-News From the Arab World-

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Saudi Postal Development Lauded by Universal Postal Union


JEDDAH, 2 December 2005 — The regional adviser to the Universal Postal Union, which is based in Bern, Switzerland, has praised the Kingdom’s efforts to privatize and improve postal services in the country. Negib Boulares spoke to Arab News at the launch of the Saudi Postal Corporation’s “Wasel” postal distribution system in Jeddah at a press conference held at the Hilton Hotel here yesterday.

The new delivery system, which was launched earlier this year in Riyadh, will enable subscribers who pay an annual fee to receive mail at their doorstep using mailboxes in front of their homes. “After the implementation of this system every person in Saudi Arabia will be able to receive their mail as the system covers every point in the entire Kingdom,” said Boulares.

The president of SPC, Mohammed Saleh Benton, and the company’s deputy chief for information technology, Ousama Mohammed Altaf, both attended the press conference.

The SPC is hoping that the launch of the “Wasel” project will help restore people’s confidence in the postal system. In Riyadh it has already delivered one million mail “Wasel” boxes to customers, at a rate of 3,000 mail boxes per day. The SPC sweeps Saudi cities addresses to ensure their accuracy. After that SPC installs the electronic mail boxes, which have an embedded microchip that allows mailmen to easily find their location.

Boulares said that the postal sector in Saudi Arabia and SPC are facing many challenges after the long stagnation period that the sector experienced. The first major challenge is that of privatization and cooperation amongst the private and public sector on postal services.

This is vital to reform and restructure the Saudi postal sector, according to Boulares. He explained that there must be a separation between the operation and the management of the postal service in Saudi Arabia. He acknowledged that the SPC is now outsourcing most of its operations and it is forming good relations with the private sector; however, the organization of the company has to be restructured. “This is part of the Bucharest Postal Strategy which the Kingdom is trying to implement,” said Boulares.

SPC will face fierce competition after the accession of the Kingdom into the WTO due to the increase in foreign competitors, and it will be difficult for the company to continue providing services unless it improves most of its operations. The second challenge for the SPC is the introduction of new financial services in the Saudi postal system.

“Financial services (like money transfers) make up 46 percent of the international postal earnings, thus it is essential for the SPC to introduce these service to generate more profits,” the adviser said. The postal system in the Kingdom has been relying for so many years on governmental support, and the introduction of reforms will allow the SPC to become financially more independent. This step is part of the reformation and the restructuring strategies that the Kingdom should apply to its postal system.

In addition, Boulares revealed that the Kingdom is trying to implement an electronic mail tracking system that would enable the residents of Saudi Arabia to keep track of all the incoming and the outgoing mail starting from its origin until it reaches it destination.

“This is part of the universal standards that the country is trying to apply domestically,” said Boulares.

The electronic mail tracking system allows the sender to track the status of their parcels electronically through the company’s website or by phone.
 
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wats the world cuming to?:mad:

Saudi Students in the US Stray Away From Educational Goals



2 December 2005 — For many students moving to the US culture shock is often something they run into. Many may not realize or recognize it as culture shock as they feel that they are fully acquainted with the American life style. Still many who move to the US stray away from their main goal of attaining a university degree.

Saudi students who are moving to US at the young age of 18 or 19 are ill prepared for the responsibilities and freedoms they will have once they move. “I moved here when I was 17,” said Mona Al-Saleh, a student at Long Beach University “if it wasn’t for my sister who was here before me I think I would have been lost.”

Not all students feel that way, Deeb Al-Qatani, who just moved to the USA two months ago and is studying Computer Technology at Northeastern University, said that he had no problems with the move and new environment he is in. Having a cousin close by also helped him with the adjustment. Unlike other students, he has his eye on the goal a Bachelor’s degree.

“Where I am at, there are few students who are really concerned with their education,” said Mona “As long as they pass a class they don’t care. They have three things in mind: partying, partying, and more partying.”

Many students are more concerned with their abstract and unrealistic image of what the mighty United States of America will hold for them. Most of the students who move here have never taken responsibility for anything in their lives, they have weak language skills, and almost all of them are unconcerned with their education once they arrive.

Such a claim may seem far-fetched however, it is no secret that any student can apply to a community college or to certain state universities and get accepted regardless of grades, leadership qualities, volunteer work, or other qualifications most universities look for.

These colleges and universities are more concerned with getting students who can pay fees than anything else. Application are never rejected at community colleges as, they are at a college that is open to everyone and anyone who can pay.

As a result, there are a high number of students applying to these universities just to reach their abstract goal of studying in the USA.

Of course, not all students fall into these categories. Rather there are numerous Saudi students who attend prestigious universities such as Harvard, Boston University, and UCLA. Community colleges too are a great start for those families who cannot afford to pay the full university fee. The problem lies with students who come to the US without having a real vision of what life is like here, and what it is they are suppose to be doing— which is getting a university education.

One Saudi notes that while going through an interview at the American Consulate in Jeddah, the interviewer voiced concern about how many Saudi, men particularly, move to the US for a four year degree which then takes them six years to attain. The interviewer as a result is not very willing to give Saudi students who display weak grades in high school an American visa as they realize that many go abroad to do everything else but study.

