Australian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ridwaan Jadwat and General Supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, held a virtual meeting to discuss relief initiatives and efforts to combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
During their talks, on Tuesday, they reviewed aspects of bilateral cooperation and issues of common interest in relation to relief and humanitarian affairs, as well as the ongoing virus outbreak. The envoy also praised KSRelief for its aid work in countries around the world.
Last week, Jadwat met with Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley and discussed ways of boosting cooperation between the two countries in the related fields.
In a tweet after the meeting, the ambassador said: “It was a pleasure to meet with the Saudi minister of environment, water and agriculture — and discuss commercial opportunities and agriculture cooperation, including in the G20.”
Saudi Arabia holds this year’s G20 presidency, the premier forum for international economic cooperation, and has been hosting various G20 meetings leading up to the G20 Summit in November.
The relationship between the two nations has been complemented by Australia’s engagement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which are headquartered in Riyadh and Jeddah, respectively.
DiplomaticQuarter: Australian envoy, Saudi aid agency chief discuss relief, humanitarian affairs
https://arab.news/7m2t6
DiplomaticQuarter: Australian envoy, Saudi aid agency chief discuss relief, humanitarian affairs
‘Cake not hate’ campaign becomes ‘Dates not hate’ in Madinah
- Dan said he was very impressed by Saudi hospitality and that his family was warmly welcomed
- He said being in Madinah exposed him to the true diversity of Islam
LONDON: A British autistic and non-verbal boy who has been visiting UK mosques and distributing cakes to promote solidarity amid an increase in far-right support in the country has taken his message of love to Madinah.
Joshua Harris, or “The Joshie-Man” as the 12-year-old is known to his social media fans, has handed out hundreds of his baked goods to worshipers at mosques in major British cities over the last few months.
The “Cake not hate” campaign came about after an Islamophobic attack on a mosque in his home city of Peterborough in October 2025.
Harris and his father visited Masjid Darassalaam, the mosque that was targeted, with cakes that the boy had baked and distributed them to the congregation soon after the attack. Since then, Harris has visited dozens of mosques in the UK.
On a recent trip to the Middle East, he and his father visited Madinah. In a local twist that pays tribute to the holy city’s famous date varieties including ajwa and ambar, Harris handed out dates to people in the courtyard of the Prophet’s Mosque. The “Cake not hate” campaign became “Dates not hate” for Saudi Arabia.
“He was greeted really, really warmly. There were some really touching moments where people were kissing his hands and his head. It was really lovely,” his father, Dan Harris, said.
Dan, the founder of global charity Neurodiversity in Business, said being in Madinah exposed him to the true diversity of Islam.
“We met people from all around the world. It was amazing. It’s like the United Nations there, you get people from different countries and it just goes to show you that the Muslim community, or the Ummah more generally, is not a homogeneous group,” he said.
“We saw people from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and it was really interesting for us.”
Dan said his visit to Madinah, considered the second holiest city in Islam after Makkah for Muslims, was “profound and life-changing.”
He added: “I would say it’s my favourite city in the world due to the peace and tranquillity I felt there.”
Dan added that he was very impressed by Saudi hospitality: “Everywhere we went, people were taking down my number and insisting that we come for dinner, insisting they pick us up from the location. They were extremely attentive to Joshie as well, making sure his needs were met. We felt a great sense of welcome, something Saudi Arabia is known for.”
