This is an interesting piece in Arab News, based on an interview that originally appeared in the Arabic daily Al-Madinah. In it, a Saudi historian/archeologist warns of the dangers of bending history to serve immediate political needs and desires. He points out that archeology in the Kingdom has to face unreasonable pressures from those afraid of what history might say. Researchers would avoid doing work in certain areas because of fear from social conservatives. Rewriting history to one’s perceived advantage is of course not a solely-Saudi event. History is full of examples and those efforts continue today, whether it be in the late Howard Zinn’s attempts at history or the ‘Hindutva’ efforts to make the Aryans the be-all and end-all of Indian history.
It’s good that there are Saudis aware of the threats and telling other Saudis as well. Hiding from history is not productive as it leaves one with false premises. That is rarely a good path to follow.
People want to rewrite Arab history to serve vested interests: Al-Zuwailaei
JEDDAH: Those who wish to rewrite the history of Arabia are motivated by their ideologies and do so to promote partisan views, said Saudi historian and archaeologist professor Ahmad Al-Zuwailaei.
“Some people want to rewrite our history to serve the interests of a particular ideology as happened in the 1960s and the 1970s when the leftist ideology gained prominence in the Arab world,” Al-Zuwailaei told Al-Madinah newspaper.
“These people consider the Prophet (peace be upon him) a revolutionary fighting the aristocracy of the Quraish and consider his companions as socialist leaders. They apply Marxist ideology to our history to suit their interests. This is in fact a mockery of history,” said Al-Zuwailaei, who won the 2008-2009 Prince Salman Prize for Historical Studies on the Arabian Peninsula.
Born in Al-Hubail, Qunfuda, in 1942, Al-Zuwailaei studied in the UK and the Kingdom, and has authored over 50 books. He has also taught at universities across the Kingdom, undertaken numerous archaeological excavations and served in various positions related to archaeological studies and tourism.
Al-Zuwailaei said there was a system of reporting of events during the time of the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions, and that with the help of accredited tools of studying history researchers can determine the veracity of reports from that period.
He added that historians should not approve or reject historical evidence due to personal interests.
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Writing in Asharq Alawsat, Diana Mukkaled points to the newest instance of ‘dueling fatwas’, the issuing of contradictory judgments on proper behavior. The former head of Al-Azhar’s Fatwa Commission thinks that social media like Facebook are sinful and that good Muslims should abjure them. The current Commission says, ‘Not so fast, please.’ Mukkaled suggests that some clerics have simply not kept up with the modern world and perhaps they might do so before issuing fatwas.
Fatwas of Fear
Diana MukkaledThey raise feelings of sadness, as well as ridicule and derision.
I am talking about a number of fatwas and religious opinions and interpretations that are occasionally issued to us from here and there. Those who issue these either voice their [religious] opinions on what is forbidden and acceptable from the pulpit or via their websites, in response to people asking questions about what to eat and wear, how to live, and how to utilize the forms of communication and information in this modern world.
The former head of the Al-Azhar University Fatwa Commission called for the prohibition of the Facebook social networking website, saying that whoever uses this website is committing a sin. Of course al-Azhar quickly distanced itself from this fatwa, saying that since it was issued by the former head of the Fatwa Commission, rather than its current head, it does not represent the official position of Al-Azhar University.
However doesn’t the recent state of confusion surrounding this fatwa, resemble the confusion that took place following the issuance of fatwas and religious opinions on similar issues, which resulted in the Sheikhs who issued the original fatwas to quickly retracting them?
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Saudi Arabia joins many other countries in now banning the carrying of liquids and gels above a certain, small amount from airline carry-on luggage. The new regulation, as reported in Arab News, appears to be the same as that applied in Europe and the US. As in Europe and the US, there will be those who find the ban to be fiendishly disruptive.
Liquids in hand luggage banned
EDDAH: King Abdul Aziz International Airport has implemented a ban on travelers taking liquids and gels in their hand luggage on international flights. The ban covers liquids and gels in containers and packaging that is over 100 ml, and includes beverages, perfumes, men’s colognes, toothpaste, shampoo, hair gels and other toiletries.