“When I first came to the US all I wanted to do was stay out late, sit at home watching TV, or hang out with my friends,” said one Saudi male student who chose to remain anonymous.

“I got into all the wrong things that I never thought I would ever do. Things like clubbing and drinking. I didn’t go to most of my classes and if I did, I didn’t really understand what was going on.”

This Saudi is not the only one who fell into this cycle. Many others joined him in this meaningless pursue of nothingness. “My friends and I thought this was what life was about here,” the Saudi continued, “it was only after I was placed on academic probation that I realized I am going to be failing out of university. What would I tell my family if that happened? So I began to change my ways.”

This is a form of culture shock that many students go through. They see their Western fellow students indulging in acts they have never been fully exposed to and feel that they too need to accompany them in it.

“I don’t think it is bad to go out and have fun as long as you aren’t doing something that is completely out of line,” said Mona “Also Saudi students have to remember that we are here to study and focus on a getting a degree. For those of us on a Saudi scholarship, we are lucky so we can’t abuse that privilege.”
 
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Silly woman...shudnt have gone aginst the law....*rolls eyes*

Saudi Woman Driver Fined SR10,000
Arab News

RIYADH, 2 December 2005 — A Saudi woman driver recently caused a major accident in Bahrain, Al-Watan reported. The Saudi woman, who was studying in Bahrain, drove at high speed without having any proper driving experience. She was involved in a significant car accident after losing control of her vehicle. After being arrested and appearing before a judge, the Saudi woman was found guilty and fined the equivalent of SR10,000 by a Bahraini court.

Serves her right!!!
 
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Poor woman falls in shock....:playing:



Cell Phone Thief Delivers Bad News


JEDDAH, 2 December 2005 — A cell phone thief was responsible for the admission of a newly married woman to King Fahd hospital in Jeddah recently, according to Al-Watan. The new bride called her husband who was waiting for a water tank truck. A strange voice answered the phone and told her that he was her husband’s son from his first wife, and that he was at the hospital with him. The “son” said that her husband had suffered an accident and just died. She collapsed and was taken to hospital. Her husband later reappeared and rushed to the hospital to see his wife after he heard what had happened to her. He told her that his mobile phone had been stolen and that the thief had played a sick joke on her
 
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I told you Technology is pretty....down....:playing:

Airport System Down

JEDDAH, 2 December 2005 — Hundreds of passengers were stranded at King Abdul Aziz Airport yesterday when its computer system crashed for almost an hour. The passengers for several national and international flights on Saudi Arabian Airlines scheduled to depart yesterday afternoon were stuck at the customs counter because the computer system went down triggering the delay. “It is very frustrating. I cannot believe that this problem continues to happen at this very important airport,” said a passenger to Arab News. Passengers complained as the officials scrambled to get the computers operational.

British Art Exhibition

JEDDAH, 2 December 2005 — British artist Rose Warnock will be exhibiting her paintings at the Rolls Royce showroom (BMW buildings) off Tahlia Street from Dec. 6-15. Warnock is a graduate of the Royal College of Art in London and her work has been widely acclaimed by critics and public alike. Described as a “visual poetry”, her landscapes are a transformation of reality into a unique world of the imagination. This is her first exhibition in the Middle East. She will be in Jeddah until the Dec. 6 opening. The exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
 
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A happy ending after all....awwww.....

First Pakistan Haj Flight Set to Arrive on Dec. 3S. Arshad Raza,

JEDDAH, 2 December 2005 — Relatives of people killed in the devastating earthquake that struck Pakistan Oct. 8 will be given a very warm welcome if they perform Haj this year, said Director General Haj Shahid Khan on Wednesday.

“The Pakistan Ministry of Religious Affairs is giving top priority to the kin of quake victims whose Haj applications had been accepted.” Otherwise, the ministry will include applicants whose names were left in the draw, Khan told reporters here. “All Pakistani pilgrims will be issued machine-readable passports (MRPs) so that we can save time at immigration counters. Details of each pilgrim can be obtained on a website that is linked with the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Islamabad,” he said.

A total of 150,000 Pakistani pilgrims will perform Haj this year; 90,000 are government-sponsored while the remaining 60,000 are coming with private tour operators.

Khan said that a total of 465 flights had been scheduled for this year’s Haj. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is operating 432 flights while Saudi Arabian Airlines is operating 33.

The first Haj flight with 465 pilgrims from Islamabad will arrive at the Haj Terminal of King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, on Dec. 3, he said.

This year, 27,000 pilgrims from Karachi and Islamabad will fly directly to Madinah on 54 flights. The first direct Haj flight from Islamabad to Madinah will arrive in the Saudi city on Dec. 5.

The year a code of conduct has been introduced so that no private tour operator can violate the law. The ministry has allowed 317 tour operators to deal with pilgrims. Each operator can carry only 190 pilgrims.

Regarding the condition of buildings, Khan explained, “All residential buildings we hired for pilgrims have been approved by the government.”

All buildings are coded with Green and White and are linked with (GIS) Geographical Information System.

