Saudi Arabia

In recent years, a debate has surfaced in the Saudi media over the use of flogging as a punishment administered by the Saudi Authority for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Hundreds of Saudis are flogged every week for alleged "vice" crimes, such as harassing women,...

Recently, Al-Qa'ida published the first issue of its online magazine 'Al-Battar Training Camp – A Magazine Published by the Military Committee of the Mujahideen in the Arabian Peninsula.' [1] "Al-Battar" is an alias of Sheikh Yousef Al-Ayyiri, formerly an Al-Qa'ida leader in Saud...

The www.qoqaz.com site, operated by Al-Qa'ida members in Chechnya, posted a audio recording directed to the Mujahideen in Saudi Arabia by Sheikh Abu 'Omar Al-Seif, a Saudi considered the deputy of Abu Al-Walid, who is regarded as the commander of the Jihad in Chechnya, and who i...

In a column in the Saudi daily Arab News, columnist Dr. Muhammad Al-Rasheed praised the American capture of Saddam Hussein, and hailed President Bush as a liberator. The following are excerpts from his column: [1] "Beware the march of history or the ides of March, whichever appe...

On September 26, 2003, Ethiopian journalist Alem-Zelalem wrote an extensive article detailing how Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi Islam has corrupted the Islam of his native Ethiopia. The following are excerpts from Zelalem's article: [1] Ethiopian Islam vs. Saudi Islam " It shoul...

On November 30, 2003, Dr. Muhammad Talal Al-Rasheed, columnist for the English language daily The Saudi Gazette, wrote an article titled " Senseless Violence, Senseless Death." The article is in reaction to the murder of Saudi Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Rasheed of Hail by 'Is...

Introduction Saudi Arabia's embassy in Washington, D.C. recommends the homepage of its Islamic Affairs Department (IAD) to Americans who want to learn about Islam and Muslims. [1] The website, www.iad.org, [2] contains hundreds of pages of information about Islam and is linked vi...

On November 19, 2003 the Saudi Gazette issued a series [1] of articles [2] by Ramzi Khoury, advisor to the editor-in-chief of the paper. One of his articles argues that "it is not bin Laden's style of terrorism that poses a danger on the life of the President of the United States...

Recently, Saudi Arabia's media strongly criticized three Saudi sheikhs, Muhsin Al-Awaji, Safar Al-Hawali, and Suleiman Al-Dawish, who called for dialogue between the Saudi regime and the armed groups responsible for the latest terror attacks in the country. The three sheikhs are ...

The second issue of "The Voice of Jihad," the new biweekly on-line magazine identified with Al-Qa'ida has been posted.The following are excerpts from the latest issue, which includes a sequel to an interview with Abd Al-'Aziz bin 'Issa bin Abd Al-Mohsen, also known as Abu Hajjer...

Al-Qa'ida's website [1] posted a video featuring the "last will and testament" of several of the May 12, 2003 Riyadh suicide bombers. According to the site, the wills were recorded two weeks before the attack, on April 29, 2003. Transcripts of the wills were also posted. The vid...

A few weeks ago, Al-Qa'ida's website [1] declared it would publish the wills of the May 12, 2003 suicide bombers in Riyadh. A couple of days ago it released a new videotape [2] which includes an audio recording of the actual attack as was apparently transmitted through a cell pho...

Supporters of the Al-Qa'ida organization in Saudi Arabia launched a new on-line magazine, " The Voice of Jihad." The magazine was described as a "biweekly dealing with Jihad and the Mujahideen in the Arabian Peninsula." The following are excerpts from the first issue: [1] Why is...

Saudi Princess Reem Al-Faisal, [1] granddaughter of the late Saudi King Faisal, [2] is a photographer [3] and writer. The Saudi English-language daily Arab News published an article on October 3, 2003 in which she criticized the U.S. The following are excerpts from the article: [...

Al-Qa'ida's website, which was originally called Al-Nida and then changed its name and URL every few days to avoid being hacked, had disappeared from the Internet following the killing of its site director, Sheikh Yousef Al-Ayyeri, in early June 2003 in Saudi Arabia. The website ...

In an article titled "Where Do We Start With Reform?," Rashed Al-Fowzan, columnist for the Saudi newspaper Al Jazirah, calls for a program of economic and social reforms. The following are excerpts from the article: [1] "There is a desire by the government for economic reform an...

On July 19, 2003, the Saudi daily Al-Watan published an article by Dr. Umayma Ahmad Al-Jalahma, [1]who is described by the paper as a professor at King Faysal University. The following are excerpts from the article, titled "The Jewish Agency Scenario Repeats Itself:" [2] 'The Je...