The list of prohibited materials does not include essentials such as baby milk, food for medical patients and medicine. Mazen Khashoggi, director general of airport, confirmed the ban, adding that it is necessary for airline and passenger safety. The ban does not cover items that are in check-in luggage.
Forbes business magazine runs a piece which argues that Al-Qaeda finances are being squeezed by a variety of factors, including effective anti-terrorist-funding efforts in Saudi Arabia. As a result, various affiliate groups are turning to crime to fund their operations. Drug smuggling, hostage taking for ransom, and bank robberies are increasing as the groups try to fund their operations and maintenance. Some groups are even charging would-be jihadis for their training, room, and weapons—payable in Euros, please. Crimes to support terrorism are reported from Spain, Morocco, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Anti-funding efforts cover an even wider area.
The article is certainly interesting and worth a read.
Is al Qaeda Bankrupt?
Desperate for funds, the terrorist group has turned to affiliates that rely more and more on crime
Nathan VardiJihadists had a name for Abd al Hamid al Mujil–”the million dollar man.” Al Mujil had forged a personal relationship with Osama bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, the self-described mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, spending parts of the late 1990s in Afghanistan. In those days the Kuwaiti-born al Mujil traveled to various Arab countries to meet with bin Laden’s deputies. As recently as 2006 al Mujil conducted fundraising in Saudi Arabia, where he was executive director of the eastern province branch of the International Islamic Relief Organization, a charitable group. He provided donor funds directly to al Qaeda, says the U.S. government, and was particularly focused on helping al Qaeda affiliates in the Philippines by handing out cash to a supporter who pretended to be on an Islamic pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. These days al Mujil is out of business. That’s largely thanks to efforts by the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.N. Security Council. Designating al Mujil as a terrorist financier and singling out the Philippine and Indonesian offices of his charity, they have prohibited U.S. financial firms from conducting any transaction with him or those offices and required U.N. member states to freeze his assets. The Saudi Arabian government has met that requirement, in addition to restricting the transfer of iiro funds outside of the kingdom. The charity’s U.S. lawyer says the IIRO is not a terrorist organization and has done nothing wrong. Al Mujil, he adds, no longer has a role with the charity.
Such actions, across many fronts, have made a significant dent in al Qaeda’s treasury. On the eve of the attacks on America al Qaeda was running a $30 million annual budget, according to the CIA. The terrorists were tapping into deep-pocketed Saudi and other Arab donors. Now they are hard up. Witness the pathetically ill-equipped and mistrained underwear bomber.
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The Washington Post has this story about an American student who was detained by security authorities. He alleges it was due to his having flash cards that he uses to help him study for his Arabic course and is suing for violation of his civil rights. Most of the security agencies have nothing to say at this time—as is the norm when there’s pending litigation—but one says that the student’s behavior, more than the mere possession of the flash cards, lay behind the detention. I guess we’ll have to wait for this to play out in the courts…
College student sues U.S. for detainment at Pennsylvania airport
Spencer S. HsuA Pennsylvania man sued the federal government Wednesday, alleging that he was abusively interrogated, handcuffed and detained for five hours at Philadelphia’s airport in August because he carried a set of English-Arabic flashcards as part of his college language studies.
Nicholas George, 22, of Montgomery County, Pa., a senior majoring in physics and Middle Eastern studies at California’s Pomona College, charged that three Transportation Security Administration officers, two Philadelphia police officers and two FBI agents violated his constitutional rights to free speech and freedom from unreasonable seizure.
A Justice Department spokesman in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia police had no immediate comment.
Representatives of the FBI and the TSA said they would not comment on pending litigation.
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Asharq Alawsat interviews a Scotland Yard Chief Inspector, who works on counter-terrorism, and who happens to be a Muslim convert. Nothing particularly startling in the piece, but interesting.
