‘Kill Valentine’s Day,’ urges article in Qatari daily
Opinion writer at pro-government newspaper slams so-called ‘perversions’
Mother’s Day, Christmas and New Year’s Eve also criticized in the article
Updated 15 February 2019
Arab News
CAIRO: A Qatari newspaper has published an article slamming Valentine’s Day, with the author throwing scorn at those in the Arab world celebrating Western occasions.
The opinion piece — titled “Kill Valentine’s Day,” by writer Ibtisam Al-Saad — was published in the pro-government daily Al-Sharq.
The author lamented what she described as people adopting “Western customs and norms.”
“It’s a shame that, at a time when we see and hear that thousands of people in the West are becoming familiar with our Islam and tens of thousands of people are joining it every day … there are some among us who turn to Western nonsense and Western customs,” she wrote.
Al-Saad added: “I speak today of all these terrible contradictions while I see some stores and markets already putting in their windows red-colored ads for the so-called Valentine’s Day.”
Throughout the article, Al-Saad decries what she describes as “a competition” in the Arab world for “marking these silly occasions.”
“As I write, I am tiring myself out trying to count all the made-up ‘holidays’ (celebrated) in our Arab homeland, which we treat as historic occasions, giving them all our attention and making sure to mark them, as though there is a competition for marking these silly occasions and dragging the young people and teens to become preoccupied with these temptations and perversions.
“After Valentine’s Day there will be Mother’s Day and Halloween and Christmas and the madness of New Year’s Eve.”
She then moves on to what she called a “broader and more complex” issue during which she discusses how globalization has changed the local values and traditions.
Al-Saad called for a return to the “days of chastity” when women were dressed in long black abayas and lowered their gaze when a man passed by, and men lowered their gaze when they passed women.
“Arabness has turned into Westernization and religion has become (mere) tradition, so it’s no surprise that new holidays have joined our (old) ones,” she wrote.
Gems of Arabia magazine launched to spotlight talents shaping Saudi Arabia’s evolving cultural landscape
The publication features established and emerging talents elevating the region across design, fashion, art, tech, music, architecture and media
Saudi fashion designer Hatem Alakeel seeks to highlight the richness of the Kingdom, and wider modern Arab culture to global audiences
Updated 15 January 2026
Sherouk Zakaria
DUBAI: When Saudi fashion designer Hatem Alakeel interviewed Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud before her appointment as Saudi ambassador to the US, the longtime advocate of women’s empowerment made a powerful prediction: “I look forward to the day that the Saudi woman is no longer the story but rather a phenomenal achievement.”
That moment would become the foundation for Gems of Arabia, an arts and culture audio-visual podcast that spotlights the creative talents shaping the landscape of Saudi Arabia and the broader region.
Over six years, Gems of Arabia has documented the sweeping transformation of the Kingdom’s art and culture scene, and is now evolving into a full-fledged magazine.
Hatem Alakeel is a Saudi fashion designer. (Supplied)
“It started off as a column I used to write, and from there, it turned into a podcast. Now it is growing into a magazine,” Dubai-based Alakeel, the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief, told Arab News ahead of the launch of the digital publication on Thursday.
Besides spotlighting celebrated regional artists, Alakeel said Gems of Arabia is in search of the “hidden gems” elevating the region across design, fashion, art, tech, music, architecture and media.
The magazine serves as a platform for talented, authentic creatives and tech entrepreneurs unable to articulate their work “because they don’t have the public relations or capacity to promote themselves even through social media.”
Alakeel added: “Our job is to identify all these authentic people; you don’t have to be famous, you just have to be authentic, and have a great story to tell.”
The digital publication offers a dynamic blend of short-form podcasts, coverage of regional cultural events, in-depth features and editorials, long-form interviews and artist profiles — spotlighting both celebrated and emerging talents. This is complemented by social media vox pops and bite-sized coverage of art events across the region.
Alakeel, who also runs Authenticite, a consulting and creative production agency connecting creators and brands who want to understand Saudi culture, said the magazine content is “carefully curated” to feature topics and personalities that resonate in the region.
What differentiates Gems of Arabia, he said, is its story of continuity and substance amassed over the years that has captured the evolution of the wider regional landscape.
“The website represents an archive of nearly 150 articles compiled through years of podcasts and long-form conversations that show continuity and depth changes,” he said.
“So, it’s an evolution and it’s another home for all our content and our community.”
Growing up in France, Alakeel said his mission started early on when he felt the need to represent his Saudi culture “in a way where it can hold its own internationally.”
Through his first brand, Toby, he sought to bring the traditional thobe into modern designs and introduce it to the luxury fashion world. This mission was accomplished when his thobe designs were placed alongside global labels such as Harvey Nichols, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada.
What began as a personal design mission would soon expand into a broader platform to champion Saudi talent.
“I was articulating my culture through fashion and it just felt natural to do that through the incredible people that the region has,” Alakeel said, adding that the magazine aims to highlight the richness of the Kingdom, and wider modern Arab culture to global audiences.
“Art is such a great way of learning about a culture and a country,” he said.
On the ground in Saudi Arabia, the publication hosts GEMS Forum, a series of live cultural gatherings that bring together prominent artistic figures for in-depth conversations later transformed into podcast episodes recorded with a live audience.
Alakeel said the print edition of Gems of Arabia will debut in March, designed as a collectible coffee-table quarterly distributed across the Gulf.
He envisions the platform growing into a long-term cultural record.
“It's a Saudi-centric magazine, but the idea is to make it inclusive to the region and everyone authentic has a seat at the table,” said Alakeel.