The pilgrims are divided into White and Green categories, according to their distance from the Grand Mosque. Those who are within 1,300 meters of the Grand Mosque are in the White category. The buildings in the Green category are 1,100 meters from the Grand Mosque.

Buildings in Madinah have also been rented, Khan said, adding that 75 percent of those for Pakistani pilgrims are within 770 meters of the Prophet’s Mosque.

The mission has set up well-equipped medical centers in Makkah and Madinah to provide any emergency assistance during Haj. The directorate’s 40-bed main hospital has been set up near Pakistan House in Makkah and is fully equipped to serve pilgrims. Its facilities include male and female wards, death and disease areas, a dental unit, ophthalmology, ENT, an emergency ward, an operation theater, a lab and even an ultrasound unit.

The medical staff will include 260 doctors and nurses.

Speaking about the arrangements for Pakistani pilgrims, Khan said the directorate had divided the Makkah region into eight sectors, each equipped with a dispensary, ambulance service, information department and Internet facility.

A fleet of 16 ambulances to serve the Pakistani pilgrims has been arranged in Makkah and Madinah. Special counters have been set up at Madinah airport and Hijra Road to deal with pilgrims. A 20-bed hospital has been set up in Pakistan House No. 1, Madinah, which is fully equipped with all medical facilities, including an X-ray machine

An information center and a banking office have been set up at Pakistan House. Information regarding pilgrims can be accessed at the following website: www.hajjinfo.org.

Bahrullah Hazarvi, director of Haj, and Muhammad Jameel, press consul, were present.
 
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making a difference in life.....well done!!

Kingdom Marks AIDS Day With Massive Awareness Campaign


RIYADH/JEDDAH, 2 December 2005 — The Kingdom joined the member nations of the World Health Organization (WHO) in observing the World AIDS Day yesterday. The overall message of this year’s regional World AIDS Campaign’s theme and slogan matches the direction of the global campaign’s theme, which stresses on the importance of taking responsibility in the fight against AIDS and accountability.

The Regional Campaign Theme and Slogan: “HIV/AIDS: Stand up for the challenge. It’s everyone’s responsibility.”

The Ministry of Health has instructed all its health centers in different regions to observe the day in an effective manner throughout the next seven days since the day falls during the weekend. The general director of the various regions throughout the country have chalked out their own programs to suit the needs of their respective areas. The minister of health is slated to issue a statement today to the nation on the significance of the global event.

A march to raise awareness on AIDS by various representatives from the public and private medical sector will take place today afternoon at the Jeddah corniche. The march will be launched by Jeddah director of health affairs, Dr. Abdul Rahman Khayyat, taking off from the Holiday Inn and proceeding south.

This year there is a focus on educating schoolchildren and the young about the disease. “Starting Saturday and for two weeks, doctors in cooperation with the school health unit will be visiting 12 intermediate and high schools — public and private — everyday to raise awareness about AIDS,” said Dr. Sana Filimban, director of King Saud Hospital and AIDS awareness program. The doctors will distribute a questionnaire to 10,000 students to gauge their knowledge about the disease in order for the awareness team to design a program that will better inform them. Students will also be invited to participate in an art exhibition. On Dec. 13, an event will be held at the Hilton Hotel by medical professionals for the public, and the student’s artwork will be displayed there. There will also be an awareness program at sports arenas.

Dr Hussein A. Gezairy, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said the HIV epidemic is slowly and steadily advancing in the Region. He pointed out that most countries have initiated voluntary and confidential counseling and testing services, and have legislation to regulate the safety of blood and its products.

“We treat AIDS as a serious health problem in the country and were making every effort for its prevention and control ,” the Deputy Minister of Health For Preventive Medicine, Dr. Yacoub Al Mazrou said.

“In addition to the Immune Diseases Clinics in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, the ministry of health is making arrangements to open another clinic in Jizan,” a senior official who is in charge of the AIDS program in the ministry said.

According to reports, around 1,800 Saudis have been afflicted with AIDS during the past two decades and one third of them died due to the illness. There have been 6,000 cases of AIDS patients among the expatriates since 1986.

Tomorrow, King Faisal Specialist Hospital (KFSH) will hold the Second Annual AIDS workshop with more than 350 participants. On Sunday, the General Director of the Riyadh Health Region, Dr. Abdul Aziz ibn Muhsin Al-Dhukair will inaugurate a day’s symposium on prevention of AIDS at the Al Amal Psychiatric Complex in Riyadh. An exhibition will also be opened in the morning to run concurrently with the symposium.
 
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Footy...wahooo......

Opportunity knocks for Saudi youngsters
1 December 2005
by FIFAworldcup.com



Saudi Arabia's preparations for Germany 2006 are gathering pace with coach Gabriel Calderon taking a squad of young, inexperienced players to Qatar to take part in the third edition of the West Asia football tournament between 1 and 10 December.
"This tournament will be a good chance to discover more talents who can join us for the World Cup finals in Japan," former Argentine international Calderon explained. "We need to prepare our players and make sure that they get as much experience as possible to compete in the world's football showpiece."