Q & A with Chief Inspector Richard Varley
of Scotland Yard’s Counter -Terrorism Command
Mohammed Al ShafeyLondon, Asharq Al-Awsat- Chief Inspector Richard Varley, a member of Scotland Yard’s Counter-Terrorism Command and the founder of the Association of Muslim Police is able to recall the day that he embraced Islam perfectly. Richard, or Rashid, as some Arabs and Muslims call him, conducted an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in which he talked about his conversion to Islam, his experiences abroad in Arab and Muslim countries and life as a British Muslim Police Officer. Richard Varley is a Geology graduate from the University of Exeter, and he converted to Islam in 1993 after visiting the Islamic Center of Regents Park Mosque in London for a number of years. Varley made the Shahada, the Muslim declaration of belief, in the presence of a number of the mosque’s sheikhs, and fellow Muslim convert Yusuf Islam.
The text of the interview is as follows:
[Asharq Al-Awsat] When did you convert to Islam?
[Chief Inspector Varley] Well I remember the exact date, it was in August 1993.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What attracted you to the Islamic faith?
[Chief Inspector Varley] I became interested in religion after reading and reflection. I am a Geology graduate from the University of Exeter, and one of my colleagues at university was BBC correspondent Frank Gardner, who was studying Arabic language and Middle East studies. I was also a fan of science and studying this, and I found verses that came down 14 centuries ago speaking in depth about the Big Bang, and others on the expansion of the universe, and three verses that describe the task of mountains in protecting the earth.
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Asharq Alawsat has this piece about how veils can do more than simply provide modesty. Sure, the envoy can be charged with ‘looks-ism’, not a handsome trait itself, but it’s simply a fact that men tend to be attracted to, well, ‘attractive’ women. Personality can override the issue (as, I suppose, could a lot of money), but here the issue is clearly fraud.
Arab Envoy Finds Wife-to-Be Bearded behind Veil
DUBAI (AFP) – An Arab ambassador called off his wedding after discovering his wife-to-be, who had worn a face-covering veil whenever they met, was bearded and cross-eyed, the Gulf News reported Wednesday.
The envoy had only met the woman a few times, during which she had hidden her face behind a niqab, or face-covering veil, the paper said.
After the marriage contract was signed, the ambassador attempted to kiss his bride-to-be, upon which he discovered she had facial hair and was cross-eyed, it said.
The ambassador told an Islamic Sharia court in the United Arab Emirates that he was tricked into the marriage as the woman’s mother had shown his own mother pictures of her sister instead of her, the report said.
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Saudi Gazette/Okaz inform us that the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice are to develop a ‘rule book’ that defines the role of the Haya, informing both them and the public of their responsibilities. It should have come decades ago. Lacking clear-cut rules, individual members were free to exercise their personal preferences and views of ‘correct behavior’ and inflict those views on the public. I think everyone knows someone who is always crying, ‘There ought to be a law’ against whatever it is that’s annoying them. With the lack of clear guidelines, Commission members were free to make their own laws.
Whether or not a rule book actually improves the functioning of the Commission will depend on just what it says, of course. If it’s written too broadly, then it’s no improvement. If it is specific and detailed, though, it might serve to rein in some of the abuses.
Guidebook on Hai’a role in the offing
By Hazim Al-MatariRIYADH – Abdulmohsen Al-Ghafari, Director General of Public Relations and Media Administration at the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Hai’a), has said the Hai’a is currently cooperating with a number of consultants and lawmakers to produce a guidebook defining the rights and obligations of its employees and a job description for its staff members.
Al-Ghafari said that the guidebook was part of a program introduced three years ago.
A study of the program entitled “The Development of Field Work” was assigned to the King Abdullah Institute of King Saud University in Riyadh.
He said all Hai’a field and administrative operations are subject to a thorough assessment to overcome any shortcomings in staff performance.
Recently over 100 members of the Shoura Council voted in favor of a bill making it imperative for the Hai’a to develop procedural guidelines defining the rights and obligations of its employees.
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It’s mid-February and so, as regularly as the ticking of a clock, it’s time for the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to raise their scolding fingers to condemn the fact of Valentine’s Day.
Arab News columnist Tariq Al-Maeena has a good piece surveying the attitudes of a cross section of those living in the Kingdom on the issue. I’m amused that some Saudis see the celebration as being ‘forced’ upon them in order to destroy Saudi values. ‘Love’ is apparently not a good word in their vocabularies.
