Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal address to the Baker Institute
Address by HRH Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal to the Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University in Houston, Texas, September 21, 2005. Topic: Saudi Arabia and the International Oil Market.
Ladies and Gentlemen: Allow me to convey my heartfelt condolences to the people of the United States for the suffering, death and destruction brought about by Hurricane Katrina. At the same time allow me to praise this great city of Houston for the noble generosity of its people in offering a very needed assistance in sheltering those who suffered most. Houston has always been a great city and I am very pleased to be here.
Many years ago, when I started my government career in the Ministry of Petroleum, one of your fellow Houstonians gave me advice about traveling in the oil-producing countries of the world. He was what is known in the oil industry as an “old redneck.”
We were sitting in my office in Riyadh on a very hot summer day when he volunteered this unsolicited advice: “When you get to one of them countries,” he said, “the first thing you do is to go to the nearest shop, buy some durable candy, stock up on candles, go to your hotel room, fill the bathtub with water, and wait for the revolution.” I am sure I don’t need to do that in this oil city, I hope.
Before I proceed further, I must apologize to my friend and colleague His Excellency Mr. Al-Naimi, the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia, for delving into his turf. He has my wholehearted blessing to discuss matters relating to our foreign policy any time he wishes.
My topic today is of vital importance to both my country and yours – namely the structural flow in the oil industry. The severe increase in oil prices which we have experienced over the past several years is only a phase of a cumulative process that has been going on for some time.
The developments in the oil industry are important and warrant our full attention. High energy costs can create long term repercussions to the economies of the world that will affect all of us – consumers as well as producers, both in the industrialized and the emerging economies of the world.
It is important, therefore, that our two countries, the largest consumer and the largest producer, make the time available to assess the situation. We must define the issues and review our options to resolve them before they become too severe to manage. This becomes a matter of urgency and priority for all of us, especially when Saudi-bashing has become fashionable, and allocating blame has become an end in itself.
Crude oil has doubled in price to over $65 per barrel since 2002. Escalating energy prices have already had some indication of a depressing effect on the global economy.
The risks are too great to leave the solution to market forces alone. Because of global interdependence, depressions create social and political instability which cannot be confined to one region of the world. If not dealt with promptly and reasonably, such instability will spread regardless of the political and economic soundness of any individual nation.
What then is going on in the oil industry?
There are three sets of variables that need to be examined: Production, consumption, and political-psychological variables.
On the crude supply side, there is currently no shortage of oil. However, and for the first time in decades, there is no sizable excess production capacity. This has understandably caused some heated debates about the long-term supply of oil.
Some pessimists, mostly geologists, contrary to their customary nature, are predicting dire shortages in the future, while some optimists, mainly economists, also contrary to their nature, are predicting higher prices would eventually reduce the growth rate of consumption while increasing the growth rate of production. However, all these predictions are at best educated guesses based on uncertain assumptions.
What is indisputable is the finite depletable nature of oil. However global proven oil reserves have increased from 550 billion barrels in 1970 to 1.2 trillion today, and there is no reason why this trend should not continue.
In addressing these uncertainties, I must emphasize Saudi Arabia’s proven record of meeting its production commitments irrespective of international crises and political turmoil or even wars. Yes, we have kept our commitment even when wars were being fought in our region, when oil tankers were being set ablaze in the Gulf and when our cities and oil facilities were being attacked by Scud missiles.
Saudi Arabia has made up for shortfalls in oil production levels by maintaining between 1.5 and 2 million barrels per day of excess capacity at great cost to our industry and economy for the last 20 years.
Saudi Arabia’s year-to-date production in 2005 has increased by 700,000 barrels per day from last year. This accounted for more than half of the increase in global demand for that period.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has declared its plan to increase its production capacity by 2.4 million barrels per day by 2009. This represents a net capacity increment of 1.5 million barrels per day while the rest will augment existing capacity. Barring any outside impediments that are beyond our control, we see no problem in achieving this ambitious target.
