RIYADH, 3 April 2007 — Cultural understanding between the Kingdom and North America could get a big boost if the visa issuance procedure is streamlined and bottlenecks on visits to tourist spots are removed, said members of a group of 11 American and Canadian men and women currently visiting the Kingdom.
The group expressed satisfaction over the arrangements and said the tour changed their perceptions about Islam and their impressions about the Kingdom. They pointed out that even though the Supreme Commission for Tourism has been doing its best to promote Saudi Arabia as a tourist destination, the main difficulty lies in getting visas.
“But we did not face any difficulty at the airport where the immigration authorities were friendly and cordial,” one of the group members told Arab News yesterday.
When asked what was his opinion about Islam before he visited Saudi Arabia, he said it was negative. “But we knew the US media were responsible for that and the reality would be different,” he added.
Dr. Abdul Rahman H. Al-Shamrani, supervisor of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth’s Department of Studies and Research, and Mohammad Al-Abbas, director of international relations at WAMY, received the tourists at the organization’s headquarters where they were handed copies of “A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam.”
Dr. Al-Shamrani answered questions and clarified misconceptions about Islam. He also spoke about the status of women in Islam and the issue of women’s driving.
He pointed out that Shariah was not against modernity as long as it did not infringe on moral values or harmed society. About abortion, Al-Shamrani pointed out that Islam is against the practice, as man has no right to take a life that God has given. However, if a woman faces life-threatening situation abortion is permissible, he said.
To a question about women’s driving, Al-Shamrani explained that even though there is nothing in the Holy Qur’an against driving, there are cultural barriers. As for Islam’s position on interacting with people from other faiths, he said such contacts are always encouraged in the interest of creating a better understanding for peaceful coexistence.
In response to a question from Arab News on what needs to be done to promote understanding between Islam and the West, one of the delegates said that tours such as this could go a long way in removing misconceptions.
“This tour was really great as we met friendly Saudi people here and did not encounter any hostile environment as we were supposed to, if we go by reports in the US media,” said a delegate, who is a travel writer. He added that he plans to write a travelogue about his visit to the Kingdom on his return to the US.
According to him, while there is no dearth of good tourist literature in English about the Kingdom’s tourist sites, Saudi guides at such places are unable to take questions in English. He added that it is impossible to visit tourist spots without the advance official permission of authorities. This happened to them at Hail where they were denied admission to a museum.
In reply to a question on anti-Saudi bias in the US media, one of the members said that the only way to overcome this situation was to invite young American journalists. They should visit such places and write about their experiences on their return.
The names of the group members were not disclosed for security reasons. The tour has been organized by Bestway Tours and Safaris, whose Product Development Manager Aslam Nathoo and tourist guide Khalid Malik also attended the briefing session.
