Arabia Saudyjska ścina głowy swoim obywatelom

Czterech Saudyjczyków, skazanych na śmierć za zabójstwa, zostało straconych w Arabii Saudyjskiej - poinformowało ministerstwo spraw wewnętrznych tego kraju. Karę śmierci zwykle wykonuje się w Arabii Saudyjskiej przez ścięcie.

Jeden Saudyjczyk został uznany za winnego śmierci innego obywatela tego kraju, którego śmiertelnie dźgnął sztyletem podczas kłótni - poinformowało saudyjskie MSW, cytowane przez oficjalną agencję Spa. Mężczyzna został stracony w mieście Abha w prowincji Asir na południowym zachodzie Arabii Saudyjskiej.
Kolejnych trzech Saudyjczyków zostało skazanych na karę śmierci za napad z bronią w ręku na obywatela Indii i jego zabójstwo. Cała trójka została ścięta w mieście Al-Katif w prowincji Asz-Szarkijja na wschodzie kraju.
Czytaj dalej...
http://www.wprost.pl/ar/330417/Arabia-Saudyjska-scina-glowy-swoim-obywatelom/

Germans pull out of fair over abaya

 A German tour operator pulled out of a Riyadh travel fair in protest at dress restrictions imposed on one of its female representatives, newspapers reported Thursday. Religious police demanded the German visitor change her abaya because it was decorated with red embroidery, Al-Riyadh reported. It was the first time the German, herself a Muslim, visited Saudi Arabia. Religious police, who escorted her to a taxi so that she would go and get changed, warned her not to speak of the incident but she burst out of the car “in tears”, newspapers said. The German operator protested by withdrawing from the fair. — AFP __

Manal to be held for 10 more days

– Okaz/Saudi Gazette __
 http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=20110527101673

Shoura to discuss law for Saudis marrying expats

 The Shoura Council’s General Commission Saturday decided a committee will discuss a draft law regulating the marriages of Saudis to foreigners. The committee assigned to study the draft law comprises a number of council members. The council’s meeting Saturday was chaired by Dr. Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh.
The commission’s committees of Economic Affairs and Energy and Financial Affairs are also expected to discuss the 2009/2010 financial reports of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities and the Saudi Credit and Savings Bank.
There will also be discussion of the two annual reports of the General Auditing Bureau and the bureau’s report on financial reviews and performance monitoring for the 2007/2008 financial years. Proposed legislation on healthcare and environment will also be discussed
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/

Woman arrested in Saudi Arabia after defying driving ban

Saudi authorities have arrested a female activist who launched a campaign to challenge a ban on women driving in the conservative kingdom and posted a video on the internet of her driving.

Manal al-Sharif Photo: YOU TUBE

Manal al-Sharif, who learnt to drive in the US, was arrested one day after she posted footage on the video-sharing website YouTube showing her driving in the Eastern Province city of Al-Khobar.

She was released after a few hours, but later she was taken back into custody, an activist said.

"She was detained for hours at a police station until her brother came to secure her release," said the activist, who added that the notorious religious police were called by traffic police to help in arresting Ms Sharif.

The Twitter page for Women2Drive, managed by women calling for a driving protest in June, said police arrested Ms Sharif at her home, and that she had been taken to a correctional prison, usually used for women, after a brief detention at Al-Khobar police station.

It was not clear if she was charged with any offence.

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy that does not tolerate any form of dissent and applies an austere version of Sunni Islam in which religious police patrol the streets to ensure public segregation between men and women.
Women in the country are not allowed to drive and must have written approval from a designated guardian - a father, husband, brother or son - to leave the country, work or travel abroad.
The campaign Ms Sharif launched is aimed at teaching women to drive and encouraging them to start driving from June 17, using foreign-issued licences.
Ms Sharif's act of defiance came a few days after another Saudi woman, Najla al-Hariri, drove around the Western region city of Jeddah over a few days, insisting on her right to sit behind the wheel.
A group of women also defied the driving ban in November 1990, stunning Saudi men by getting in 15 cars and circling around the capital Riyadh before being arrested.
The 47 women who took part in the protest suffered severe punishment by authorities which suspended many of them from their public sector jobs and reprimanded their male guardians.
In 2008, activist Wajiha Huwaidar posted a video on YouTube showing her driving in the Eastern Province. She escaped arrest as she was lucky not to bump into police patrols.
/www.telegraph.co.uk

Saudi woman says she was detained for driving

From  CNN

 

Manal al Sharif, 32, said traffic and religious police held her for six hours Saturday after they spotted her driving.

(CNN) -- A 32-year-old Arabian who has crusaded for women to drive in her country said she was stopped Saturday for driving a car, even though there is no law against it.