We have signed drilling contracts, selected project management teams, allocated funds and put the initial engineering plans on the drawing boards. And unless the international companies use up the equipment we have on order and divert contractors from our oil fields to other projects, we see no problem in achieving our objectives.
It is estimated that the total investment needed to increase OPEC production to meet demand by 2025 ranges between U.S. $258 and 382 billion. The difference of U.S. $124 billion is due to different estimates in demand projections based on different economic growth assumptions. This gives you an idea of the difficulty of planning investments by producing countries.
Yet, with an attitude of “damned if you do and damned if you don’t,” we are now – in spite of what we have done and are doing – accused, of all things, of a lack of transparency.
This truly puzzles me. How can we lack transparency when we have published our production capacity, our oil and gas reserves, and our current and future production plans? And we have done so in a manner totally consistent with international norms and standards. In fact, our known practice is to err on the side of underestimating our reserves and potential production.
Let us face it, providing additional data will not stop endless questions and challenges raised by those who get publicity and consulting fees for questioning everything we do. No amount of data and analysis can convince a truly dedicated conspiracy theorist.
The focus on tarnishing proven Saudi performance is largely a distraction from the fact that the key price and supply issues affecting you are not about volumes of production, but rather about gasoline formulations, limited refinery capacities, lack of storage capacity, and the various other restrictions that have paralyzed the energy industry in the Western hemisphere.
Without minimizing the importance of the environmental issues, a balance must be reached between the need for further oil exploration and development and the preservation of the environment. In that respect, Saudi Arabia calls for increased research in this field.
We are ready to join others in developing uniform regulations that are environmentally responsive and sustainable while offering the most effective energy utilization.
In fact, the real energy issues that we need to address today have little to do with Saudi Arabia. Consider the situation with regards to some of the major oil companies.
In recent years, we have witnessed unprecedented mergers and acquisitions on both sides of the Atlantic. Tremendous resources and capabilities have been concentrated within the hands of a few corporations. All of them have the resources and experience to invest in and manage the entire value chain of the oil industry.
The collective expectations were that the oil and gas industry would experience a tremendous revival as a result of such restructuring and integration. But this did not materialize.
It seems that over-regulation made it easy to avoid investing in the needed downstream operations, which are of marginal returns, by tempting investors to seek higher returns and safe investments. The result was a break in the value chain of investments in the industry.
At the risk of angering some of my good friends in the audience, oil companies may have forgotten that calculated risk-taking is the means to higher profit making. They may have opted for the ease of the cautious advice of corporate accountants instead of the spirit of adventure that has characterized the oil industry from its inception.
A critical shortfall in the industry’s refining sector has been created, which is totally beyond the control of oil exporters. This in turn has lead to a gap between the oil production of crude oil and consumption of refined products.
The consumers are clamoring for more fuels which cannot be supplied due to the lack of refining capacity. This gap traditionally has been bridged by the integrated operations of the oil companies.
To be fair to the oil companies, the main reason for the refinery shortages is the environmental and land use restrictions that limit the construction of domestic refineries. Refinery projects which already require years to construct have to wait for additional years for site approvals, if such approvals are forthcoming at all. In fact, not withstanding certain modifications and expansions in existing facilities, not a single refinery was built in the United States during the last three decades.
According to the Energy Information Administration, global refining capacity has only increased by 1.3 million barrels per day over the past five years. Meanwhile, oil demand has increased by over 7 million barrels per day. Today, global refinery capacities stand at 82.7 million barrels per day, over one million barrels short of global demand.
Yet in spite of these refinery bottlenecks, Saudi Arabia is called upon to increase its oil production on a daily basis. Clearly, additional oil production will do little to meet the fuel requirements of the world refined products. We, however, began adding to our refinery capacity in Yanbu and Jubail, our two industrial cities which are the major hubs for our petrochemical and refinery industries, and there is room for more expansion. We therefore invite all investors to join with us to build additional refineries and to expand existing ones, to alleviate the refined products bottlenecks.
This invitation does not require any delays in implementation that would create added cost to the consumers. All it needs is the will to contribute to relieve the pressure that is building. At the same time, we are ready to join any efforts in building facilities in the U.S.