With these words in mind, Calderon will be more than satisfied with the arrangements made by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation as it plans ahead for Germany. The team are expected to be involved in more than 40 warm-up matches, official or otherwise, before travelling to the finals next summer.


Since they secured their fourth successive FIFA World Cup™ finals appearance, the Gulf giants have been involved in just one friendly match - at home against Ghana. They lost the game 3-1 but even in defeat, Calderon saw enough to come away with a positive feeling and the coach remains upbeat about the team's future. "We scored first but then we lost concentration. I would rather lose to Ghana in Riyadh than suffer a similar defeat at the World Cup finals," he said.
In Qatar, Saudi Arabia have been drawn in Group C of the West Asian tournament with arch-rivals Kuwait and Palestine. Calderon believes that the regional competition will not be an easy ride for his side, as they could face some tough opponents in the later stages like Bahrain, fellow FIFA World Cup finalists Iran, Iraq and also the tournament hosts. "It is always good to participate in a competition instead of only playing friendly games," the coach continued, "It is heathly experience for the players and that is just what they will need before Germany."


Calderon's squad is built around promising young players such as Zaid Al Mowalad, Ahmed Al Bahri, Mohammed Al Anbar, Walid Jahdali with key figures like goalkeeper Mabrouk Zaid, Saud Khariri, veteran striker Sami Al Jaber and Asian Player of the Year Hamad Al Montashari all rested. But the coach is confident that his experimental side can produce a few surprises against their opponents in Qatar.
Many of the players participated in the final FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Korea Republic in Seoul in August, where they managed to achieve a remarkable 1-0 victory to convince their coach that they deserve a further chance to display their abilities. Calderon is thus hoping that the tournament will prove a stepping stone for several of his brightest prospects. "I believe that there is a lot of untapped talent in Saudi football and I am sure that many of those players who will be taking part in the West Asia tournament will also be part of our side in Germany 2006," he concluded.

Go saudi!Go saudi!!Goooooooooooooooo:loving:
 
salaam
just got through all that....
jazakillah for sharing sis. if i commented on it i'd be here all day....
wassalaam
 
salam
yes, lets hope saudi can mount a serious challenge in the world cup inshallah
and yes that saudi women deserved her fine, hope she learns from her mistake now, lol
and how cruel and sick can that thief get? that is just lower than low
he is a disgrace!
wasalam
 
metsudaistwice said:
salam
yes, lets hope saudi can mount a serious challenge in the world cup inshallah
and yes that saudi women deserved her fine, hope she learns from her mistake now, lol
and how cruel and sick can that thief get? that is just lower than low
he is a disgrace!
wasalam
Click to expand...


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Thats wat I like...a comment on all the events....id give u rep...but u have enough.lol.

Keep comments coming in as I keep the news and the latest coming in!!inshAllah.

Allah ma3akum
 
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JEDDAH, 6 December 2005 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday hoped the extraordinary OIC summit, which opens in Makkah tomorrow, would strengthen Islamic unity and enable OIC countries play an effective role on world stage.

Addressing the weekly Cabinet meeting at Al-Salam Palace here, King Abdullah welcomed leaders of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference to the two-day summit on behalf of the Saudi government and people.

“We have immense hope that the summit, which is held in the most sacred place on earth, will lead to unity of Muslims and help the Islamic Ummah regain its self- confidence and play an effective role in the world,” the king said.

King Abdullah also hoped that the conference would encourage OIC countries to work together, especially to fight disease and poverty, and enable their peoples to compete with others. He expected positive response from OIC leaders.

“The whole world is now going through a delicate phase that demands greater wisdom and futuristic vision” while dealing with vital issues, the Saudi Press Agency quoted the king as telling the Cabinet.

The Cabinet expressed its hope that the summit, which is to approve a 10-year strategic plan for Muslims, would usher in a new era of Islamic unity and solidarity, realizing the hopes and aspirations of the Ummah.

The meeting reviewed the preparations for the summit, which will be held in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque. Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are among the leaders, whose attendance has been confirmed.

The summit aims to restore the true image of Islam, which has been tarnished by terrorist operations. The objective of the Dec. 7-8 summit “is to restore the image of Islam, harmed by terrorist attacks carried out in the name of this righteous religion,” Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal told a news conference.

Saudia Board Restructured

The Cabinet restructured the board of directors of Saudi Arabian Airlines. The minister of defense and aviation or his deputy will be its chairman. The board members are: Assistant defense and aviation minister for civil aviation affairs, the airline’s director general, the president of the Civil Aviation Corporation, a government representative to be appointed by the chairman, and five private sector representatives.

The Cabinet approved the appointment of Abdul Rahman Al-Jeraisy, Abdul Rahman Al-Mushaiqeh, Osama Kurdi, Yousuf Al-Maimani and Abdullah Abu Milha on the board as private sector representatives.

The meeting reshuffled the National Commission in charge of implementing the international agreement that bans production, possession, storage and use of chemical weapons. Prince Turki ibn Muhammad, assistant undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry for political affairs, is the chairman of the 14-member commission.

The Cabinet also took a series of other important decisions. It authorized the finance minister or his deputy to sign an agreement with Pakistan to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion.