Manal al Sharif, a mother of a 5-month-old boy, told CNN that authorities released her and then tried to detain her again early Sunday.
Al Sharif supports Women2Drive, an initiative endorsing the right of women to drive and travel freely in Saudi Arabia. She said traffic and religious police detained her for six hours Saturday after they spotted her driving in Khobar. She said she was forced to sign a form promising not to drive again, and then was allowed to go home.
She told CNN that lawyers are trying to stop police from detaining her for a second time. A Women2Drive tweet later said that al Sharif and her brother had been taken from their Khobar residence to a police station.
CNN was trying to reach Saudi authorities for comment.
While no traffic laws make it illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia, religious edicts are often interpreted as a ban on female drivers.
Hundreds of women have joined the campaign on Facebook and Twitter to begin driving June 17. Some women with international licenses, such as al Sharif, began driving earlier.
Al Sharif recently told CNN, "We are not doing anything that is breaking the law."
Strict segregation by sex means women in Saudi Arabia can't travel without a male relative. They can't take public transport. To get around, they hire expensive drivers or taxis.
Al Sharif became frustrated after she had difficulty going home one evening.
"I had to walk on the street for half an hour looking for a cab. I was harassed by every single car because it was late at night and I was walking alone," she told CNN. "I kept calling my brother to pick me up, but his phone wasn't answering. I was crying in the street. A 32-year-old grown woman, a mother, crying like a kid because I couldn't find anyone to bring me home."
Al Sharif, who has taught other women how to drive, is resolute about Saudi women being more outspoken.

"We have a saying," she told CNN. "The rain starts with a single drop. This is a symbolic thing."

A Few Brave Saudi Women Dare to Take the Wheel

Saudi women visit the International Luxury Motor Show in the port city of Jeddah. Photographer: Amer Hilabi/AFP/Getty Images

 

 

A Saudi woman applies makeup on a model at the 2010 Cosmetic Expo, held for the first time in Saudi Arabia, at a hotel in the coastal city of Jeddah. An amendment to the labor law in 2008 allowed women to work in all fields “suitable to their nature.” Photographer: Amer Hilabi/AFP/Getty Images

Manal, a 32-year-old woman, is planning something she’s never done openly in her native Saudi Arabia: Get in her car and take to the streets, defying a ban on female drivers in the kingdom.
Manal and ten other people are organizing a campaign on Facebook and Twitter urging Saudi women with international driver’s licenses to join them starting June 17, risking their jobs and their freedom. The coordinated plan isn’t a protest, she said.
“I’m doing it because I’m frustrated, angry and mad,” Manal, who asked to be identified only by her first name, said in an interview from the eastern city of Dhahran. “It’s 2011 and we’re still discussing this insignificant right for women.”
The risk the women are willing to take underscores both their exasperation with the restrictions and the infectious nature of the changes sweeping the region. Saudi Arabia, which has the world’s biggest oil reserves, so far has avoided the mass demonstrations that have toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and threaten officials in Libya, Yemen and Syria.
“These events have taught Saudi women to join ranks and act as a team,” said Wajeeha al-Howeider, a Saudi women’s rights activist, in a telephone interview from Dhahran. “This is something they could only have learned from those revolutions.”

Male Approval

Saudi Arabia enforces the ascetic Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam. Women aren’t allowed to have a Saudi driver’s permit, even though some drive when they’re in the desert away from urban areas. They can’t travel or get an education without male approval or mix with unrelated men in public places. They aren’t permitted to vote or run as candidates in municipal elections, the only ones the kingdom allows.
The last time a group of women publicly defied the driving ban was on Nov. 6, 1990, when U.S. troops had massed in Saudi Arabia to prepare for a war that would expel Iraq from Kuwait. The Saudi women were spurred by images of female U.S. soldiers driving in the desert and stories of Kuwaiti women driving their children to safety, and they were counting on the presence of international media to ensure their story would reach the world and lessen the repercussions, according to Noura Abdullah, 55.
Abdullah was one of forty-seven drivers and passengers who stayed out for about an hour before being arrested. They were banned from travel for a year, lost their jobs for 2 1/2 years and were condemned by the powerful clergy as harlots.

Spread the Word

Now it’s “superb” that a younger generation is following in their footsteps, Abdullah said in an interview from Riyadh, the capital. She doesn’t have an international driver’s license, so she will help by spreading the word about the event with telephone calls, text messages and emails, she said.
“Their timing is perfect,” she added. “There’s momentum in Saudi Arabia now and that should help.”
King Abdullah has taken steps this year to ensure regional turmoil is confined outside his borders, pledging almost $100 billion of spending on homes, jobs and benefits. He also has promised to improve the status of women. He opened the first co- educational university in 2009; appointed the kingdom’s first female deputy minister, Nora bint Abdullah al-Fayez, the same year; and has said he will provide more access to jobs for women, who make up about 15 percent of the workforce.
A change of policy in 2008 allowed women to stay in hotels without male guardians, and an amendment to the labor law allowed women to work in all fields “suitable to their nature.”