Over-regulation does much to limit supply and raise prices. Gasoline specifications often vary on a state by state basis. Applying standardization would increase the efficiency in managing refineries and allow better utilization of fuel products storage capacities.
The imposition of boutique fuel specifications on a state by state and country by country basis only confounds efforts to formulate global solutions for overall fuel shortages.
The reality is that as oil supplies from the North Sea, Alaska and continental U.S. lag behind demand, heavier crudes with higher sulfur contents will be increasingly needed to meet increased demand. Therefore fuel specifications must be standardized in order to modify refinery processes on a timely basis. This is something which we must resolve urgently if we are to ensure fuel specifications and optimum refinery efficiencies over the next decade.
The question of stability in the Middle East is a major concern in this regard. Conflicts in the region that contains over 65% of the world’s oil reserves and 45 % of its gas reserves have been allowed to spiral out of control.
Regional turmoil and military confrontations have created a volatile atmosphere that undermines investment in the region’s oil industry.
This volatility has in turn become a fertile ground for oil price speculation. Every tragic incident in the Middle East has become a green light for oil traders to set higher premiums on oil supplies.
The need to putting a just and equitable end to the Arab-Israeli conflict is a matter of extreme urgency. This would not only end decades of human suffering, but in the process rid us from the unhealthy speculations that have been so damaging to the oil markets.
I have taken a lot of time to cover these matters because they are of vital importance and yet have no simple resolution. Identifying the problems is always easier than seeking their effective solutions.
What is certain, however, is that we need to move away from the blame game, and to recognize the simple truth that the desired solutions can only be arrived at through collective cooperation.
Facing these challenges require a joint effort by oil producers, oil consumers and the oil companies. To institutionalize a fruitful dialogue among all concerned, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques, took the initiative in setting up a Secretariat for the International Energy Forum in Riyadh.
One of its primary functions has been to facilitate data exchange and transparency through the administration of the Joint Data Initiative, which involves monthly submissions from producing and consuming countries. A few months ago, while in Dallas, he called for the convening of a conference under the auspices of this International Forum.
We look forward to increased cooperative effort and stand ready to work with the United States to do our part in addressing these challenges.
Let me conclude by quoting an old Chinese proverb: “It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”
This is an article copied and pasted by me: YOUR reprter: Ameeratul Layl :coolsis:
JEDDAH, 10 October 2005 -- The recently approved regulations for licensing real estate investments have had an immediate effect on the real estate market and related businesses. In accordance with the new law, no real estate shares of any kind can be floated, used to collect money, advertised or approved until all regulations have been fulfilled. The regulations include getting the approval of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to float the shares for public subscription. The ministry must verify that the land for which the shares are sold is in fact owned by the company which must have a valid deed; the company or individual offering the shares must have at least a 20 percent stake in the property.
Also, the land must have been officially approved for the investment by the relevant municipality. The law also states that the real estate units offered for floatation should have a valid license from the municipality plus a study by an official consulting office showing the building costs, duration and services. After getting the ministry's approval and before advertising for investment, the company or individual must apply to the Capital Market Authority (CMA) to establish an investment fund under the name of the shareholding project in accordance with CMA regulations. Before establishing the investment fund and advertising for shareholders, the owner of the land must register the land in court in accordance with Ministry of Justice and CMA regulations which guarantee that the land will not be tampered with during the period of investment.
After an eight-month suspension by the Ministry of Commerce of licensing all real estate investments, the new regulations address the issues which led to such scams as the now infamous Venice Island venture from the Al-Duraibi Group. Real estate developers agree that with these regulations, life is returning to the real estate investment market. Already two real estate companies have submitted proposals to the ministry for floating real estate investments.
Hamdan Al-Nahar, president of Al-Nahar International Real Estate Group, one of the two companies, said that the new regulations would contribute to limiting the amount of capital going to neighboring countries especially for real estate investments. "The regulations also guarantee protecting the rights of investors and shareholders and allow big and small investors to increase their capital in safe investments," he added. All this of course will lead to the growth of the national economy and develop the construction sector, especially in line with the high demand for additional residential and tourism projects.