Health Service Law

It endorsed a new health service law which insists that only licensed and qualified professionals are allowed to practice. It prohibits housing patients in places that are not meant for them, and prevents using banned equipment for diagnosis.

Doctors are not allowed to perform abortion except to save the life of the mother, SPA said quoting the law. Medical practitioners who commit errors causing harm to patients must pay compensation. All doctors working in both private and public sectors must subscribe to cooperative insurance to cover medical errors, the law said.
 
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RIYADH, 6 December 2005 — The participants on the second day of the Riyadh Economic Forum discussed transparency and accountability in the Kingdom. They stressed that the country should take urgent steps to combat corruption in the public and private sectors in addition to releasing vital information which is currently unavailable to the public.

A paper entitled “Development of Transparency and Economic Accountability in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” prepared by Abdul Aziz Al-Owaishig was presented. In the paper, Abdul Aziz pointed out that current Saudi law did not mandate that government regulations be publicly announced and that in reality, only a few of them were ever announced in the media.

He also said that the National Center for Documents and Transcripts, established in 1989, had still not fulfilled its function of publishing the Kingdom’s laws. Concerning judicial matters, he said that the Court of Grievances had stopped announcing its regulations in 1983.

Even though the Council of Ministers issued a ruling in 2002 that the Ministry of Justice should announce the results of all its religious judicial hearings, this has not been done. The paper also said that judicial and non-judicial committees rarely announced their findings and regulations.

The paper said that many government bodies relied on unwritten regulations and directives and that there was no way that members of the public could possibly know what the regulations were or how to follow them.

One point was that all necessary information be submitted concerning public spending.

Participants said the Kingdom ranked 70th in the world out of 154 countries in terms of information blockage. It also ranked 2nd in the world in ambiguity and not revealing information.

Abdul Aziz said that implementing transparency in the Kingdom required the implementation of international standards. He also said government institutions needed to provide data to citizens and to the private sector in order to establish future strategies as well as to calculate investment risk factors. This information should be easily accessible by all citizens, he added.

Abdul Aziz emphasized the importance of establishments releasing basic economic data. He said that certain standards should apply to the release of this information and research and studies should be conducted to provide citizens with a clear idea of the institution’s contribution to the economy.

He also mentioned transparency in companies that offer their shares for public sharing. The system should guarantee the release of all information relating to its financial, accounting and administrative aspects. Any company that refuses should be fined or banned.

“The unavailability of information that could affect the interests of clients or shareholders of a public company is a clear violation of the law, even if it does not cause the company any harm,” he said.
 
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JEDDAH, 6 December 2005 — Neither Iraq nor Kashmir is on the draft agenda of the extraordinary summit of Islamic countries which begins in Makkah tomorrow.

“Yes Iraq is a pressing issue and (Iraqi President) Jalal Talabani is attending the summit, but Iraq is not part of the official agenda,” Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), told reporters and editors in Jeddah yesterday.

Responding to a question on whether there was any proposal to have an Islamic army replace US occupation forces in Iraq, Professor Ihsanoglu said the extraordinary summit has a single point agenda. “It will discuss the reformation of OIC as outlined in the report prepared by over 100 Muslim scholars and intellectuals who met in Makkah in August this year,” he said.

“Kashmir is also not on the agenda,” Professor Ihsanoglu went on to say. “These issues are discussed in regular summits. This is an extraordinary summit convened at the direction of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in order to review the current state of the Islamic nation and to explore strategies for the Muslim world and enable it to face the challenges of the 21st century,” he explained.

“The summit will discuss ways and means for the Islamic nation to regain a sense of self-confidence and to enable it to face the dangers which threaten it. The Makkah summit will discuss a strategic 10-year plan to re-energize the Muslim world with concrete measures,” Professor Ihsanoglu said.

OIC officials later clarified that though Iraq is not on the draft agenda if the foreign ministers who are meeting today feel it necessary to include Iraq in the deliberations then they can do so. “It is up to the foreign ministers. They decide the agenda. Whatever we are talking about are only draft proposals. And as far as the draft agenda is concerned, Iraq and Kashmir are not on it,” they added.

Professor Ihsanoglu said the Muslim intellectuals and scholars, who were invited for the preparatory forum in Makkah in August, were given a free hand to discuss and suggest anything whatsoever that was contributing to the unfortunate situation in the Muslim world.

“The scholars came from all countries and included almost all sects,” Professor Ihsanoglu pointed out. “They included economists, journalists, writers, strategists and specialists,” he said.

“There was no rhetoric, no protocol. The discussions were open, frank and candid,” he added. Their suggestions and recommendations are part of the report entitled, “Islamic Ummah: New Vision, Solidarity in Action.” “It is this report,” he said, “that will be discussed at the summit.”

Professor Ihsanoglu said this was an unprecedented summit because for the first time it aims to do something concrete rather than indulging only in political rhetoric.

On the issue of terrorism, he said the OIC’s position was very clear. “We condemn terrorism in all its forms and that includes state terrorism. We condemn terrorism because it targets innocent people.”