‘Largely Symbolic’

Human Rights Watch said in January that “reforms to date have involved largely symbolic steps to improve the visibility of women.” While the United Nations ranked the kingdom in the top one-third of nations in its 2010 Human Development Report -- higher than Brazil and Russia -- its score for gender equality was much lower. On that measure, which includes assessments of reproductive health and participation in politics and the labor market, Saudi Arabia was 128th of 138 nations, below Iran and Pakistan.
The campaign Manal is helping to organize, called “I will drive starting June 17,” is the latest effort by Saudi women this year to express their desire for more rights. On April 23, a group of 15 women showed up at a registration center in the western city of Jeddah, asking to participate in the September election, the Arab News reported a day later. While they were denied entry, they were permitted to relay their demands to Abdul Aziz al-Ghamdi, the head of the district office, the Arab News said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/

Świat według ben Ladenów: od terrorystów po celebrytów

Śmierć Osamy ben Ladena z westchnieniem ulgi przyjęli nie tylko przywódcy demokratycznych krajów na całym świecie, a wraz z nimi miliony ich obywateli. Ulżyło także wielu krewnym byłego wroga publicznego nr 1. Z jednej strony opłakują śmierć brata, a z drugiej wyrażają nadzieję, że nazwisko ben Laden przestanie się w końcu kojarzyć z terroryzmem, a zacznie z wartym miliardy dolarów rodzinnym biznesem budowlanym.

Fot. www.dailymail.co.uk

Zdjęcie z Falun z 1971 roku, 14-letni Osama ben Laden (drugi z prawej) z...

Fot. www.dailymail.co.uk

Wafah Dufour, bratanica Osamy ben Ladena w magazynie GQ

Fot. John Heilprin AP

Carmen BinLaden, była szwagierka Osamy ben Ladena

Fot. Autumn Norris-Makin AP

Amerykańska posiadłość jednego z braci Osamy, Khalila ben Ladena, którą...

Fot. Autumn Norris-Makin AP

Były dom Khalila ben Ladena

Wśród swojego rodzeństwa - liczącego ponad 50 sióstr i braci! - Osama ben Laden uważany był zazwyczaj za czarną owcę. Przywódca al-Kaidy poświęcił bowiem swoje życie świętej wojnie ze zgniłym, imperialistycznym Zachodem, który dla niego uosabiały Stany Zjednoczone. Tymczasem reszta klanu ben Ladenów też miała pewne plany względem Ameryki, ale zupełnie innej natury. W ich oczach nie było widać oznak fanatyzmu religijnego, tylko co najwyżej symbol amerykańskiego dolara.

- To nie znaczy, że nie opłakują Osamy. Koniec końców był przecież ich bratem - mówiła telewizji CNN była szwagierka terrorysty, Carmen BinLaden, wyrażając jednocześnie nadzieję, że po jego śmierci "świat stanie się bezpieczniejszym miejscem".

Ben Ladenowie należą do najbogatszych rodzin na Bliskim Wschodzie, dzięki firmie budowlanej Saudi BinLaden Group (SBG), którą w 1931 roku założył szejk Mohammed ben Laden - ojciec byłego przywódcy al-Kaidy. SBG przez dekady miał monopol na remontowanie świątyń w Mekce i Medynie, a dziś stoi m.in. za projektem Abraj Al Bait Towers - najwyższego hotelu na świecie, który także znajdzie się w świętym mieście muzułmanów. Firma działa prężnie jednak nie tylko na Bliskim Wschodzie, ale ma przedstawicielstwa na całym świecie.

Po 11 września 2011 roku rodzinny biznes musiał się wycofać się z rynku w USA i Wielkiej Brytanii, gdzie na dźwięk nazwiska ben Laden ludziom nie otwierał się portfel, a raczej nóż w kieszeni. To jednak nie oznaczało, że firmie nie powodziło się dobrze gdzie indziej. Europejskie centrum dowodzenia przeniosło się do Szwajcarii, podczas gdy kwatery główne znajdowały się w Dżuddzie, mieście portowym w Arabii Saudyjskiej.

Według osób z kręgu ben Ladenów, część z przedstawicieli klanu liczy na to, że teraz kiedy Osama nie żyje, rozdział historii z nim w roli głównej w końcu zostanie zamknięty, a ich nazwisku zostanie przywrócona dawna godność. Nie jest to jednak życzenie całej rodziny - ben Ladenowie są bardzo zróżnicowani wewnętrznie. Część z nich w dużym stopniu identyfikuje się z kulturą Zachodu, a część związana jest z al-Kaidą i pomstuje na ów Zachód za śmierć swojego przywódcy.