Prince Amr Muhammad Al-Faysal, who has served ceremonial roles for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, [1]such as attending official functions and escorting high-ranking foreign visitors, is the general agent of the Saudi government's Islamic Insurance Company, [2]and is a frequent cont...

On May 27, 2003 , approximately two weeks after the suicide bombings in Riyadh , the editor-in-chief of the Saudi daily Al-Watan, Jamal Khashoggi, was fired by order of the Saudi Information Ministry. At the time, no official reason was given for his dismissal. Al-Watan was foun...

INDEX I. Introduction II. Prince Salman Ibn Abd Al-Aziz and "The Popular Committee for Assisting the Palestinian Mujahideen" III. Prince Nayef Ibn Abd Al-Aziz and "The Support to the Committee for the Al-Quds Intifada" and "The Al-Aqsa Fund" IV. "Account 98" Appendix. Saud...

The Arabic-language London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi recently reported on a symposium regarding "Al-Qa'ida, Saudi Arabia, and International Security" which was held at the Royal Institute of International Affairs. During the meeting, the Saudi ambassador to Britain, Prince Tur...

The website of Saudi Arabia's Embassy in London contains a document titled "Saudi Arabia - Questions of Human Rights." This document is meant to answer questions frequently asked by Westerners about Saudi Arabia, such as: 'why are non-Muslims forbidden from practicing their relig...

Following the bombings in Riyadh on May 12, 2003, the deputy editor of the independent Egyptian weekly Roz Al-Yousef, Wael Al-Abrashi, who is also an expert on Sunni terrorist movements, wrote several articles on Saudi Wahhabism and the development of Islamist terror. The followi...

Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producing country among the members of the Organization of Oil Producing Countries (OPEC) and, as such, it is the dominant force in that organization. Changes in the supply equation that could diminish its role and influence in the international oi...

Dr. Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid wrote an article titled "Good Cause, Bad Lawyers" which appeared in three Saudi dailies this week. [1] Dr. Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid is the Secretary General of the Manpower Council in Saudi Arabia, which is responsibile for economic and social development i...

In an article published in the Saudi daily Okaz on May 27, 2003, Dr. Ayman Habid accused the United States of endorsing terrorism. The following are excerpts from the article: [1] "Terrorism remains an American product. Were it not for the blood spilled as a direct result of ter...

Several days after the suicide bombings in Riyadh, a number of trends emerged in the Saudi media. The most prominent of these is the debate between conservatives and liberals regarding the role played by the Saudi education system and sermons delivered in Saudi mosques in the eme...

Saudi press reports of May 14, 2003 dealt primarily with the previous day's suicide bombing attacks which were carried out in Riyadh. The following are excerpts from the Saudi press's coverage of the bombings: Calls for Self-Examination Following the bombings in Riyadh, some arti...

The Al-Madina regional branch of the Saudi religious and morality police, formally known as "The Authority for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices," recently launched its new website.[1] The site posts news items, citizens' violations, and includes a section that allo...

On April 9, 2003, Dr. Umayma Jalahma briefed the Arab League's "Center for Coordination and Follow-Up" and claimed that the U.S. war in Iraq was timed to coincide with the Jewish holiday Purim. Dr. Jalahma, a professor of Islamic Studies at Saudi Arabia's King Faysal Un...

In a series of three articles the editor-in-chief of the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed, criticized the Arab media coverage of the war.[1]The following are excerpt from the articles: 'Slow Down, Media of 1967' In an article under the title 'Sl...

In an article published in the Saudi English daily Arab News, Saudi columnist Amr Muhammad Al-Faisal wrote of his surprise at learning of the limited rights granted to women in Saudi Arabia. The following are excerpts from the article:[1] 'Saudi Law Does Not Allow Women to Run a ...

The Iraqi regime, symbolized and personified by Saddam Hussein, has in recent weeks come under increasing criticism[1] from the Saudi media. Going beyond the criticism of Saddam and his regime, there are mounting calls on Saddam Hussein by Saudi newspapers to spare the Iraqi peop...

In an article published in the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat,[1] columnist Walid Abu Murshid cites four reasons why Arabs should welcome the candidacy of Senator Joseph Lieberman for President of the United States. The following are excerpts from the article: "Last b...

Recently, female Saudi columnist Nourah Abdul Aziz Al-Khereiji [1] wrote an article titled "ID Cards for Women: Why Insist on Guardian's Consent?" which discussed progress in Saudi Arabia now that Saudi women have separate ID cards for the first time. The article criticized the S...

In the "Focus on Islam" section of the Saudi English-language newspaper Riyadh Daily, an article titled "Islamic View on Celebrating Christmas, New Year"[1] discussed how Muslims should perceive Christian holidays, specifically Christmas and the New Year. The following are excer...