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Human rights activists and politicians are criticizing the University of Indonesia’s decision to award the King of Saudi Arabia with a doctorate degree. While the higher education institution says King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud has made headway with global peace and human rights in his country, there are many who think the King could work on the latter, especially when it comes to foreign workers in the oil rich kingdom.
 Click here for more images at Daylife.com The controversy stems from the recent beheading of Ruyati binti Satubi, an Indonesian maid, who murdered her employer after repeatedly being tortured and abused. A 2011 Human Rights Watch report said other Indonesia migrant workers in Saudi Arabia “frequently endure forced confinement, food deprivation and severe psychological, physical and sexual abuse”.
1.5 million Indonesians work as maids in the country – and there’s 23 of them currently on death row.
So it is understandable that the rector of the University of Indonesia, Gumilar Rusliwa Somantri, is facing strong criticism from Indonesians from all backgrounds. Some professors, alumni and students are calling for his resignation.
However, there are some Indonesians residing in Saudi Arabia, who attended the University, are praising the decision to give King Abdullah the doctorate degree. They point to the King’s charity to children orphaned by the 2004 tsunami that struck Banda Aceh. They also say awarding the King would help Saudi Arabian – Indonesian bilateral ties.
Source: Jakarta Post, University World News
Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia sent a delegation from its royal family to see how to tackle to famine that is affecting Somalia. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and his wife, Princess Ameerah, arrived in Mogadishu for the one day visit and saw firsthand how Somalis are suffering. They are experiencing the worst drought in the Horn of Africa in decades.
 Click here for more Alwaleed and Ameerah photos “I’m very happy to be here in Mogadishu in relative peace but also disappointed with the humanitarian disaster that Somali people are facing,” the Prince told reporters, adding that Saudi Arabia would “assist the malnourished children and those in need”.
Alwaleed and Ameerah visited refugee camps and Banadir hospital, where children have been dying in large numbers.
The Prince, who is nephew to King Abdullah and one of the world’s wealthiest, also met privately with the President of Somalia to discuss the famine and “also future business investments.”
In late afternoon, the couple left Somalia for Saudi Arabia.
According to U.N. reports, nearly 30,000 children under the age of five have died. 3.7 million people are in need of help.
Here are some links to organizations dedicated to helping the people of Somalia:
The British Red Cross
UNICEF
Doctors Without Borders
Sources: AFP
Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said that he wants to see oil prices be lowered so the United States and Europe won’t stop turning to his country for oil supply. Speaking on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS”, the Prince – ranked as the 26th richest man in the world – said he doesn’t want to see the West turn to alternative energy.
 Click here for Prince Alwaleed photos “We don’t want the West to go and find alternatives, because, clearly, the higher the price of oil goes, the more they have incentives to go and find alternatives,” Alwaleed said.
He blamed the Arab Spring, or the anti-government protests happening across the Mideast, for the rise of oil prices.
“You’re not 100% sure what is going to happen, because you hear once in a while Iran coming and jumping and antagonizing and intimidating the Gulf region,” the Prince said. “So, there’s a worry.”
Alwaleed told Fareed Zakaria that he wants to see prices go down to $70 or $80, rather than the current over $100 a barrel.
He also said the reason why Saudi Arabia has not have the upheaval that Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and so many other Arab nations have or are seeing is because the Saudi people love the monarchy.
However, Prince Alwaleed did say that his country has to “enact some new laws whereby the participation of the people has to be done, one way or another.”
Source: CNN
 Click here to view Arabic article It could’ve been like any other royal wedding - but when a prince of the ultra rich Saudi Arabian royal family and a British aristocrat from a family worth an estimated £300 million tied the knot Tuesday, the couple only spent £167 at a local registry office.
Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud, the son of the former ambassador to the United States and grandson to Crown Prince Sultan, married Lucy Cuthbert, niece of the Duke of Northumberland, just like that.