JEDDAH, 13 October 2005 — Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to the United States has urged people of all faiths to stand united in the fight against terrorism. Prince Turki Al-Faisal, former Saudi envoy to the UK, said Al-Qaeda’s terrorism was based on a perverted cult ideology.
He also emphasized that the uneven handling of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute by the West had played a big role in damaging Western-Islamic relations.
In a major speech to the Oxford Philosophy, Politics and Economics Society on the eve of leaving London to take up his new assignment in Washington, D.C., Prince Turki said Al-Qaeda’s terrorism had changed the world and would continue to shape the future of international relations.
A solution to the world’s problems would not bring current terrorism to an end, the prince said, adding that Al-Qaeda was not a religious or political organization, but a cult, which makes use of the suffering of others to further its vested interests.
“These cults claim that if the problems of Palestine and Iraq were solved, then they would be satisfied. I do not believe that is true,” the ambassador said. Al-Qaeda’s terrorism, he added, was not based on Islam, but on a “perverted cult ideology.”
Prince Turki claimed that the only way to fight terrorism was for all faiths to come together since creating divisions among them was what Al-Qaeda wanted. “We must also ensure that no government provides a political haven for those proselytizing extremist ideologies in the false belief that these groups are victims rather than aggressors,” he said.
In his address entitled, “Terrorism: Threats and Challenges,” Prince Turki said: “Terrorism is currently the biggest single threat to international peace and stability. It has ripped communities apart and has tried to turn friends into foes.”
He denounced allegations that Saudi Arabia supported terrorism. “In fact, we are the victims, not the supporters, of terrorism. The fact that they have sprung up within our midst is as horrifying to us as it is to you,” he told the gathering. “Extremism is the mantra of the very few, a tiny group whose minds have been twisted and turned to an evil agenda.”
Prince Turki said Osama Bin Laden had established Al-Qaeda as a guerrilla force, which would come to join him in a fight when he called. “He was intoxicated by his experiences in Afghanistan and wanted more, those who followed him were intoxicated by his passion and were searching for a cause,” he said, adding that Osama used the Internet to spread his venomous ideology.
Speaking about Western double standards pertaining to Arab and Islamic issues, he asked, “Why does the West enforce UN resolutions with untold power and might in the Arab world? Why doesn’t it enforce UN resolutions calling on Israel to move back to boundaries set more than 30 years ago? It is this cause above all others that has given lifeblood to this evil cult of hate.”
Prince Turki said Saudi Arabia, along with other Arab countries, had clearly expressed its interest in reaching a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. “The Arab peace plan initiated by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has been welcomed by all countries but rejected by Israel,” he pointed out. “I believe that until Palestinians are finally given justice and their own homeland, where they can live in peace, this will remain not just a tragedy but will provide terrorists with a ready excuse for their terrible actions,” he added.
The ambassador also spoke of Riyadh’s successful campaign against Al-Qaeda and said the Kingdom had arrested more than 500 terrorists. “We have also eliminated the leadership of Al-Qaeda, one by one. And scores of imams found preaching extremism have been dismissed.”
Prince Turki called for joint action by the international community to fight terror instead of blaming one another. “The death and destruction terrorism causes is incalculable as it drives a wedge of suspicion between communities and faiths, stirring up a poisonous diet of mistrust and hate,” he said. “We must cut off any intellectual, financial or political support that feeds these groups. We must ensure that no one twists the words of the Qur’an, or indeed any holy book, to justify their political aims and ends. This is corruption at its worst.”
Kuwait to teach unified GCC mathematics, sciences subjects next year
News from ur very own Reporter: Ameeratul layl
Inspector General of the mathematics subject at the Ministry of Education Mariam Al-Wutaid unified mathematics and sciences subjects would be taught in Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia as of next year.
Wutaid made the statement following a meeting for the educational leaders in Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia with the Director General of the Arab Education Bureau Dr. Ali Al-Qarni and officials in the Al-Obeikan company who is in charge of translating the curricula of the Harcourt International Company to apply them on the three mentioned GCC countries by next year.