Jemeński szejk, saudyjski król i amerykański prezydent

Brytyjski dziennik "Daily Mail" w artykule na temat rodziny byłego najgroźniejszego terrorysty na świecie opublikował m.in. fotografię rodzeństwa ben Ladenów z 1971 roku. Zdjęcie zrobiono w szwedzkim mieście Falun i przedstawia 14-letniego Osama i 21 jego braci i sióstr. Wszyscy ubrani są zgodnie z ówczesnymi trendami na Zachodzie i pozują na tle różowego cadillaka. Ben Ladenowie należeli do najbardziej kosmopolitycznych i liberalnych muzułmańskich rodzin na Bliskim Wschodzie.

Głową tej rodziny był szejk Mohammed ben Laden, jemeński imigrant mieszkający w Arabii Saudyjskiej, bliski przyjaciel króla saudyjskiego i założyciel bajecznie dochodowego biznesu budowlanego, SBG. Ben Laden senior żenił się 22 razy, a jego żony urodziły mu w sumie 53 dzieci.

SGB dzięki poparciu króla saudyjskiego najpierw zdobył państwowy monopol na wszelkie projekty budowlane związane ze wszystkimi świątyniami w Mekce, Medynie i Jerozolimie. Dopiero później swoją działalnością objęli także lukratywne inwestycje prywatne. Kiedy szejk zginął w katastrofie samolotowej w 1967 roku, schedę przejął po nim jego syn, Salem, który uczył się w ekskluzywnej brytyjskiej szkole Millfield. To on właśnie nawiązał kontakt przez wspólnego znajomego, Jamesa Batha, z przyszłym prezydentem USA, George'em W. Bushem. Bath pracował dla SBG i zainwestował w jedno z przedsięwzięć Busha. Zwolennicy teorii spiskowych podchwycili wątek tej współpracy po zamachu na World Trade Center, kiedy Bush, już jako prezydent, pomagał 13 członkom rodziny ben Ladenów dyskretnie i bezpiecznie opuścić USA. Ze swojej wakacyjnej posiadłości w Stanach pod eskortą policji uciekać musiał wraz z rodziną m.in. jeden z braci terrorysty, biznesmen i milioner Khalil ben Laden.

Podobnie jak ojciec, Salem także zginął w katastrofie lotniczej w 1988 roku. Jego miejsce zajął wtedy kolejny z synów Mohammeda, wykształcony w USA Bakr, który do dziś dowodzi biznesem ze swojego biura w Dżaddzie, mieście, którym - jak się mówi - nieoficjalnie rządzi.

W radzie nadzorczej SBG zasiada dziś kilkunastu braci ben Laden, a wartość firmy wycenia się na miliardy dolarów. Saudi Investment Company (SICO), który ma siedzibę w Genewie i reprezentuje interesy SBG na świecie, wykupił udziały m.in. takich gigantów jak Microsoft i Boeing. Szefem SICO jest kolejny z braci ben Ladenów, Yeslem.

Kariera dziewczyny od ben Ladenów

60-letni Yeslem ben Laden żyje w Szwajcarii od wielu lat i ma obywatelstwo tego kraju. Wydaje się, że to jeden z najbardziej zasymilowanych z Zachodem członków arabskiego klanu. Przegania go pewnie tylko jedna z jego córek, Wafah Dufour. Jak podaje "Daily Mail", Wafah urodziła się w Kalifornii i studiowała na prestiżowej Columbia Law School w Nowym Jorku, kiedy jej wujek przeprowadził zamach na WTC. Od tamtego czasu pozowała m.in. w bieliźnie dla magazynu "GQ" i próbuje swoich sił jako piosenkarka.

W mediach głośno było także o innych młodych ben Ladenach z tego pokolenia. Omar, czwarty syn Osamy, wychowywał się w kwaterach al-Kaidy w Sudanie i Afganistanie po to, by jako dorosły człowiek wyrzec się ojca, przeprowadzić się na Zachód i poślubić o 25 lat starszą od siebie Brytyjkę. Jego przemiana wewnętrzna nie była jednak na tyle przekonująca dla władz Wielkiej Brytanii, aby udzielić mu wizy.

Terrorystyczne gwiazdy trzeciego pokolenia

W przeciwieństwie do Omara, kilku synów Osamy nie wyrzekło się doktryny dżihadu i trwali przy ojcu do chwili jego śmierci. Według amerykańskiego wywiadu jeden z nich, dwudziestokilkuletni Khalid, zginął zresztą wraz z nim.

O ile znane są losy Khalida, o tyle nie wiadomo, gdzie ukrywa się reszta z jego kojarzonych z terrorystyczną działalnością braci. Paru z nich może być trzymana w areszcie domowym w Iranie, w którym próbowali się ukryć po amerykańskiej inwazji na Afganistan. Paru podobno zginęło z rąk żołnierzy koalicji, choć ich śmierć nigdy nie została oficjalnie potwierdzona.