The Prince wore a suit and tie while his bride wore am above the kneee length cream colored dress. Only a handful of guests were present.
The couple arrived at the Oxford Register Office in a chauffeur driven Land Rover, but left the office with their friends on a bus.
Source: Herald Series
The Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia said in a news conference Wednesday that dialogue rather than protests will bring about change to the oil rich kingdom. Prince Saud al-Faisal made these comments as protests in the country, similar to those in other Arab nations, began.
 AP Photo/Saudi Press Agency “The principle of dialogue, I believe, is the best way to address the issues facing society,” the Prince told a news conference, warning foreign states not to interfere in Saudi affairs.
“Change will come through the citizens of this kingdom and not through foreign fingers, we don’t need them,” he said. “We will cut any finger that crosses into the kingdom.”
While Saudi Arabia’s vast oil supply has lead to a high standard of living compared to their Arab neighbors, there is discontent, particularly with its Shiite population.
Small rallies began taking place in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia this month, with a call for a “Day of Rage” protest on Friday. Over 100 young men rallied on Wednesday, demanding the release of prisoners who were held without trial.
“The called-for reform does not come via protests and (the clerics) have forbidden protests since they violate the Koran and the way of the Prophet,” Prince Saud said.
The Prince is a nephew of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.
Source: Reuters
The King of Saudi Arabia returned to the desert kingdom Wednesday after a three month absence. King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud was recuperating in Morocco for about a month following back surgery in New York. He was welcomed with open arms by male members of the Saudi royal family. He also ordered handouts to citizens in attempt to prevent any uprising currently being seen across the Arab world.
 REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/Handout The octogenarian King descended from the plane on a lift before taking to a wheelchair at a Riyadh airport. Numerous male dancers doing a traditional Bedouin sword dance performed as part of the welcome-home ceremony.
Saudi Princes, such as Crown Prince Sultan, himself in poor health, hugged and kissed monarch.
Also in attendance was King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain. It is interesting to see him out of his Gulf country, which has seen demonstrations by its majority Shiite population, demanding for governmental reform and even removal of the monarchy.
King Hamad has close ties with his Saudi counterpart, and Saudi Arabia was concerned that what is occurring in Bahrain would spread to its country because of its Shiite minority on the east coast.
 REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/Handout But King Abdullah is back in Saudi Arabia to prevent such an uprising from happening. He ordered a $37 billion handout to help lower- and middle-income people in his country which included rises to offset inflation, unemployment benefits and affordable family housing.
Saudi analyst Turad al-Amri welcomed what he called “a nice gesture” from the King, but other Saudis were not so impressed. “We want rights, not gifts,” said Fahad Aldhafeeri in one typical message on Twitter.
On Facebook, which has helped organize the demonstrations in the Mideast and North Africa, disgruntled Saudis are setting up a “Day of Rage”, scheduled for March 11th. They will call for an elected ruler, greater freedom for women and the release of political prisoners.
There are reports that King Abdullah will organize a new cabinet in order to install reforms.
“They are under pressure. They have to do something. We know Saudi Arabia is surrounded by revolutions of various types, and not just in poor countries, but in some such as Libya which are rich,” said Mai Yamani, at London’s Chatham House think tank.
“Basically what the King is doing is good, but it’s an old message of using oil money to buy the silence, subservience and submission of the people,” she said. “The new generation of revolution is surrounding them from everywhere.”
Ahmad al-Omran, who runs the popular Saudi Jeans blog, had this to say about the King’s handouts and reforms: “People don’t revolt because they are hungry. People revolt because they want their dignity, because they want to govern themselves. Money won’t solve our issues. We need true political and social reform. We need freedom, justice and dignity.”
Source: Reuters
As demonstrations in Egypt intensify, leaders from around the world are speaking out. While most of them are critical of President Hosni Mubarak, the King of Saudi Arabia so far is the only world leader who supports him.