She told KUNA these subjects will be given to students in first, fourth, seventh and 10th grade in the three GCC states.
Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Rasheed Al-Hamad, signed in Riyadh last March a draft plan to develop the mathematics and sciences subjects and unify them among the GCC states.
Kuwait contributed KD eight million to this educational project.(end) ay
Bird flu scare affecting investment in Saudi poultry sector
Reporter: Ameeratul layl
JEDDAH — The bird flu scare is affecting investments in the poultry sector in Saudi Arabia, and insurance companies are rejecting applications by poultry farmers, according to a report in the Arabic daily Okaz.
"The transmission of the fatal virus to the birds in the region threatens kingdom's poultry industry," Ridah Al Nagmoosh, Chairman of the Agricultural Committee in the Eastern Province, was quoted as saying by the daily Okaz last week.
In the Eastern Province alone there are 120 poultry farms. Each farm has six pens — each accommodating 25,000 chickens. Each farm stocks chickens worth more than one million riyals. The value of the total investments in the poultry industry in the region is estimated at SR760 million.
"The fear of Saudi investors in poultry industry is justified because all international efforts to control the disease have not yielded positive results," Al Nagmoosh said.
Insurance companies in the region have rejected applications to insure poultry farms terming poultry as high risk project.
Zeyad Al Gassem, chairman of the Insurance Companies Forum in the Eastern Province, said the major reason for denying insurance to poultry farms was that most of the veterinary projects in the kingdom, including poultry farms, have no precise studies and statistics that would help in measuring the likelihood of the occurrence of the risk.
Al Nagmoosh said the steps taken by Saudi authorities to prevent transmission and spread of the virus were laudable — especially the ban on the import of the birds from the affected countries.
The kingdom has banned import of poultry and its products from Turkey, Romania, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Pakistan, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
A temporary ban has also been imposed on the import of live birds and eggs from Turkey and Romania on the basis of World Health Organisation (WHO) reports, which confirmed that the deadly strain of H5NI avian flu had appeared in the two countries.
“We have so far banned import of birds from nearly 50 countries and we are closely monitoring appearance of avian flu cases in other countries,” Muhammad Al Sheiha, deputy agriculture minister for animal resources, was quoted by Okaz as saying. "Twenty-three quarantine areas at the kingdom’s entry points have been provided with advanced facilities to deal with the disease," he added.
Moreover, the Ministry of Agriculture has intensified monitoring of some 500 poultry farms in various parts of the kingdom. Al Sheiha said the kingdom has prepared a comprehensive plan of international standard to counter the deadly disease.
Saudi authorities are taking extra precautions in view of the large numbers of pilgrims who are here for Umrah and the expected influx soon for the forthcoming Haj. The Health Ministry has allocated SR25 million to purchase anti-viral drugs.
Al Nagmoosh called upon the investors and chicken breeders to fully cooperate with the authorities in checking the disease from entering the kingdom. He said the situation in the Eastern Province was assuring and under control.
News from the LI Forum's very own reporter: Ameeratul layl
RIYADH
- Saudi King Abdullah held talks Sunday with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, one day after receiving a Syrian official touring the Gulf ahead of an anticipated UN vote threatening sanctions against Syria.
King Abdullah met Siniora in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, where he is spending the last days of the fasting month of Ramadan, the official SPA news agency reported without giving details about their discussions.
The talks came one day after Abdullah met with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, whose country faces the threat of sanctions after a UN probe implicated top Syrian officials in last February's murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
Speaking in Qatar Sunday, Muallem said he feared the UN Security Council would "unfairly" punish his country.
He described as "dangerous" a resolution drafted by the United States and France which the council is expected to pass on Monday threatening sanctions against Syria to force it to cooperate with the UN probe.
SPA reported that the Saudi monarch also met in Mecca Sunday with Jordan's King Abdullah II.
Discussions covered "developments on the Arab, Islamic and world scenes, chiefly the Palestinian issue and the situation in Iraq, in addition to ways of boosting cooperation" between Riyadh and Amman, it said.
