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.
Carol Fleming asks some interesting questions:
if you look at the trends, many of the US ambassadors posted to Israel have been Jewish. Yet by comparison, when has there been a muslim ambassador posted to Saudi Arabia? The US says it strives for understanding and always fostering furthering good relations yet it surprises me that I am not aware of any muslim US ambassador being posted to Saudi Arabia.
Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia to win their first AFC Asian Cup title. Congratulations to our Iraqi brothers, and thanks for our young side who beat all expectations and reached the final producing some unforgettable performances.
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.
Saudi Arabia join Iraq in the AFC Asian Cup final. Yassir scored first and then Malek, shown above, scored twice in the second half. I will be out celebrating. More later (or maybe not!)
Saudi Arabia is usually referred to as an absolute monarchy. Therefore, you would think that King Abdullah is an absolute king with absolute powers. However, anyone familiar with things in this country would tell you this actually is not the case. Rather, the country is ruled through a consensus among the King, the royal family, tribal leaders as well as the religious establishment. Now being non-tribal, I’m not sure if tribal leaders still play a big role in this consensus, but the other two institutions are obviously very much involved in decision-making in the top level. No mention of the people here, of course, but that’s another post.
Steven A. Cook, writing for Slate, says this is “one of the least understood but critically important factors that influence politics: informal institutions.” He continues:
It’s hard for outsiders—even those who live in Saudi Arabia—to see how this process works, because it is rooted in past practices around which certain norms and uncodified rules have developed. The unwritten exigency of consultation with the king’s disparate, and at times implicitly hostile, constituencies tends to constrain Abdallah’s policy options. Nevertheless, this is a tradeoff that Abdallah and other Saudi leaders are willing to make. According to Saudis, without this consultation, the cohesion and stability of the kingdom would be in jeopardy, raising the specter of a return to tribal conflict in the Arabian Peninsula. From this perspective, Saudi foot-dragging looks more like a measure of pragmatism.
I have just learned that Abdullah al-Hamed and his brother Isa have been bailed out of jail today afternoon. Reem al-Juraish was released yesterday after being detained with al-Hamid brothers on Thursday. Not much details are available at the moment, but Matruk al-Faleh, al-Hamid’s lawyer and a reformist figure himself, said he would like to thank everybody who supported this cause.
Saudi Jeans 
You must be logged in to post a comment.