Professor Ihsanoglu said King Abdullah would lay the foundation for the new headquarters of the OIC general secretariat in Jeddah. “It is located in a very symbolic location near Bab Makkah. We will soon invite architects from all over the world to submit designs.”

Atta Mannan, the OIC spokesperson, said one of the proposals at the summit concerned issuing a “Makkah Visa.” “It will be along the lines of the Schengen visa and the proposal was first floated by the Islamic Chamber of Commerce & Industry which is part of the OIC. “The businesspeople want this in order to promote trade between Muslim countries,” he said. (The Schengen visa refers to the 15 European Union nations which allow document-free travel across their borders).

The scholars meeting in August was closed to the media but a copy of their recommendations obtained by Arab News indicated that they had called for a massive effort to improve education and make sure that ordinary people had a voice throughout the Muslim world.

The scholars called for creating a knowledge fund to support and improve the quality of education, especially in the underdeveloped parts of the Muslim world. They also noted the importance of creating an environment in which people could hold differing opinions and the media could operate without interference.

The scholars’ meeting produced a series of recommendations touching upon the position of the Muslim Ummah in the contemporary world, Islamic solidarity and joint Islamic action, institutionalization of Islamic good governance, conflict prevention and confidence building, terrorism, dialogue and civilization, Islamophobia, political and human rights of Muslim minorities in non-OIC countries.

Of particular significance was the scholars’ pragmatic recommendation to focus only on those resolutions that could actually be implemented.
 
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RIYADH, 6 December 2005 — An expatriate worker jailed in Dammam for partially blinding a Saudi national in a fight may lose one eye by court order.

Abdul Lateef Naushad, 34, from the south Indian state of Kerala, got into a fight with a Saudi and injured the Saudi’s eye. The Saudi reportedly lost the sight in that eye several weeks later.

The incident happened in 2003. The case has now been referred to the appeals court in Riyadh for final review.

“The Indian Embassy will make an appeal for royal clemency,” said an embassy official. The embassy, which was unaware of the case until recently, has contacted the worker’s sponsor who is attempting to help the Indian worker.

According to the sentence by a court in Dammam, one of Naushad’s eyes should be gouged out as punishment for causing the Saudi to lose the sight in one eye. The case has now been transferred to the Higher Court in Riyadh following an appeal.

Saudi and Indian officials have shown sympathy for Naushad and have come forward to help.

Naushad’s wife Sulekha, 30, and their two children live in Kerala. Naushad has not seen his three-year-old daughter because he has been in jail for the last three years.

Sulekha also looks after Naushad’s parents. They are surviving on the kindness of Naushad’s friends who regularly send them money.

According to Naushad’s colleagues who are witnesses in the case, a settlement appears remote as the Saudi is adamant and refuses to accept monetary compensation and pardon the man despite concerted efforts by the defendant’s lawyer and his employer.

In a similar case recently, the same sentence was given to an Egyptian who threw acid into the eyes of a Saudi.
 
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DUBAI, 6 December 2005 — Highlighting the role of media in a world that is being transformed into a borderless small village, Asir Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, chairman of the Arab Thought Foundation, said the media today shapes the world’s cultural and political and social orientation in the inaugural address at the fourth annual conference of the Arab Thought Foundation yesterday in Dubai.

Over a thousand participants from around the world are here to take part in the event whose theme is the “Arab and World Media: Getting it right.” The first of the two-day conference covered a wide range of topics regarding the role of the media, changes in the media and future challenges for the media. The conference had panel discussions, breakout sessions on specific issues and spotlight interviews with leading Arab personalities. The first day program left the audience asking for more.

Held under the auspices of Sheikh Mohammad ibn Rashid Al-Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai and minister of defense of United Arab Emirates, and in the presence of Jordan Queen Rania, the conference has gathered some of the highly respected and prominent Arab and international personalities and top journalists from 56 different countries. Prince Khaled said in his opening address that the issue of coverage and truth in Arab media is very important because it influences perceptions and decisions. He hoped that the Arab media would take this opportunity to build a better system of cooperation and dialogue, to learn from new technologies in the field and to ask foreign media to be more objective in its coverage.

Prince Khaled also raised some questions that were to be discussed during the conference, including whether the increasing number of Arab media outlets are doing their job in educating the Arab public and holding to Arab traditions or are they simply copying and promoting Western values and images. He also asked whether these outlets are able to introduce a new Arab message and convey it to others or are the Arabs still talking among themselves and whether they have succeeded in overcoming useless arguments and move to a more advanced stage of understanding.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said in his address that the role of Arabs is under threat of vanishing. Moussa urged that we need to think of our presence in a collective international mind, while warning against the exaggerations and lies in the media about Arabs. Moussa said we have to analyze the lies and come up with recommendations and ideas to help us face the situation with efficiency, while adding that we do have to accept ‘objective’ criticism to improve ourselves.

We face a lot of challenges — reforms, development, real democratization and religion, social and political issues and globalization. We need to understand them. We have started to address these, he said.