News from LI Forum's very own reporter: Ameeratul layl
Like many developing countries, Saudi Arabia has been targeted by the tobacco mafia with the aim of delaying and rendering ineffective all efforts to combat smoking. The simple truth is that tobacco generates profits amounting to many billions of dollars every year, and such profits go mainly to the accounts of the multinational companies that control the tobacco trade. Although many countries have their own national tobacco production, it is the multinationals that take the large profits throughout the world. Yet the world is becoming increasingly aware of the health risks that smoking causes. Efforts in many European and American countries to curb the smoking pandemic have yielded good results, with great reductions in tobacco consumption and a significant drop in the percentage of young people who pick up the habit. The multinationals were quick to see the writing on the wall and realize that the efforts of Western governments will be on the increase. Hence, for many years they have been targeting developing countries with the aim of spreading the smoking pandemic everywhere. They have benefited by the absence of effective legislation to curb their activities. Besides, where legislation is in place, tobacco companies are known to try to circumvent them. Their overall aim is to compensate the loss of five million customers smoking kills every year. Thus, they maintain their profit levels for as long as possible, knowing that the younger a person is when he picks up the smoking habit, the more difficult it is for him to quit once he begins to realize that it is adversely affecting his health.
Encouraged by the World Health Organization, many developing countries began to take measures to increase public awareness of the dangers of smoking. Thus, programs were started to publicize the facts, with radio and television shows speaking against smoking. Tobacco advertising on radio and television was banned. In some cases, no billboard advertising was allowed, but often newspapers were left free to carry adverts of tobacco companies, giving the pretext that the revenue from such advertising was absolutely necessary for the survival of the print media. But all such steps fell far short of what was required. Health officials felt that putting a health warning on cigarette packets would encourage people to quit smoking. Therefore, regulations demanded placing such a warning, and sure enough the tobacco companies complied. In some countries, you needed a magnifying lens to discover the position of the warning, let alone read it. If dark red was a color on the packet, the warning was written in light black on the red area.
But is it enough to know that health and tobacco are two opposites and cannot coexist for people to stop smoking? The tobacco companies were always a step ahead of the health authorities. They realized that with the strong addiction tobacco causes, few of their customers would heed the health warning. Tobacco consumption continued on the rise in practically all developing countries. Only the dedication of individuals caring for the welfare of people, at ministries of health and at the World Health Organization, maintained the momentum in the effort to combat tobacco.
An initiative by the World Health Organization sought a religious ruling on tobacco. The Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, based in Alexandria at the time, submitted data and medical information to Al-Azhar, the famous seat of Islamic scholarship, requesting a fatwa on smoking. Al-Azhar asked 10 of its prominent scholars to give their own individual fatwas, and all returned a ruling of prohibition. Their rulings are published by WHO in a book carrying the title The Islamic Ruling on Smoking.
In Saudi Arabia efforts by the Ministry of Health continued, with greater dedication. Everyone realized that the problem is very difficult to solve, because of the addiction element, and the efforts of the multinational companies. These efforts used the financial power at the disposal of such companies to promote tobacco. It is not easy in our world to issue an order to curb the efforts of these companies, because promotion efforts can easily cross borders, with what is organized in one country being easily monitored in another.
Health authorities realize that combating tobacco smoking requires an integrated and sustained package of measures, with clear preventive and curative goals. Thus, it is necessary to pursue policies that will persuade young people not to try to smoke, while at the same time help smokers to quit. Much depends on fostering people’s will not to smoke. Cooperation with the Ministry of Education ensures that school children receive a few doses of health education, in which the dangers of tobacco smoking are highlighted. At the same time, programs to help smokers to quit are introduced.
