http://xrdarabia.org Informed comment and commentary about Saudi Arabia, reform, and its relations with the US Tue, 13 May 2008 17:00:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The New York Times runs two articles, yesterday and today, on the problems young Saudis face in looking for love. Both are worth reading as they take first, the opinions and attitudes of young men, then in the second piece those of girls. There's not really much new here to ... http://xrdarabia.org/2008/05/13/looking-for-love-in-the-desert/ Associated Press reports that the US has dropped charges---with prejudice---against Saudi national Mohamed Al-Qahtani, without citing any reason why. The article suggests obliquely that it may have been because Al-Qahtani was subjected to harsh interrogation, which the Pentagon may not wish to become part of a court record. US drops ... http://xrdarabia.org/2008/05/13/charges-dropped-against-20th-hijacker/ In a move that I can only understand as a vote of no-confidence in the current legal system, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry has announced a research competition into the issues of divorce and child custody. Arab News reports that the competition is intended to come up with ... http://xrdarabia.org/2008/05/13/saudis-to-examine-divorce-custody-issues/ A fire in a prison in the Eastern Province earlier this month, later deemed to be an act of arson, has opened the door for discussion on the state of Saudi prisons. This Arab News article gives details... Crowded Prisons Rouse Concern in Shoura Council RIYADH, 13 May 2008 — At ... http://xrdarabia.org/2008/05/13/problems-with-saudi-prisons/ While Saudi Arabia has long had a drug problem, there is concern that addiction is now becoming a problem for youths. Saudi Gazette reports on a conference held in Riyadh to address the problem, from identifying youths at risk to finding the right kind of treatment for them. Interesting reading. Juvenile ... http://xrdarabia.org/2008/05/12/coping-with-young-saudi-drug-addicts/ Following the government's decision in January to permit women to check into hotels unescorted, the practice is meeting some rough spots. While some hotels see occupancy rates rising some 15%, others see much lower figures. Female travelers find that some hotels are easy to deal with while others appear not ... http://xrdarabia.org/2008/05/12/4639/ If accurate, this Saudi Gazette article is pretty noteworthy. It reports that Al-Qaeda has told its followers to leave Saudi Arabia and regroup in Yemen, where the government's actions against it have been less successful. Not good news for Yemen, of course. The articles points to the Saudi anti-AQ efforts ... http://xrdarabia.org/2008/05/12/al-qaeda-ordered-to-abandon-saudi-arabia/ This Saudi Gazette piece reports on a Saudi researcher, working on his PhD in the UK, who discovered and patented four new genes related to anti-antibiotic activity. I think it goes to show that there's nothing wrong with Saudi minds, but those who are restricted to Saudi educational facilities have ... http://xrdarabia.org/2008/05/11/saudi-researcher-discovers-four-new-genes/ Arab News reports on the start-up of the Islamic Studies program at Harvard, funded by Pr. Alwaleed bin Talal's $20 million donation. Georgetown University, which already had a program, was able to expand it with a similar grant. Both universities have come under criticism from those who think that because of ... http://xrdarabia.org/2008/05/10/saudi-funded-islamic-studies-at-harvard/ Interesting piece in Arab News on how young Saudis are being tempted into the world of tattoos and body piercings. The article notes that tattooing is actually forbidden in Islam, under the general category of challenging the work of God in creation. It does not mention the tensions concerning tribal ... http://xrdarabia.org/2008/05/10/to-tattoo-or-not-to-tattoo/