Niekwestionowaną terrorystyczną "gwiazdą" tego pokolenia jest Hamza, który według niektórych z czasem ma szansę zastąpić ojca w al-Kaidzie. Dziś Hamza ma około 19 lat, ale na swoim koncie ma podobno już spory dorobek terrorystyczny. Miał być zamieszany m.in. w morderstwo pakistańskiej premier Benazir Bhutto w 2007 roku. Jako zaledwie 14-latek wystąpił z zawieszonym przez ramię karabinem w filmie propagandowym al-Kaidy. Podobno chwilę wcześnie wraz z innymi bojownikami starł się z pakistańskimi służbami bezpieczeństwa.

Na innym filmie, nakręconym na ślubie jednego z jego braci, czyta wiersz, w którym wychwala dokonania swojego ojca i grozi Stanom Zjednoczonym. - Ostrzegam Amerykę. Amerykanie będą musieli ponieść straszliwe konsekwencje, jeżeli nie zrezygnują z pościgu za moim ojcem. Walka z Ameryką jest fundamentem naszej wiary - mówi na filmie.

HTTP://WIADOMOSCI.GAZETA.PL

Pay women to work at home

THE real development challenge we are currently facing and which we will face more strongly in the future is ensuring women have access to employment opportunities.

The woman needs to work to make an income that will help her meet her own needs and those of her family. Most of the time, the woman is responsible for herself, her family, her parents, brothers and maybe even her husband.

Whoever has been following the work and occupational changes in the Kingdom during the past two decades will notice that growing numbers of Saudi women are entering the labor market.

The main reason that drives women to work is to make an income that will help them meet the living costs of their families.

However, there are many adverse social implications resulting from women going out to work. Among other things, the marriage relationship may weaken.

The husband and wife will be too busy to look after their home or children. The supervision over children will consequently be weakened. The weakness of the family will be reflected on society. Family problems will cause a lot of social, security and economic difficulties.

The Kingdom played an important role during the UN conferences held in the 1990s to formulate an agenda for our current century.

The Saudi delegation made the UN recognize women working from home as part of statistics for working women. They were subsequently removed from unemployment figures.

This was an achievement that would reduce the number of unemployed women. It considered any woman working from home to raise her children or take care of her husband or parents as a productive woman playing the same role as those who go out to work.

These women are the safety valve for the stability of the family, society and the country at large. The best example that can illustrate the significance of woman working from home is her ability to observe the behavior of her children when they come from school. She is capable of noticing any change in their behavior, such as drug abuse.

Some social studies indicate that a woman working outside her home usually has difficulty in giving her full attention to her children and husband.

They said the children of many such families went astray without the parents noticing until it was too late.

In contrast, the home-staying mother is more able to observe her children and detect any change in their behavior.

Marital relations may also be weakened as a result of the woman leaving her home every day to go to work.

In this face of these dangers, we should therefore consider giving educated women who opt to stay at home to look after their children and husbands monthly salaries or rewards. Such a step will be useful not only to the woman and society, but also to the country as a whole.

The decision to pay stay-at-home educated mothers is worthy of careful study and consideration. We should ensure them with economic rewards that would prompt them to stay at home.

Saudi Arabia promotes female empowerment?