In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Health took the additional step of establishing specialized clinics throughout the country where smokers are welcome. These clinics offer wide-ranging and thorough information about tobacco, its effects on health, the dangers to which a regular smoker exposes himself and the nature of the addiction tobacco smoking forms. Different methods of help are explained, and the smoker is helped to make an informed choice of the method he thinks will work for him. The point is that quitting the smoking habit is hard and requires a great effort that can only be achieved when a person is determined to succeed. In Jeddah, some clinics offer rewards, such as free membership, for a limited period, in a sport club where the quitting smoker can train. As he does so, he will discover that quitting smoking enables him to improve his physical strength more rapidly. This provides an added incentive to keep up the effort to quit the smoking habit. The clinics work with smokers at both individual and group levels, realizing that while every smoker provides a special case that should be individually treated, people can help each other by sharing an experience of getting rid of a stubborn addiction.
Such efforts make steady progress, but the road ahead is still long. Madinah is providing the lead and its success will, God willing, provide the lead to expand the effort, putting it at the national level, with a plan to make the whole country tobacco-free.
Abu Dhabi: Yousuf Islam, former pop singer turned Islamic preacher, said globalisation is bringing people together, "hence every-body is beginning to learn about each other".
He was delivering a lecture here on Thursday on The Muslim in a Global Village.
WAM
“When we see Islam portrayed incorrectly in the media it is because we don’t have the media in our hands to show the world the truth about Islam,” said Yousuf Islam.
Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Information and Culture, and Mohammad Bin Nakhira Al Daheri, Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Awqaf, attended the lecture, in addition to hundreds of people who filled the Dhafra Hall at the Cultural Foundation.
Yousuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, said: "There's a talk of conflict between Islam and the West. This is one view which is making people think there is a time coming when there will be a clash or a greater conflict when globalisation is applied.
"Actually there are Muslims living in the West and non-Muslims living in Muslim countries, therefore the idea of a clash does not exist, the clash is just political."
Islam said any conflict cannot be observed from outside. "All of us in this global village will be hurt unless we take action to establish balance and peace within the village.
"The word globalisation is not about a conflict between Islam and the West. It's not about people killing each other, reality is that the idea global village is only applied in developed nations, while most people in this world live in poverty."
Islam said some form of democracy or equilibrium is necessary if we want to talk about the village.
"It wouldn't be a proper village if you have a warlord on one side and people trying to apply democracy on the other side, in Iraq for example, people are trying to apply democracy and they are bombed at the same time.
"If the global village vision came true, then the whole world will be one community, served by an electronic-media-working force. The political system will be unified.
"The question asked by Muslims is: 'Where will the religion fit in all this? It will be impossible for Muslims to live in a world where religion is something secondary."
Islam said the Quran is the only book that names and deals with other religions. Muslims are living in a time where Islam is looked at as something annoying and disturbing.
"Today we see many Muslims shy of declaring they are Muslims due to the manner in which Islam is portrayed in the media and we see people representing Islam in a bad way and not showing the true heart of Islam," he said.
"People who believe that there is no purpose for the human existence on this earth are mistaken, but Muslims understand the real purpose of existence is to worship the Almighty," he said.
Islam finally mentioned the important role the media plays in giving information. "Media is one of the most important areas which Muslims need to master," he said.
"When we see Islam portrayed incorrectly in media it is because we don't have media in our hands to show the world the truth about Islam. Instead we see Muslims who take the lead of representing Islam in a wrong way."
From ur very own reporter: Ameeratul layl A decline in gold smuggling and a salary hike have driven up the gold market in Saudi Arabia, despite Saudisation of the trade.
Saudi Arabia now accounts for 70 per cent of the gold and jewellery market in the Arabian Gulf region and is the fifth-largest in the Middle East, said Suleiman Al Othaim, chairman of Al Othaim Jewellery Factory Group in Saudi Arabia.
The Gulf nation has also experienced the largest jump in gold consumption, which rose 18 per cent in the second quarter this year, according to the World Gold Council. The UAE followed with a rise of nine per cent, closely tailed by Egypt with eight per cent.
According to Al Othaim, whose group owns 25 branches and gem and jewellery factories in the Kingdom and in Dubai, Saudi Arabia is also the world's fifth-biggest jewellery market. He dismissed earlier media reports that strict regulations and Saudisation drove some businessmen to close their gold businesses in Saudi Arabia and move to neighbouring Gulf countries.
