Who’s Who: Ali Abdullah Allafi, deputy minister at Saudi Health Ministry

Ali Abdullah Allafi
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Updated 19 December 2021
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Who’s Who: Ali Abdullah Allafi, deputy minister at Saudi Health Ministry

Ali Abdullah Allafi has been the deputy minister for administrative and financial affairs at the Saudi Ministry of Health since 2019.

His main role is to ensure that the ministry’s financial system is in line with international best practices, the directives of the Ministry of Finance and the strategies of health authorities.

Allafi, who has also been an adviser to the health minister since 2015, is also responsible for strengthening the ministry’s cooperation with its finance counterpart. He sets plans to ensure the optimal use of resources and the maintenance of an efficient, reliable and accurate financial system.

For two years beginning in 2008, Allafi worked for Aramco Services in Houston, US, where he managed the repercussions of the global financial crisis, and provided support to Saudi Aramco and its business and subsidiaries in the US.

For a one-year mission in 2011, he was assigned to manage the financial sector at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. From 2012 to 2014, he worked as chief financial officer at Saudi Aramco.

Before that, he was a financial representative at Aramco for more than 22 years, beginning in 1981. During that endeavor, he was assigned to a two-year overseas mission in Los Angeles, US, as a financial representative of the Ras Tanura Refinery Development Project. He has held many positions in the financial, treasury and internal auditing departments, as well as other administrative positions.

He also served as head of operational budget and financial planning programs at Aramco, beginning in 2005.

Allafi also served as a member of the board of directors for three Aramco subsidiaries.

He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Indiana State University, US, in 1987. Eight years later, he completed an accounting MBA from Colorado State University, US.


‘Cake not hate’ campaign becomes ‘Dates not hate’ in Madinah

“The Joshie-Man” and his father Dan Harris in the courtyard of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. (Supplied)
Updated 02 February 2026
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‘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.”