting work on local issues on television.

These three women and many others work hard everyday to make life better for all of us. In addition to them, there are millions who do the same away from the limelight. Take my grandmother for example: although she was widowed twice when she was young, she worked hard to support her family and raised all of her children to become contributing members to their society. When my father (may his soul rest in peace) said he wants to leave school and get a job to help the family she firmly refused and insisted that he continues his education. He became a teacher and his brother became a dentist, and till this day, there is nothing my family puts more emphasis on than education. I am proud of her, and I am thankful that she continues to bless our life with her prayers and wisdom.

Succession and Women’s Driving

I don’t know why, but apparently we get a lot of our important decisions made during the last ten days of Ramadhan. Last year it was the new succession law, and this year we got the judiciary reform as well as the fine details of the aforementioned succession law. I guess our government is always inspired by the spirituality of those holy days.

Speaking of the government, I wonder how/if they are going to react to what Fawzia Al-Oyouni, a founding member of the Society for Protecting and Defending Women’s Rights, told Arab New today. She said they are planning to take field trips in markets, shopping malls and hospitals in order to educate as many women as possible and to spread awareness on women’s driving.

Working on the ground, like dating, is a risky business in Saudi Arabia. The public spaces Al-Oyouni talks about, such as markets and malls, are to a degree or another controlled by the infamous religious police. I can’t imagine they would allow anyone else to use these spaces for a cause that they have no sympathy with.

The King has always pledged his commitment to reform. He wants to make sure that his efforts in changing this country would last and the gains won’t be lost soon, and that the changes he is implementing for the good of the nation are solid and permanent. This is an issue where that commitment can be shown again.