When the color is red
Tariq A. Al-Maeena I Arab NewsTOMORROW (Feb. 14) means something special for a lot of people around the Western world. It is Valentine’s Day, a day on which the tradition of honoring your loved one has become a social custom in societies that celebrate such events. Tokens of affection are often transmitted through the exchange of red roses or gifts ensconced in red wrapping.
In the Kingdom, some things remain unchanged. Writing for the Associated Press, Abdullah Al-Shehri stated that “the Saudi religious police” (Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice) had “launched last Thursday a nationwide crackdown on stores selling items that are red or in any other way allude to the banned celebrations of Valentine’s Day.”
According to his report, “Each year, the religious police mobilize ahead of Feb. 14 and descend on gift and flower shops, confiscating all red items, including flowers. Members of the commission inspect shops for red roses, heart-shaped products or gifts wrapped in red, and order store owners to get rid of them.”
The report goes on to say that “A statement by the religious police, informally known as the muttawa, was published in Saudi newspapers, warning shop owners against any violations. ‘Those who don’t comply will be punished,’ the statement said, without spelling out what measures would befall the offenders.”
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There are a couple of interesting pieces on how the wearing of hijab (or niqab) is perceived in Europe. It seems a minor issue to many, not worth a fuss, but to others, it brings in issues of personal identity, cultural identity, and religious identity, none of which is a minor affair.
In Arab News, Iman Kurdi writes about just how much information about a person can be learned from whether that person is wearing hijab or not. Not wearing it doesn’t automatically make one a political or social liberal; wearing one does not necessarily mean that one is an arch conservative:
Hijab and French values
Iman Kurdi I Arab NewsTHERE has been a storm of controversy in France over a candidate for the country’s regional elections. Ilham Moussaid is a candidate for the NPA in the Vaucluse, a department in the Provence region of France. The NPA is a new party and stands for Nouveau Party Anti-Capitaliste, or New Anti-Capitalist Party, a Trotskyist (yes, they still exist!) party led by the charismatic and popular Olivier Besancenot.
So why is the inclusion of the young Ilham Moussaid on the Vaucluse list so controversial? She wears a hijab or veil is the answer.
It is a first, it seems, not just for the infant political party but for France as a whole. Never before has a woman with a veil on her head appeared as a candidate in a French election, be it local, regional, presidential or European, none. The other parties have been quick to attack this apparent assault on French republican values. Martine Aubry, the leader of the Socialist Party, stated that she would not accept the presence of a veiled candidate on one of their lists. President Nicolas Sarkozy’s ruling UMP party has also attacked NPA’s choice with Prime Minister François Fillon calling it a “manipulation”.
It’s a polemic that is hard to understand from an outsider’s point of view. There is no issue with a Muslim presenting herself for election. Indeed there are a number of Muslim women candidates up for election. The issue is purely one associated with the hijab.
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The Washington Post carries a story about a situation in Spain, where a Muslim woman who decided to shed her hijab became the target of conservative Muslims. It didn’t help that her job was to act as liaison between the city government and the Muslim community. The woman, though, fought back. She used the Spanish legal system to bring complaints about her principal attackers and they now face trial. That could result in their being jailed for several years. The city’s Mayor’s handling of the case has also resulted in unhappiness among the voters, some of whom see her efforts to contain the issue as a repudiation of Spanish values.
Muslim woman’s veil case represents clash of values in Spain
Edward CodyCUNIT, SPAIN — This sunny little resort on the Mediterranean shore has long been a favorite for weekenders seeking to escape the congestion of nearby Barcelona for a dose of sandy beaches and sea breezes.
But Cunit has gained a new distinction: It is famous in Spain as the town where a Moroccan-born Muslim woman with a master’s degree and a head of curly hair says she was threatened by Muslim fundamentalists because she took off her veil and tried to live like a Spaniard.
The treatment of Fatima Ghailan, 31, prompted an investigating magistrate to bring charges against the sheik of the local mosque, Mohamed Benbrahim, and the head of the Islamic Association, Abderraman el-Osri, the leading figures in Cunit’s Muslim community.
