- WASHINGTON: Gratitude from Saudi students is pouring in from all over the US after Friday's televised announcement by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah that students studying abroad would get two-months worth of their stipends as a bonus.
- The announcement is part of the $93 billion social spending initiative by the Saudi government.
“Just two weeks ago 8,000 self-sponsored students in the US got their scholarships and stipends,” Mody Alkhalaf, director of Cultural and Social Affairs at the Cultural Mission of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington told Arab News on Monday.
“And now all 40,000 students here are getting a double stipend bonus. Next month, they get three salaries instead of one, it’s a one-time bonus.” Alkhalaf said Saudis studying in the US have echoed the sentiments of their compatriots back home.
“We have been sent YouTube videos by students thanking the king," she said. "Other students are calling, asking us to send them Saudi flags — which we don’t do — as they want to have impromptu Saudi parades in the towns where they’re studying.”
The announcement of the bonuses went out to the Saudi students on Monday, said Alkhalaf. The bonuses would be received "soon," she added. The Embassy of Saudi Arabia’s Cultural Mission Facebook page in Washington, is: http://facebook.com/SACM.USA
There is also another link that has been created by students overseas, called: http://mykingabdullah.com/. Alkhalaf said it was sent to her from a student who is studying in Delaware. “The link is basically an attempt to collect a million signatures from all Saudi youth around the world, signing their loyalty and love for the king, which will then be presented to him once all these signatures are collected,” she said.
The Cultural Affairs Facebook page, said Alkhalaf, has posted links Saudi TV and students who posted YouTube materials.
“One of them, the cutest one, I really like it, is from a person -- I don’t know who it is -- who took the King’s speech on Friday, and turned it around as a confirmation.
“It basically says, and I’m roughly translating here: ‘We announce the following that we, the people of Saudi Arabia, after looking into the relationship between us and the love for our king, have decided the following:
“To renew our love and loyalty for King Abdullah and his leadership, and to grant our lives, our children and our money in defense of king and country. This decision is notification to all who try to disturb the peace and stability of our country.'"
