JEDDAH, 17 July 2006 — Rania Al-Baz, the Saudi TV presenter who was thrust into the spotlight after being beaten up by her husband and hospitalized with over 13 facial fractures, has been absent from television screens for quite some time and nobody knows precisely where she is.

After recovery she performed in an opera and then appeared on the Al-Arabia news channel for two weeks as the anchor for the Al-Arabia Morning Show but then mysteriously disappeared.

Her husband Mohammed Yunus Al-Fallata was sentenced to six months in jail and 300 lashes for assaulting her, although Rania later told the court that she had waived her right for retribution.

After gaining fame, Rania criticized Saudi society for discriminating against women and in a December 2005 interview with CBS News, Rania said that she felt threatened in her home country for statements she had made to the media.

“Many people in my country consider me an embarrassment. There have been so many insults and criticisms. They said I was an agent of the Western world and that I was looking for money.”

Rania was also reportedly writing a book entitled “The Disfigured”, which showcases the lives of women in Saudi Arabia, its release date has not been announced.

Some reports say Rania is now in Paris after leaving Saudi Arabia by hiding herself in a freight truck going to Bahrain, rumors Rania has denied.

Others say that she is presently living either in Riyadh or Jeddah while some say she is in Dubai. However her relatives including her father do not know where she presently is.

In an effort to unravel the mystery surrounding Rania, the Saudi magazine Sayidaty was granted an interview with her father who had nothing but contempt for his daughter.

He said he hated his celebrity daughter and even wishes she was never born. In fact he has even divorced his wife, Rania’s mother, because she had a soft corner for her.

When asked where she is now, Rania’s father said, “I have nothing to do with her. I will teach her such a lesson that she will never forget. I don’t want to know where she is.”

He explained that he once stood by her and supported all of her actions, especially after her husband savagely beat her up and while she was in the hospital.

“But now I hate her due to several reasons and everyone knows what she did to me and to our family is beyond something anyone could bear,” he said without elaborating.

Rania’s father is angry especially because he feels she has gone over board in leaving her religious values and teachings, especially in abandoning the Hijab.

When asked if he would look for her, he said, “I don’t want to. What she did to us is enough. I divorced her mother because she knew about her plans to run away.”

However, Rania’s younger sister says she loves her sister and wants her to come back. “She won’t come back because she is afraid of our father,” she said.