Saudi women gather in front of a carpet made of over 135,000 flowers at the Riyadh Spring Festival in the Saudi capital on April 15, 2011. (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Top News: In a move likely to raise eyebrows, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 10 won a seat on the 41-member board of a new U.N. panel to promote female empowerment around the world. The kingdom was nominated by a regional group of Asian countries. It is a curious development because of the extraordinary gender discrimination and segregation faced by Saudi women, who live under a system in which male guardians have the final say on many personal decisions of their female relatives. Women are not even allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. Although the Saudi government under King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz is seeking to give Saudi women more rights and opportunities, it is constantly stymied by the ultraconservative religious establishment. The latest setback for women came on Nov. 2 with a fatwa, or religious ruling, saying it was against Islam for women to work as supermarket cashiers. Some supermarkets have ignored the fatwa and kept their female employees on the job.
A Saudi appeals court has affirmed the death sentence for a Sri Lankan woman found guilty of murdering a Saudi infant in her care, in a 2005 incident that many see as an unfortunate accident. Rizana Nafeek was only 17 when she was hired as a maid by a Saudi family. Their 4-month-old son died while Nafeek was bottle-feeding him. The Sri Lankan government has asked King Abdullah to pardon Nafeek. It would be easier for him to do this if the Saudi family would forgive her, but so far they have not done so.
Hoping to raise public awareness about the value of early detection of breast cancer, around 4,000 mostly Saudi women created the world’s largest human pink ribbon on Oct. 28 in the port city of Jeddah. The human chain broke the previous Guinness world record of 3,640 participants set in Germany in 2007. The event was organized by the Riyadh-based Zahra Breast Cancer Association. Saudi women suffer from high rates of breast cancer deaths due in part to lack of knowledge on how to do self-exams, as well as widespread reluctance to discuss the disease with medical personnel.
Riyadh won kudos when the White House disclosed that a crucial Saudi intelligence tip led to the discovery of the cargo bombs airfreighted to the United States by an Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen. President Barack Obama called King Abdullah to thank him for Saudi’s help. The incident may underscore what many in the West tend to forget: That the Saudis also regard Al Qaeda as a terror menace.
U.S.-Saudi ties were further strengthened by the formal U.S. announcement Oct. 20 of its intention to sell a massive arms package — potentially worth up to $60 billion — to the oil-rich kingdom. The sale, which will include 84 new Boeing F-15 fighter jets, is not expected to face significant congressional opposition, and will mean close defense and military ties between Washington and Riyadh for years to come.
Money: Saudi Arabia gave the U.S. job market another fillip a few days later, when it was disclosed Nov. 7 that the national airline had placed a $3.3 billion order for 12 Boeing 777-300 ‘extended range’ planes, with an option to buy 10 more. The purchase is part of Saudi Airlines long-term expansion strategy.
“I’m not for putting that mosque there,” says one of the richest men in the world about the Islamic Center to be constructed a few blocks from the site of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York City. Saudi Prince Waleed bin Talal is the second-largest shareholder in News Corporation, the parent company of Fox News, which has been a vocal opponent of the Center’s planned site. 
In an interview with the New York Times, the prince said he prefers a different site out of respect to the families of 9/11 victims, and because the proposed location is near a strip club.
Elsewhere: Americans have beauty queens. Saudis prefer morality queens. Zainab Al Khatam, 24, won this year’s “Miss Beautiful Morals” competition, an annual contest to select a woman who exhibits the inner beauty of “respect for her family, parents and society.” Al Khatam, who is blind, was selected because she remained at home to care for her family after completing her studies. The pageant, which does not have a swimsuit walk, has been organized by a Saudi women’s organization in part to protest the West’s stress on female physical beauty.

 

It’s a defense that may not do the defendant much good, even if many Saudis do believe in spirits. Charged with financial corruption, a judge on trial in a Saudi court has claimed that a jinn, or genie, made him take the bribes he allegedly pocketed in cases involving illegal land deals. The judge says the genie, who spoke through a real estate broker, put him “under a magic spell.” A lawyer for the broker insisted the genie be ordered to testify in court so the judge’s claims could be verified. That’s one trial I’d like to cover.
http://www.globalpost.com/

Saudi Arabia rejects Osama bin Laden’s body… as US buries him at sea

Osama bin Laden, the long-time figurehead of the al Qaeda terrorist network, has been buried at sea after being killed in a U.S. raid in Pakistan.
According to U.S. officials  bin Laden’s body would be handled in accordance with Muslim traditions, which include strict rules on burial taking place within 24 hours after death.
Bin Laden was a Saudi national, but officials say that the Kingdom was unwilling to have his remains repatriated.
He was killed in a U.S. raid launched early Monday in the relatively-well-heeled town of Abbottabad, near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
CBS/AFP

http://www.vanguardngr.com/

YIG volunteers in bid to spread autism awareness

JEDDAH: More than 150 volunteers gathered at the Red Sea Mall in Jeddah on Wednesday to spread awareness about autism. Shoppers, doctors, volunteers and autistic children along with their families attended the event, held to mark the Autism Awareness Month.

http://www.arabsnews.com/

Izzaty Islamy to hold youth meet on May 5

By RENAD GHANEM | ARAB NEWS

Izzaty Islamy representatives attend a press conference in Jeddah. (AN photo)

Izzaty Islamy (Islam is my Dignity), a girl’s social club in Jeddah, is to hold its fourth youth conference entitled “Under Construction” at Dar Al-Hekma College on May 5.

Fatima Anani, head of the conference, said girls attending the event will learn how to start their own projects or at least support nonprofit organizations. She added that the motto is an indication that youth projects still need to be developed and that they look forward to seeing the projects completed.
Laila Al-Nahdi, CEO of Izzaty Islamy, speaking at a press conference on Saturday, said the aim of her organization is to stress a sense of belonging to Islam rather than only enforcing Islamic deeds and obligations. “Islam for us is an issue that we devote our lives to. Islam is present in our volunteer work, jobs and education,” she added.
She said that projects that her organization undertakes are studied for eight weeks and approved after careful consideration. She added that the youth in different regions of Saudi Arabia and in neighboring countries have benefited from her group’s experiences.
Al-Nahdi said there are stringent rules in accepting girls to join her organization. She added that the girls have to be highly educated and cultured, and have a track record for participating in volunteer work.
“It is not easy to join the group. We had 280 hoping to join us, but we have only approved 27 of them. Prospective participants need to register online, read books, prepare presentations and come for interviews,” said Al-Nahdi.
Anani said that girls attending the event would be able to start their own projects or at least support nonprofit organizations.
Izzaty Islamy is a two-year-old group that sponsors monthly discussions and has conducted debate events at Jeddah’s Dar Al-Hekma College (for women) and the International Medical Center.
arabsnews.com

Saudi-Jordanian Engineering Forum Started in Ammans

 

Amman - SPA:

    The Saudi-Jordanian Engineering Forum started here today with the aim of discussing means of boosting cooperation, coordination as well as the exchange of expertise between the Jordan Engineers Association and the Saudi Council of Engineers. Jordanian Minister of Public Works and Housing Yahia Kasabi stressed the importance of the role of Jordanian diplomatic missions in cooperating with Arab brethren to achieve more partnerships in the fields of engineering and investment.

