JEDDAH, 14 August 2004 — Asir Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal distributed prizes to winners of the Abha national competition at a colorful function on Thursday.

Addressing the prize distribution ceremony, he said the people of Saudi Arabia would stand united in the fight against terrorism. “More than 60,000 men and women in the country have signed the competition’s declaration which says ‘No’ to terrorism and destruction ... and ‘No’ to tarnishing the image of Islam through extremism and killings,” the governor said.

Arab News columnist Suraya Al-Shehry and Dr. Ali Fayez Al-Johani shared the award for best research. Their works focused on the causes of terrorism and ways to tackle it. The poetry prize was shared by Abdullah Yahya Asiri and Jasim Al-Saheeh while the prize for arts went to Muhammad Rayat and Abdullah Shahir Asiri. Ali Al-Ghamdi and Muhammad Ali Al-Badawi won prizes for best cartoonists.

Prince Khaled ibn Saud Al-Kabir, Siraj Omar, Muhammad Shafeeq and Abdul Majeed Abdullah (patriotic songs), and Wadhi bint Abdullah Al-Sahli and Abdul Kareem Muhammad Al-Qahtani (folk songs) also won prizes. The stage drama “Ibn Al-Sumt” presented by a KFUPM team won the Muftaha prize for the best drama while Ahmed Al-Ahmary was adjudged the best drama producer.

Sultan Al-Fahd, a photographer working for Saudi Research & Publishing Company, received an award for his photographs highlighting the destruction caused by terrorist bombings on Al-Hamra residential compound in Riyadh in May last year.