He said some Saudis did expand their businesses both in Saudi Arabia and in other GCC nations, shifting some investment from the Kingdom.
Part of the Saudi's success stems from the remarkable decline in gold smuggling into the Kingdom, said Usama Alwazir, Gulf manager of World Gold Council. "The Saudi gold market has done extremely well this year, despite the increased gold prices in international market." The smuggling of gold and jewellery into Saudi Arabia diminished to five tonnes so far this year as compared with 50 tonnes in 2003, he said. Alwazir attributed the fall in gold smuggling to strict implementation of customs laws and a well-secured Saudi border
Strong demand is seen boosting Dubai's gold imports to 525-540 tonnes by the end of 2005, despite the recent jump in prices, the Dubai Metals and Commodities Exchange's gold executive director said. "We expect the year-end figures to exceed last year, mainly on an increase in buying of gold from local consumers and tourists," said Colin Griffith.
Gold has been hovering within range of the totemic $500 an ounce mark for some weeks, pushed up by worries about inflation and the US economy. Gold hit a near 18-year high of $480.25 an ounce two weeks ago, before profit-taking kicked in.
The World Gold Council's Middle East Director, Moaz Barakat, said he expects demand to rise due to the Indian festival and wedding season in October, Eid Al Fitr in November and the peak tourist season and Christmas in December.
"I think 2006 will also be another good year," he said.
King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan issue speech on the occasion of Eid- Alfitr 3 Makk
Brothers and Sisters, During the Eid days we can only pray to Allah that those belonging to a tiny minority of individuals who chose deviation as a frame of mind and a way of life may wake up from their deep dark slumbers and save their lives before they lose everything and realize that we live in a country that is genuinely Muslim in character, law and its vision for its future.
It is only proper here, brothers and sisters, that we say a word for prayer to those souls who lost their lives protecting and in defense of our society, its peace and tranquility and against such form of extremism.
If there is a message that the Eid days crystallize, it is a message of kindness, tolerance and goodwill within ourselves, within our society and towards those who share our faith and those who share our humanity.
May Allah makes this Eid holiday a blissful one and make every Eid fully blessings and may continue his blessings to our beloved country and may peace be upon all".
Wats the world coming to???? :grumbling :grumbling :grumbling
Riyadh, 7 Nov. (AKI) - Police in Saudi Arabia have broken up a beauty contest for gay men at al-Qatif on the east coast of the kingdom, arresting five men previously arrested less than six months ago for the same offence. The men were preparing to stage the competition on Thursday night, the first day of the Muslim festival Eid al-Fitr, when police raided the hotel they were in, forcing many contestants and guests to flee, leaving behind shoes and head scarves.
Some 80 people had been expected to attend the pageant, and police found large numbers of evaluation sheets, used to assess the contestant on attributes such as their height, weight, hip contour and skin colour, Saudi newspaper Al-Watan reported this week. They also found large quantities of beauty products and make-up, lingerie, sex toys and aphrodisiacs.
Four Asians, thought to be the event's organisers, were arrested in the raid, along with a Saudi national. Police are reported to have been tipped off about the contest months ago.
Several months ago police arrested 92 people in a raid on a gay party in al-Qatif. Many were wearing women's clothes and make-up, and some wore wigs. So far none of them have been sentenced in court.
Re: Saudi Arabia: Police Break Up Gay Beauty Contest
May Allah guide us all Ameen.
>_<
Our Lord! Verily, we have heard the call of one calling to Faith: 'Believe in your Lord,' and we have believed.
Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and expiate from us our evil deeds, and make us die (in the state of righteousness) along with Al-Abrar
Re: Saudi Arabia: Police Break Up Gay Beauty Contest
salam
may allah destroy those who imitate kuffars and may allah guide us all to the straight path
ameen wa akhiru da' wana anil hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen
wasalam
You sure do love the arab news don't you? I merged all your news reports into one thread. Those threads which turned into long dicussions, I decided to leave out.
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Re: New laws in Saudi
And in "brief" plz.
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