Kasabi said the Jordanian government will support cooperation with the Saudi side to create genuine partnerships that would reflect positively on the economic and investment sectors in both countries.

Board Chairman of the Saudi Council of Engineers Abdullah Buqshan stressed the importance of the engineering profession in achieving progress and prosperity for nations through various engineering plans and programs.

Breakup in marriage? Blame it on social networking sites

By RENAD GHANEM | ARAB NEWS

 The famous social network website Facebook played a role in the fall of several regimes, such as in Tunisia and Egypt, or at least caused them troubles, as in Libya, Yemen and Syria. However, Facebook sometimes also contributes to the dissolutions of marriages. Occasionally, husbands use the website for adventures: to make friendships with members of the opposite gender. This doesn’t always remain unnoticed by their wives, who then start spying on them. They refuse to let their husbands add any female friends to their friends’ list.

Some wives discover that their husbands are having a good time making friendships with other women and lie about their social status. This leads to extreme situations, in which they ban their husbands from Facebook. Others make fake accounts and add their husband, so that they can catch them red-handed.

“A wife that allows her husband to have a Facebook account is crazy,” said Fatima Shaker, a housewife. Fatima suffered a lot because of her husband’s adventures with other women on Facebook. She said that she wished to delete his account. He promised her when he first joined the social network to use it the right way, but slowly it got out of control.

She said that her husband started to behave strangely, like spending a long time on Facebook or adding only women on his friends’ list. What was worst in her opinion, was that he mentioned in his status that he was single. “It came to the point that I asked him to delete all the strange girls in his list, but he refused. He tried to convince me that this stayed only on Facebook,” she added.

Saudi King Abdullah cracks down on press freedom

King Abdullah imposes new media restrictions

Reuters/Dylan Martinez

By RFI

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has tightened rules governing the media and threatened large fines and the closure of news organisations which allegedly undermine national security.

A decree issued on Friday states the media will be prevented from reporting anything that contradicts the strict Islamic Sharia law or serves "foreign interests and undermines national security."
Publishers will be required to stick to objective and constructive criticism and any organisation in violation of the new rule faces a maximum fine of 90,000 euros.
In addition, the authorities can also ban a writer for life from contributing to any media organisation.
The media in Saudi Arabi is tightly supervised by the government, and the most prominent newspapers are owned by people who are a part of or closely linked to the ruling Al-Saud dynasty.
The new restrictions coincide with a move by the authorities to quell any uprisings inspired by the recent popular revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt and trouble elsewhere in the region.
Over the past week, police arrested 20 to 30 Shiites, including two bloggers, accused of taking part in demonstrations in the oil-rich Eastern Province

Overstayers get until Sept. 14 to clear out

By ARAB NEWS

 The deadline for people who have overstayed their visits to Saudi Arabia to turn themselves in without punishment has been extended to Sept. 14, the Interior Ministry announced Wednesday.

This amnesty includes visa overstayers and people who are currently residing in the Kingdom in violation of the terms of their iqamas (work/residency permits), such as those who have absconded from their legal employment.
The ministry said the amnesty was extended because the number of people seeking to take advantage of the reprieve was so great that many were not able to get their exits finalized in time. The floods in January, which temporarily closed some consulates in Jeddah, was another reason for the extension.
The ministry urged all people seeking to avail themselves of the amnesty to complete their procedures as soon as possible through their respective consulates or embassies and through the ministry's Department of Expatriates.
“Violators caught after the grace period will receive tough punishments, including jail time and fines,” a ministry statement said.
Those who shelter, employ or provide transport to illegal residents are also subject to punitive action.