The first six breakout sessions of the day covered inside media coverage in Damascus, Cairo and Washington as well as such interesting topics as journalists in the line of fire, censorship and what’s next for radio. With the current situation in Syria, the Damascus session naturally brought in points about political challenges for Syria and the media. The journalists in the line of fire session was exciting, as it highlighted the dangers reporters face in Iraq and other war zones in accessing information. The session on censorship was also saw keen discussions, as it brought up points on the types of censorship and how reporters can get around censorship.

A point was made about how media does not need protection anymore; it is the people who need protection from media’s biased and self-serving coverage.

The first panel session on World Press: Power shifts and flash points was moderated by Arab News editor in chief, Khaled Almaeena. It set the tone for the conference as the panelists tried to answer some thought-provoking questions on how media influences people’s views and how it is influenced, the standards of professionalism, truth vs. respect of authority, reporting vs. analyzing, privatization vs. government subsidy and the issue of objectivity.

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid, general manager of Al-Arabiya and one of the panelists, told Arab News that standards, journalistic professionalism and credibility is determined by the upper managers and editors.

This panel discussion was followed by an interesting interview of Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holdings, which owns a number of media outlets including some American channels that are perceived to be biased. The prince expressed his views on the Arab and American media and said that instead of complaining Arabs should take a more proactive role in changing things in the media regarding them.

“We can change the view of the Westerners but the effort should be made from our side. In line with this aim, two institutions have been set up at the Georgetown University and Harvard University which will focus on Arab studies and which can contribute to changing the Arab stereotype,” said Prince Alwaleed.

Questioned on the role of media in Iraq, Prince Alwaleed said that the US seems to be imposing the so called ‘democracy’ in Iraq by supporting numerous TV channels and newspapers. He said that this reflects the fact that the US does not really understand Iraq.

Prince Alwaleed said that there are too many voices quarreling in the form of more than 20 TV Channels and 100s of tabloids in Iraq. This, he said, goes against perpetuating stability in the country at the moment.

Another vibrant panel discussion came after lunch on what determines page one news. Editors of Arab and foreign newspapers exchanged views on the factors, obstacles and process of deciding on the front-page news stories and coverage. This was followed by another panel discussion on reporting on political Islam where the panelists differed on whether Islamic movements in the Middle East are receiving adequate coverage and what kind of coverage are they receiving.

Meanwhile, the panelists also pointed out to internal and external pressures in covering Islamic groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and what guarantees do reporters have on their safety in their pursuit of covering these groups.

This was followed by a very intense and moving interview of Saad Hariri, member of Lebanese Parliament, whose father’s murder turned a new page in Lebanon’s history. A full audience listened to Hariri’s vision of a peaceful and prosperous Lebanon in continuation of Rafik Hariri’s legacy. He emphasized on the need for an international tribunal in the prosecution of his father’s killers and a democratic independent Lebanon for all Lebanese.

Finally, there were breakout sessions on inside media coverage in Riyadh, Palestine and Beijing and three specific issues on youth media, the roots of prejudice and citizen journalism, a discussion on how bloggers and the Internet are changing traditional newsrooms and challenging policymakers.


 
Saudi Islamists Discuss The Status Of Women In Islam And In The West

:sl:

'Abdallah Bin Hadhban Al-Harathi interviewed Dr. Said bin Nasser Al-Ghamedi about women in the West and in Isalm during his weekly religious program on the Saudi- based channel, Iqra TV, . Following are excerpts from the discussion:


'Abdallah Bin Hadhban Al-Harathi: Why did (the West) make the woman issue into a problem and a complex? Muslim society has never suffered from the woman complex, as Western society does.

In Western society the woman is a real complex. This complex existed in ancient Europe and later Christianity carried this complex with it when the barbaric European peoples became Christian.

It was these people's custom that a man weds one wife whom he owns forever but he cheats on her whenever he wishes and fornicates as much as he likes. This has been the situation from the days of barbarism to the days of the playboy, Clinton.

This culture passes form generation to generation, from father to son. Everybody acts according to it, in the offices, theaters, stadiums, beaches, brothels, and over the pages of Playboy. Their woman complex is deeply rooted in their past and in their present. But in the name of justice, freedom, and equality, they insisted on exporting this culture to us, while we, due to our weakness, wretchedness, and subjugation to them, are forced to import it. We have imported a complicated problem along with the films, and theater, McDonald's restaurants and Coca-Cola.

Doctor, I have news for you. It is peculiar and surprising that the US is demanding of the Islamic world, which it calls the Greater Middle East, that women should hold positions in areas that even in America they are not allowed to hold. For example, as you and all the viewers know, a woman in America is not allowed to become president of the US. Is it not so? And not vice president – is it not so? While in our Muslim countries, in Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, and in Bangladesh, women have held the highest positions.

There are also statistics about female MPs. For example, in America, the House of Representatives has 435 members, of them, 51 are women, while in the Muslim world, in the Pakistani parliament, there are more than 22% women. Furthermore, here, in Saudi Arabia, the salary a woman receives is identical to a man's salary. Meaning, professional rank five – rank five. The woman receives the same salary, while in America she receives a lower salary only because she is a woman.

I will add a simple comment to this. The Nobel Prize has existed for 100 years. This is in the West. The number of women who got it is only 10, meaning one tenth.

