JEDDAH, 28 November 2004 — Nabila Mahjoob, the veteran writer at Al-Madinah newspaper, has returned to writing her weekly column after being suspended for over a month. Arab News reported her suspension last week but did not mention her name or the paper because the columnist wanted to work things out with the paper quietly before taking further measures.

She explained, “At first I didn’t know how long the suspension would last. I was very upset about the whole thing because I don’t think I wrote something that deserved suspension. If I had, the paper wouldn’t have published it in the first place or would at least have removed the offensive parts.”

In the offending article, she wrote of corruption in one of Saudi Arabia’s major financial institutions and criticized a senior general manager. Although she did not name either the institution or the general manager, the manager immediately contacted the newspaper and threatened to pull the institution’s advertisements if action was not taken against the writer. The editor in chief panicked and the next day informed the writer through an assistant that her articles would not be published until further notice.

“I was shocked by the financial institution’s threats to the paper unless action was taken against me and shocked even more by the paper’s giving in to this kind of extortion,” she told Arab News.

She tried to speak to the paper’s editor in chief and even wrote a letter to him but he refused to answer her. Arab News tried to contact the editor in chief as well as other administrative staff for clarification but had no luck. Sources at the paper did not deny that the columnist had been suspended because of her article about the financial institution.

“When they contacted me two days ago and told me I could write again for the paper, they apologized but did not explain their actions, saying only that these things happen all the time to writers,” Mahjoob said.

It is standard procedure for papers to suspend a writer for a month or more, depending on the offense and until controversy and reaction to the article died down. Sometimes a writer is banned from writing in any paper for an unspecified period of time; this can be a problem for those whose only source of income is their writing. The Saudi Journalists’ Association which was established a year ago has neither legislative nor executive power, according to a source.

“Our role in such matters is mainly to mediate between the disputing parties and to assist the writer or reporter in reaching the appropriate authorities and to take a stand on the side of an unjustly treated employee,” the source explained to Arab News.

“There are official organizations and ministries which handle labor disputes to which writers can go and we can support them once we have all the facts,” he added.

He also pointed out a difference in policy between freelancers or part-time writers and full-time reporters who earn their livings through their job. “If this is a job that the writer earns his or her living from, then the labor laws apply to them,” he said.