RIYADH: During its 49th ordinary session, the Shoura Council called on the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta to open independent sections for women.
This ordinary session was held on Monday under the chairmanship of the president of the council, Abdullah Al-Asheikh.
It also called for hiring specialized women to issue fatwas, while providing the necessary human and material requirements to do so.
The council called on the presidency to take the necessary measures to complete the appointment of the muftis in the rest of the Kingdom and to adopt the necessary funds for the development of the library of the presidency.
During the session, the council called on the General Authority for Ports to transfer the advisory councils of the ports to boards of directors at each port and with all given administrative powers.
In its resolution, the council called on the General Authority for Ports, in coordination with the relevant authorities, to include in next reports its efforts to reduce the negative impacts on the marine coastal environment.
In another resolution, the Shoura Council called on the Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) to direct its support to make use of the ADF’s initiatives in developing the agricultural sector in the Kingdom and to develop an advanced performance strategy.
The council discussed the report of the Hajj, Housing and Services Committee on the annual report of the Real Estate Development Fund for the fiscal year 1436/1437 AH.
In its recommendations, the committee called on the Real Estate Development Fund to accelerate the implementation of the royal order, which includes the development of the fund’s system to become a financing institution capable of providing financial instruments and innovative solutions.
The committee called for providing support and assistance to the Real Estate Development Fund to collect on its overdue loans.
One of the council’s members called on the fund to apply the decision of the Council of Ministers, which exempted applicants before 23/7/1432 AH of the provisions of the regulation of housing subsidy.
She also demanded that soldiers stationed in the southern borders be exempted from repaying loans to the Real Estate Development Fund.
Saudi Shoura Council calls to hire specialized women to issue fatwas
Saudi Shoura Council calls to hire specialized women to issue fatwas
Amr Moussa: Saudi Arabia and Egypt must lead Arabs for true peace
RIYADH: Amr Moussa, former Arab League secretary-general, has called for the establishment of an effective Arab leadership led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in partnership with Jordan, to unify regional positions and negotiate on the Palestinian cause and broader regional future.
During a panel discussion at the King Fahd National Library in Riyadh on Thursday evening, Moussa stressed this was “both vital and achievable” and emphasized the primary goal should be the establishment of a fully sovereign and effective Palestinian state: “True peace is only that which protects all parties … we need genuine peace, not a facade or a superficial justification,” he said.
Such a state must be “responsible for security and peace in the Middle East alongside its neighbors,” rather than a fragile entity, he added.
Moussa underlined that achieving this objective first requires the Arab world to demonstrate the capacity for unified and decisive action. “Are we as Arabs truly capable of being ‘we,’ or has that moment passed?” he asked.
He said the firm positions taken by Saudi Arabia and Egypt in rejecting forced displacement and calling for an end to aggression “underscore that it is possible to assert ‘no’ when the Arab stance is justified.”
Warning of the severe consequences of maintaining the status quo, he added: “If things continue this way … there will inevitably be something akin to October 7 again, because injustice breeds resistance.”
He placed full responsibility on Israel, saying it “bears complete responsibility for the chaos and destruction.”
On a practical mechanism to implement a unified Arab stance, Moussa proposed that Saudi Arabia and Egypt take the lead in establishing a diplomatic baseline, representing their “yeses and noes” in consultation with other Arab states. This framework, he said, would counter any attempts to impose unjust solutions under labels such as the new international “Peace Council,” which might “demand Palestinian concessions on Palestinian land.”
On whether peace was possible with the current Israeli government, which he described as “not committed to peace,” Moussa said: “There are other Israelis who speak the language of peace.” He urged efforts to “identify and support them to create a political alternative within Israel.”
He said the first thing Palestinians should do is hold comprehensive Palestinian elections as soon as possible, utilizing technology to ensure all Palestinians took part, including those in Jerusalem, to select a new leadership “with strong negotiating legitimacy.”
Moussa also warned that the challenges “are not limited to Palestine,” saying the Arab world faces interconnected crises in Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Lebanon and Libya, alongside shifts in the international order and the race for space.
“The issue of our future (requires) reviving a new Arab world,” capable of actively shaping that future rather than being marginalized, the former secretary-general concluded.
