RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman has held talks on regional defense cooperation with officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council.
He was heading the Kingdom’s delegation at the 18th session of the Joint Defense Council of the GCC Ministers of Defense, which was held in Riyadh on Monday, chaired by Bahraini Minister of Defense Affairs Lt. Gen. Abdullah Al-Nuaimi and in the presence of GCC Secretary-General Nayef Al-Hajraf.
“During the meeting, we discussed aspects of coordination and integration among the GCC states in the defense field in a way that enhances the security and stability of the region,” Prince Khalid said on Twitter.
He said that his country was looking forward to hosting the 19th session of the Joint Defense Council.
The council took decisions and recommendations that are to be submitted at an upcoming summit of the Supreme Council of GCC leaders.
Meanwhile, under the patronage of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Khalid inaugurated the headquarters of the Unified Military Command in Riyadh, in the presence of Gulf defense officials.
Lt. Gen. Eid bin Awad Al-Shalawi, commander of the GCC’s Unified Military Command, delivered a speech during the opening ceremony in which he expressed his thanks and appreciation to the defense ministers and stressed the importance of the joint Gulf defense work process.
The new headquarters has been established in an effort to strengthen the bonds of cohesion between the GCC states, and realize the importance of joint Gulf defense action in order to achieve regional security and stability.
Saudi deputy defense minister discusses defense cooperation with GCC
https://arab.news/cfy3v
Saudi deputy defense minister discusses defense cooperation with GCC
- Prince Khalid bin Salman was participating in a meeting of the Joint Defense Council of the GCC Ministers of Defense in Riyadh
- The Saudi minister also inaugurated the new GCC Unified Military Command headquarters
‘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.”