 AP Photo/Saudi Press Agency/HO/FILE Saudi Arabia’s state run news agency reported that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud believes the protests are influenced by infiltrators, who were “exploited to spew out their hatred in destruction . . . inciting a malicious sedition” and that outside agitators “infiltrated into the brotherly people of Egypt, to destabilize its security.”
“No Arab or Muslim can tolerate any meddling in the security and stability of Arab and Muslim Egypt by those who infiltrated the people in the name of freedom of expression, exploiting it to inject their destructive hatred,” King Abdullah was quoted as saying.
“As they condemn this, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people and government declares it stands with all its resources with the government of Egypt and its people,” the Saudi agency added.
Reportedly, the King called Mubarak to express his support on Saturday.
King Abdullah is resting in Morocco following back surgery done in New York.
Source: International Business Times
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia arrived in Casablanca, Morocco Saturday where he was greeted by King Mohammed VI. But the Saudi King is not in the North African country for a state visit; he is there to recuperate from back surgery which he had back in November.
 Maghreb Arabe Presse King Abdullah, age 87, was in New York for the past two months for operations for a blood clot complicating a slipped disc. Until now, he was in an undisclosed location receiving therapy for the procedure.
It is unknown how long Abdullah will stay in Morocco.
His half-brother, Crown Prince Sultan, stayed nearly a year in the same country recovering from cancer treatments until late 2009.
Concern over the health of the King is major on the world stage. Saudi Arabia controls more than a fifth of the world’s crude oil reserves and is a vital U.S. ally in the region as well as a major holder of dollar assets.
When King Abdullah passes, the question would be whether a conservative or a reformer like him will succeed the monarchy.
Source: Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama gave the King of Saudi Arabia a phone call Sunday to congratulate Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud on the progress he has made since his back surgery back in late November.
 REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency-Handout/12.22.10 During his vacation in Hawaii, President Obama called Abdullah “to wish him well, and to congratulate him on the progress that he has made toward a full recovery,”
The 86 year old King spent one month in a New York City hospital before leaving on December 22nd. Following his initial surgery on a debilitating herniated disc complicated by a hematoma that put pressure on his spine, the King received another procedure to repair some vertebrae.
King Abdullah is now at an undisclosed New York location where he is recovering from his operations. It is not known when will he return to Saudi Arabia.
In return for the President’s phone call, the King congratulated Obama for securing Senate approval of a new nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia.
“The president thanked him and told him that he looked forward to working closely together in the coming year,” the White House statement said.
“The two leaders underscored the importance of our bilateral relationship, and agreed to continue cooperating closely on a range of issues.”
Source: AFP
The daughter of the Saudi Arabian king attended the first day of the Forum on the Participation of Women in National Development Monday, where she both praised women’s achievements in the ultra-conservative country and warned that still more needed to be done.
“The participation of women in social development in developing countries is still not clear. Women face many challenges at work because of tradition,” said Princess Adela bint Abdullah.
She went on to point out the number of women participating in the Saudi workplace. Nearly a quarter of million are teachers. They are now entering new fields like engineering and are becoming lawyers. They also hold key positions in health, science and research. In addition, Saudi women are holding important diplomatic positions in Canada and the United States. They represent the Kingdom when meeting with international delegations.
There are 51,000 women employees in the private sector and women own 12 percent of Saudi companies. Over SR100 billion is in the hands of women in the domestic market.
“Despite this, women’s participation is below expectations. A society cannot walk with a limp,” Princess Adela said, adding that media awareness is badly needed to highlight the issue of women’s participation in society to increase acceptance.
“There is urgent need for Saudi Arabia to diversify its activities and to balance economic growth with population growth. With 25 percent of the Saudi society financially helping the other 75 percent, this demonstrates the need for a greater role for women in social development,” the Princess told Arab News.
“Women are needed in all fields without any exception, as long as they are qualified. We cannot blame men for isolating women from key jobs and accuse them of standing in women’s way. If women were not qualified enough, no one will support them.”
Source: Arab News
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