Let them drive

By MYRIAM VOLLANT, JEDDAH

The report projects the idyllic image of a society where women live happily traveling in a chauffeur-drawn car. I know many women, rich and poor, who suffer because they don’t get or can’t afford to have a driver. I agree only with the first five lines of the report — a report that does not go further than the experience of a handful of women. Here are a few points for their consideration:
1. If Saudi Arabia is not the appropriate place for driving a car, as some women interviewed by the reporter say, why are men still driving? I have driven from the border of Saudi Arabia to France with my 14-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter. In Jordan, the condition of roads and driving habits is the same as in Jeddah, and in Syria, the roads are terrible and in Turkey and Greece, they drive crazier than in Jeddah.
2. Your driver finds a parking lot after he drops you at the main entrance of a public place, but how many times we have to phone him to ask where he is? After you finish your shopping or work, you will have to wait for the driver — sometimes standing more than 10 minutes outside a mall or office.
3. “Remembering where we parked our car or parking far away from the door” disturbs some ladies. They will be even more disturbed to see some taxi drivers go past them because they don’t want you as a passenger or some men stopping their car near you and persisting in offering you a lift.
4. Some women are worried that the car is parked far away. Sometimes you will have to walk longer to get a taxi.
5. Traveling in a chauffeur-drawn car makes you feel like a princess, says one lady. What about others who can’t afford to have a driver and stand in hot sun in a street waiting for a taxi — usually dirty and reeking of cigarette smoke?
6. “I don’t have to care about the gas tank or going to the workshop or anything, I just have to make sure that he gets his salary on time and that’s it,” says a woman. A car doesn’t break every month. You have to check it the way you check your washing machine or your electronic gadgets. Women in the West change their own tires; it takes only 15 minutes.
7. One lady says driving a car in Saudi Arabia is no fun. Nowhere is it a fun. By the way, has she ever driven a car in Saudi Arabia?
8. If men drive crazy in Jeddah one reason may be it is all men. They don’t temporize their spirit of competition between them. Maybe they will change the way they drive once they see women behind the wheels.
9. Statistics by insurance companies in all countries show that fewer women are involved in accidents than men. Women drive more carefully than men too. A woman can do many things simultaneously unlike men.
10. Of course a woman with zero experience will have to learn how to drive properly, but many expatriate women and even Saudi women have got 10 to 25 years or more of experience in driving.
11. One lady is worried that “anytime you go out all the young men of Jeddah are following you everywhere.” You don’t have to get your car’s windowpanes tinted to avoid unwanted attention; wearing a niqab would be better. Don’t drive if you are afraid, and don’t take taxi, stay at home. Can you?
12. “Some religious people give a woman the nasty look when they see her faced uncovered, and I don’t think that they would accept seeing her in the driver’s seat anytime soon,” says one lady. Does she mean to say that these religious people find it preferable to allow a woman to travel with a male driver who is not related to her?
Only a minority of women may drive at first if the ban is lifted. But let this minority drive, especially divorced and separated women, widows and women with small children like myself.

Saudi women angered over voting ban

A group of Saudi women launched a Facebook page decrying a ban on women voters in a Saudi municipal election, officials said.
The group of about 60 women launched their Facebook campaign under the name "Baldi," which means "my country," after being prevented from voting in municipal elections.
The group told Gulf News Monday there are no laws limiting participation in the election to men. The group's chairwoman, Fawziya Al Hani, told reporters their protests outside voting places are not a violation of law.
Al Hani said women held peaceful protests at voting centers in Riyadh, Jeddah and Damman, the report said.
A woman "has the right to cast her vote and stand as a candidate," Al Hani said.
Elfat Qabbani, vice chairperson of the industrial committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, said depriving women of the right to vote came as a shock to Saudi women who are active in public and community service.
"I couldn't understand the fears expressed by some people regarding the participation of women in these elections," Qabbani said. "Previously women in Bahrain and Kuwait took part in similar elections and the experiments have succeeded and women have played effective roles in municipal councils in these countries."


Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/04/25/Saudi-women-angered-over-voting-ban/UPI-52071303745885/#ixzz1KZMfyc6f

Little hope of any justice

JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA: The acquittal by the Supreme Court of five of the six men charged with raping Mukhtaran Mai is perplexing. I say this because it seems that the grounds for rejecting the appeal filed by Mai against a Lahore High Court verdict five years ago was concentrated on issues that one would normally think are the norm in a society such as Pakistan’s.
For example, the court asked why the woman’s uncle didn’t try to stop the gang rape while he was present outside the room where it was supposedly taking place, and why the victim took a week to register a case with the police. From this, it appears as if the honourable judges did not realise how people from low-income backgrounds live in this country and the kind of harassment they face because of their low social and financial status.
South Punjab, where the incident took place, is dominated by feudals and they have complete control of the local police. Hence, no one dare challenge them, let alone seek to register a case with the police against them.
Furthermore, this is the same court that, in recent weeks, has called in senior police officials, senior FIA officials, officers of intelligence agencies, bureaucrats and even ministers for questioning — it makes one wonder why that wasn’t done in this particular case as well. And why did the court not deem it fit to order a re-investigation?
Following the verdict, PPP MNA Sherry Rehman tried to debate the verdict on the floor of the National Assembly but was disallowed by the deputy speaker — he said that there could be no criticism of the court’s decisions. It has now emerged that a review petition will be filed by Mai’s lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan, but what can come of it given that the same court is going to hear it?
Masood Khan
Published in The Express Tribune