Dr. Said Bin Nasser Al-Ghamedi: Western thought, which has been exporting these problems to us, and has invaded the minds of some Muslim men and women, is based on the idea of conflict. In the West, conflict is a fundamental and central element in life and even in their approach to nature. For example, we use the term "space exploration" while they call it "space invasion." For them, it is a conflict with nature, a conflict with man, and even an internal conflict.

This belligerent life has turned the nature of the relationship between man and woman in the West into struggle and conflict. While in Islam, the relationship between man and woman is integrated and balanced. The woman is one of the two halves of the human species!

A certain measure of oppression and ignorance exist in the Muslim nation, which has caused some mistaken behavior. But, Sheikh 'Abdallah, despite these phenomena, even in its sick and deteriorating state, the condition of the woman in the Muslim world is better than that of the woman living in the West.

Western women themselves have admitted this, as the wise Western men have admitted, and those who have researched the situation of the West and the woman's problem have admitted. They have all admitted that the women in the West suffer a life of human inferiority and degradation, which humiliates her humanity and inflicts upon her right. Despite the Muslim world's weakness, and despite the problems and injustice caused to women in the Muslim nation, we see that generally speaking, the Muslim woman's situation is better than that of the Western woman living in the West.

'Abdallah Bin Hasban Al-Harathi: Is this wishful thinking or facts?

Dr. Said Bin Nasser Al-Ghamadi: These are facts…

'Abdallah Bin Hasban Al-Harathi: Give me something tangible…

Dr. Said Bin Nasser Al-Ghamadi: I have a large group of cases proving that women in the West live in a very depressing and painful situation. In America, for example, one of five women is raped, and according to more cautious estimates, one out of every seven…

'Abdallah Bin Hasban Al-Harathi: This is the situation in the US?

Dr. Said Bin Nasser Al-Ghamadi: Yes. One of five was raped.

'Abdallah Bin Hasban Al-Harathi: And in the Muslim world?

Dr. Said Bin Nasser Al-Ghamadi: There isn't such rate…there are no statistics.

'Abdallah Bin Hasban Al-Harathi: If there are no statistics, perhaps the rate is higher?

Dr. Said Bin Nasser Al-Ghamadi: No, it is not higher, because in Muslim societies there are religious, moral, ethical, tribal, and familial deterrents. All these deterrents exist in Muslim societies. Despite the ignorance, we do not have this kind of rate of rape cases, as in the West.

'Abdallah Bin Hasban Al-Harathi: Pardon me, Doctor, I cannot accept statistics about the other while we do not have statistics about ourselves, because we have a problem…

Dr. Said Bin Nasser Al-Ghamadi: People whose source (of values) is in a Holy Book and a Sunna and have ways of true, clear and clean understanding, are nothing like others whose source (of values) is urges, philosophies, Freud or Darwin, who takes Man back to the ape and animals.

They are not like those whose sources are philosophies that view human existence as a bestial existence, only in a different form. The other source makes different…

The other issue is the avoidance of implementing the qualitative difference between male and female. There's a qualitative difference acknowledged by the wise of all nations. There is a qualitative difference that dictates differences in the type of work and a difference in the position a woman can hold.

The male is not like the female. The man has his own entity, strength, physique, mental structure, a way of looking at things and events. While a woman has a different entity, mental structure, and way of life. Even her physique is different than the man's.

There are those who call for the woman to go out and work, as you have mentioned regarding the issue of rights and such. They say rights. What do they want for the woman? They want to get the woman out of home as a hired employee who integrates into the labor market while what the woman needs is to work freely. She needs to work freely in her kingdom, her home. There is a difference between her working freely in her home and fulfilling her role in raising future generations, nations, and men upon which the future is built, and between her going out to work as an employee, under the rule of a man who will treat her as though she were hired.



Allah ma3akum
 
Re: Saudi Islamists Discuss The Status Of Women In Islam And In The West

good good, so uh there aren't any problems of women in Saudi?I heard some stuuf like maid servants were raped or something,what about it?
 
Re: Saudi Islamists Discuss The Status Of Women In Islam And In The West

Abrar said:
good good, so uh there aren't any problems of women in Saudi?I heard some stuuf like maid servants were raped or something,what about it?
Click to expand...


:sl:

Did you mention that you have heard? Ooohh, yes you have havnt you. Have you seen the maids get raped? I doubt it!!

Hearing things is not enough brother Abrar. GO!! out there and see what you INTEND to see for yourself.

Plus!! Its amazing how you seem to (on every thread relating to saudi) talk so ill of saudi and always wish to pick out the negative things. Women are being raped in Iraq, they have been raped in Afghanistan....but have you ever hated the Americans for that? I wonder!!

Saudis may rape women....but tell me this.....name ONE or as many counties you know of....in which NOT EVEN ONE woman has not been raped.

Just because saudis are living in saudi it doesnt mean that Shaitaan is not around. It doesnt mean that they are perfect. It does not mean that they do not have sexual desires!!!!!!

Anymore queries, Ill be more than happy to solve them for you!:)

Allah ma3ak
 

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