Saudi Press Roundup

Dutch politician’s anti-Islam rants

The Netherlands has expressed its readiness to apologize for the anti-Islam diatribes of right-wing politician Geert Wilders in order to lift the sanctions imposed by Saudi Arabia on Dutch firms.
While considering the apology of the Dutch government we have to take up the issue of racism being faced by the Muslims of Netherlands and pressure the government to enact laws that would prevent attack on religions like it prevented racism against Semitism.
The situation of Muslims in Europe is like that of Jews and they have the right to have such a law passed to protect their rights. We have to utilize this opportunity to pressure the Dutch government and this will be a big moral boost for Muslims of the country.
The Saudi action was instrumental in making Dutch politicians spring into action. Saudi Arabia must play a big role in supporting the Dutch Muslims and prevent racism against Islam and Muslims through negotiations with Dutch politicians and officials.
— By Abdullah Al-Ghadami

Israel’s growing influence

I was not surprised when two Israeli counterterrorism experts arrived in Nigeria to help the search for girls abducted by Boko Haram on April 14. This reflects the growing Zionist influence in the largest Muslim country in Africa. A senior Nigerian official once told me that he is afraid of his country to be divided like Sudan as a result of Zionist conspiracy.
The famous Nigerian Muslim leader, Ahmed Bello, had once said he won’t care about Israel, downplaying its influence in the region. But his grandson told me during the Islamic Summit in Dakar that Nigeria has become a big playing ground for Zionists.
Israeli companies have a strong presence in Nigeria. Some of them reportedly supply Nigerian police and army with telecommunication facilities. According to one report, 43 percent of Nigerian contracts go to Israeli firms. Israel is also strengthening its grip on Ethiopia. Israeli experts arrived in the country to help find a suitable place for building a dam on the Nile.
We cannot blame Israel for expanding its influence in Arab and African countries. What makes me sorrowful is the pathetic attitude of Arabs toward this Israeli campaign. There are some people amongst us who believe the signing of a peace agreement with Israel would bring peace and stability to the region. We are busy with various conflicts while most Arab and African capitals play host to conspirators and international intelligent agencies.
— By Sharief Qandil

Knowledge-based economy

In a major push to general education, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah recently allocated SR80 billion to support the public education development project (Tatwir), which is named after him, for the next five years.
The project covers nine aspects of education including students, teachers, nursery schools, technical education, e-education, private education, school clubs and school buildings and facilities.
The project also includes setting up of an endowment to meet the sector’s additional expenditures and reduce the burden on the national budget. Actually, this is not the king’s first initiative to support education. He has been exerting continuous efforts to boost the country’s educational standards. In the past he supported efforts to develop curriculum, higher education and technical and vocational training.
The projects targeted by Tatwir are significant in light of great progress made by countries around the world in the field of education. The move will help us cope with them to build a knowledge-based economy. I believe that the most important aspect of Tatwir is training of teachers who can play a big role in changing the whole education system for the better.
— By Dr. Salah bin Fahd Al-Shalhoob

Syrian regime’s mindset

The success of Syrian regime — was the headline I originally wanted to give this article but I thought it would give a wrong message to the reader. This article aims to inform the reader about how the regime markets its ideas through its spokesman and the media.
The thrust of the regime’s media campaign is to abuse the opposition and tarnish its image. It wants to create public opinion that there are only three capitals in the Arab world — Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo — that play an influential role in the region. Other Arab countries, the regime says, have no weight.
The regime also wanted to give the impression that Damascus was working alone to confront terrorism and the tafkiri ideology that considers opponents as infidels. I am sure that the regime’s propaganda machine would not get many takers because of its meaningless ideas.
The regime also propagates that the US and Israel with the support of some Arab countries are preparing to launch a war against Iran. It also points out that the West’s anti-Russia stand on Ukraine was because of their failure in Geneva-2. I believe that these media propaganda is tantamount to putting venom in honey and hide the regime’s brutalities and war crimes against its people. How can an intelligent man believe that what is happening in Syria is a success for the regime after the killing of thousands of its people and displacement of millions of others.
— By Mohammed Al-Rumaihi

Unemployment among Saudis

Youth plays a significant role in shaping the future of any country. As a result, all Arab countries have given top priority to the development of young men and women in their countries. But unemployment among youth obstructs these efforts.
Unemployment also causes problems such as drug abuse, thefts, depression and deviation. The present jobs in the market would not meet the needs of qualified Saudis. The continuation of elderly employees in their jobs at government departments, even after the retirement age of 60, is another issue that prevents youth to get jobs. The consumer economy is another reason for unemployment as we import all products from other countries instead of producing them inside the Kingdom. We should start manufacturing projects and train our young men and women to participate actively in such ventures. Our youth have also been found weak in technology and English language and corrective measures should be taken to solve this problem that prevents them from getting jobs.
— By Raja Al-Bouali

Our message to Iran

I was following with great interest the largest military maneuvers named “Saif Abdullah” that was held in the Eastern Province by the armed forces. It proved that Saudi forces are ready to confront any unforeseen situation. After that Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal stated that Saudi Arabia is ready to hold talks with Iran on regional issues. This shows that the Kingdom’s talk offer to Tehran was based on its strength and not weakness.
The Syrian crisis has threatened the region including Tehran. It demands joint efforts by all countries in the region to find an acceptable solution. Saudi Arabia has taken a firm stand on the Syria issue from the very beginning, expressing its solidarity with the Syrian people. It has now become a complicated issue involving major world powers. Saudi Arabia and Iran are two regional powers that can play an important role to bring peace to Syria. Syria is a political issue and not a sectarian one. It has been the stronghold of Sunnis. The purpose of Saudi-Iran talks is to solve political issues and rebuild confidence and cooperation.
— By Abdullah bin Bakheet