The case also generated demands for the resignation of Mayor Judit Alberich, a liberal Socialist who, her political opponents said, catered to her Muslim constituents at the expense of respect for the law.
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It’s Friday and the Saudi papers don’t actually have a lot of news today.
I did find this piece in Saudi Gazette, also published in its Arabic sister paper Okaz, that points out a conflict of opinion between the Grand Mufti and other Islamic scholars on the question of whether the doubling of traffic fines if they are paid late is a matter of riba, that is, usury as defined in Shariah law. The Grand Mufti thinks it is, and thus should be prohibited. Others say it’s definitely not, as usury is charging money for the use of money, decidedly not the case here.
The issue seems minor—except to those stuck with doubled fines—but that the discussion is being held in public and that the Grand Mufti’s opinion seems wanting, is very interesting. Worth reading the whole article.
Doubling traffic fines is not usury: Scholar
Naim Tamim Al-HakimJEDDAH – In the ongoing debate taking place on the issue, a leading scholar argues that doubling traffic fines is not considered usury.
Dr. Saleh Al-Sadlan, Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence “Fiqh” in the Postgraduate Studies Department at Imam Muhammad Islamic University in Riyadh, said the doubling of traffic fines does not fall under the jurisdiction of usury in Islamic law.
This view supports an edict made by Dr. Abdul Mohsen Al-Obikan, the adviser at the Royal Court.
However, it is in disagreement with a ruling made by the Kingdom’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh who ruled that the doubling of fines for traffic violations is usury.
Al-Sadlan said scholars have different views about penalties which have to be paid with money.
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Saudi Arabia has massive amounts of energy in the form of petroleum deposits. It has even more energy in the form insolation—sunlight striking the ground. So what can it do to capture this ‘free’ energy?
Yesterday, Arab News reported on what King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is working on, a solar-powered desalination plant.
KACST starts initiative to tap solar energy
M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan I Arab NewsRIYADH: Saudi Arabia is now looking to enter the world of solar energy with the launch of the first of a three-stage solar power initiative.
In the first phase, the Saudi government and its agencies, in cooperation with the Riyadh-based King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), has begun building a desalination plant using solar power. The plant will have a capacity of 10 megawatts and a reverse osmosis plant that utilizes developed technologies in the field of solar energy.
“The solar energy scheme will reduce the cost of producing desalinated water and of generating power for use in the Kingdom, an oil-dependent nation which has also launched a national energy efficiency program,” said Prince Turki bin Saud bin Muhammad, KACST vice president. He said there was a need to promote solar energy projects in the Kingdom and the Gulf as these nations are planning and executing huge industrial, residential and manufacturing projects.
A total of nine desalination projects in Saudi Arabia alone that will be implemented at a cost of billions of riyals within a few years are currently either under study or under construction, according to a report from the state-owned Saline Water Conservation Corporation (SWCC), a major participant in the solar energy initiative. Moreover, the Saudi government’s goal is to add 30 gigawatts of generating capacity to its electricity grid by 2010, said a KACST official.
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Today’s Saudi Gazette reports on a lecture held at King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) that the country could capture more than enough solar energy to supply its own power needs, primarily electrical. This, the speaker said, would take pressure off oil production, allowing it to become more diversified and rationalized.
All of this is true, I think. Oil has many more uses than simply burning it to produce electricity, the form of energy with the highest demand in the Kingdom at present. There will be, for the foreseeable future, need for petrochemicals.
Lecture at kaust
Saudi Gazette reportTHUWAL – The solar thermal sources in Saudi Arabia could be used to produce enough electric energy for the whole world. This was asserted in a recent lecture at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust) by Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim, a Kaust researcher, Professor of the Ronald C. Crane Mechanical Engineering Program and President of “Energy in the Twenty-First Century” at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States.
In the lecture, entitled “Energy in the twenty-first century”, Dr. Ghoneim said, “increases in oil and gas prices, global warming and increased carbon emissions are three factors which lead us to think of working to diversify energy sources and to search for new sources of non-oil and gas characterized to be more durable, and less harmful to nature. This, of course, is without giving up working, at the same time, to promote the efficiency of existing sources.
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