JEDDAH, 20 January 2004 — Two things characterized the 2004 Jeddah Economic Forum — the presence of several international figures as well as of Saudi businesswomen who are a now force to be reckoned with. The other was the security measures in place, reminding everyone that the war on terror is still in progress.
“The security measures were not put in place to deal with a specific threat,” a security source told Arab News. “These big events attract a lot of people and the precautions are there to guarantee people’s safety.”
Throughout the three-day event, tight security and bumper-to-bumper traffic resulted in significant delays in getting to and beginning the forum. Cars were stopped and searched at a roadblock outside the hotel. The forum’s security team searched beneath all vehicles and inside, metal detectors and ID inspections were normal procedure for all the guests.
Reactions to security and its actual effectiveness was, at best, mixed. “It looked impressive on the surface but the actual searches left a lot to be desired,” said Ahmed, a JEF volunteer worker. “People were late and security was under pressure to get things done quickly and that resulted in some short cuts,” he added.
“Not everyone was searched properly,” said Abdul Qader Al-Sadiq. “You have individuals who kept setting off the metal detectors no matter what they removed from their pockets. You could see frustration on the guard’s face when he eventually told the individual to go ahead despite not having been completely checked.”
Journalists were also searched, mainly because of the equipment in their possession. “I really did not mind,” said Omar Al-Midhwahi, a Saudi journalist. “I know safety is the reason for all these measures and as long as my identification card was displayed, everything was fine.”
Other journalists, however, disagreed and saw a lapse in security. “I saw people go through without their IDs and no items, particularly mobile phones, were inspected,” a Western journalist told Arab News.
How were things in the women’s section? Not much different. According to one woman, “other than putting our handbags through the security X-ray machines and walking through metal detectors, there was hardly any extra security measure.
“Even though the machines and metal detectors beeped loudly and repeatedly whenever a woman passed through, the security guards sitting there did not inspect the handbags which were full of electronic gadgets and cell phones. The male guards politely smiled at the women and let them go by.
“Since there were no female security guards, the women were not searched for any items on their person that might have caused the metal detector to go off.”
