Saudi Interior Ministry confirms sustained care, loyalty to martyrs’ families during Hajj
Saudi Interior Ministry confirms sustained care, loyalty to martyrs’ families during Hajj/node/2603945/saudi-arabia
Saudi Interior Ministry confirms sustained care, loyalty to martyrs’ families during Hajj
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Ministry of Interior is supporting families of deceased and injured armed forces personnel with humanitarian program reflecting leadership’s commitment to citizens. (SPA)
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Ministry of Interior is supporting families of deceased and injured armed forces personnel with humanitarian program reflecting leadership’s commitment to citizens. (SPA)
Saudi Interior Ministry confirms sustained care, loyalty to martyrs’ families during Hajj
A key part of the program enables relatives of martyrs and injured personnel to perform Hajj at the ministry’s expense
Psychological, medical and social care is provided to relatives of martyrs and injured personnel throughout the year
Updated 09 June 2025
Arab News
MAKKAH: The Ministry of Interior, through the Agency for Military Affairs, is supporting the families of deceased and injured armed forces personnel with a humanitarian program reflecting the leadership’s commitment to citizens.
A key part of the program enables relatives of martyrs and injured personnel to perform Hajj at the ministry’s expense, along with providing psychological, medical and social care throughout the year.
One beneficiary speaking from Mina, Ibrahim bin Abdulkarim Al-Zahrani — injured in the line of duty and brother to two martyrs — expressed his appreciation for the Kingdom’s support.
He said such care reassures families that the Kingdom stands by them and gives them strength to continue serving, a Saudi Press Agency report said.
Al-Zahrani added that the ministry’s efforts, under Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, represent the state’s respect for the sacrifices of martyrs and its commitment to their families.
Chief Sgt. Salem Al-Qahtani of the General Department for the Care of Martyrs and Injured Families shared his 14-year experience serving the group, highlighting the department’s close, familial bond with their families.
“We have followed the children of the martyrs since their early years, watching them grow — some are now our colleagues, while others are performing Hajj through this program under the leadership’s close supervision,” he said.
The department develops support programs for beneficiaries, demonstrating the Kingdom’s commitment to honoring those who gave their lives for the nation and continuing support for their families.
It also reflects the leadership’s approach to supporting citizens and honoring the sacrifices of martyrs.
RIYADH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah recorded offenses by seven Umrah companies for housing pilgrims in unlicensed accommodation, a breach of regulatory guidelines.
The findings were part of the ministry’s oversight efforts to monitor service quality for pilgrims, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
The ministry said these incidents affect pilgrims’ safety and comfort and that it has begun legal action against the companies to enforce penalties under the law.
The authority affirmed its commitment to ensuring pilgrims receive their full rights with the highest quality and efficiency.
The ministry said it will not tolerate any entity failing contractual obligations or endangering pilgrims’ safety, the SPA added.
It urged all Umrah companies to comply with laws and provide agreed services on time to support a positive experience for pilgrims during their stay in the Kingdom.
Linguistic code-switching new norm for young Saudis
Expert tells Arab News that ‘multi-dimensional issue’ deserves recognition
Updated 16 July 2025
Tamara Aboalsaud
RIYADH: In Saudi Arabia’s increasingly globalized society, especially among young people in major cities, there is an easy blending of languages, often switching between Arabic and English in the same conversation.
This phenomenon, known as code-switching, has become a linguistic norm that reflects shifting social dynamics, culture and identity.
A 2024 study conducted by Kais Sultan Mousa Alowidha at Jouf University found that bilingual Saudis often switch between Arabic and English depending on the context, particularly in casual or professional settings.
The blending of languages can be seen not as a dilution of heritage, but a reflection of its outward-looking generation. (Supplied)
Saudi students who have studied or grown up abroad find themselves flipping between languages almost unconsciously.
Abdullah Almuayyad, a Saudi senior at the University of Washington, Seattle, who has spent more than half his life in the US, spoke to Arab News about his experiences with both languages.
“Comfort really depends on context,” he said. “Day-to-day I’m equally at ease in either language, but the setting matters.”
HIGHLIGHTS
• The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language in Riyadh has launched several initiatives to strengthen Arabic fluency, both for native speakers and non-native learners.
• A 2024 study from Jouf University found that bilingual Saudis often switch between Arabic and English depending on the context, particularly in casual or professional settings.
In business settings, he defaults to English because of his education and professional exposure, but casual or family settings feel more natural in Arabic.
“Sometimes my friends tease me because I’ll begin a sentence in Arabic, hit a complex business concept, and flip to English mid-stream.”
This mental switching, he explained, is often tied to topic-specific language associations.
Some topics are assigned to a specific language in his brain. “Once the topic surfaces, the corresponding language follows automatically.”
At an institutional level, efforts to preserve and promote Arabic are gaining traction in Saudi Arabia.
The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language in Riyadh has launched several initiatives to strengthen Arabic fluency, both for native speakers and non-native learners.
Through academic partnerships, digital tools, and training programs, the academy is playing a key role in ensuring Arabic remains a vibrant and accessible language.
The institute reflects a broader national push to reinforce cultural identity amid the linguistic shifts brought on by globalization.
Majd Tohme, senior linguist at SURV Linguistics in Riyadh, told Arab News that code-switching is “a very multi-dimensional issue.”
He emphasized that the debate should not hinge on whether code-switching is good or bad.
“What we need to ask ourselves is, does code-switching work in the everyday context? And if it works, isn’t that the purpose of any linguistic pattern?”
He added that language purism might miss the point entirely.
“You don’t have to get involved in that language puritanism … and code-switching is not really something new. Languages are living organisms that evolve,” he explained.
Many words we consider native today, he noted, have foreign origins, such as from Persian or European languages, particularly in science and technology.
Still, there are concerns about the erosion of Arabic. Tohme acknowledged the threat but said it is not exclusive to Arabic.
“It is a threat to all languages,” he said, especially in the era of globalized communication where the internet has become a shared space dominated by English.
“You now have one internet that the world is sharing,” he explained. “It’s like one huge playground where you have 8 billion people trying to communicate with each other.”
And yet, there are signs of balance.
Almuayyad, for instance, actively challenges himself and his peers to preserve Arabic fluency.
“In eighth grade, even though my friends and I preferred English, we agreed to speak only Arabic until it felt natural,” he said. “Later, when my Arabic caught up, I switched and spoke only English with friends who wanted practice.”
For many, especially in Saudi Arabia’s larger cities, bilingualism no longer means choosing between one language over the other.
The constant nudge to challenge each other keeps both languages active and growing.
The Jouf University study found that bilingual Saudis strongly identify with both languages and do not believe that speaking English negates their cultural identity.
It also concluded that code-switching is often required in larger cities due to the abundance of non-Arabic speakers in public and professional environments.
Therefore, code-switching, especially in the Kingdom, appears to be less about identity loss and more about functionality.
As Saudi Arabia opens up globally and embraces multiculturalism under Vision 2030, this blending of languages could be seen not as a dilution of heritage, but a reflection of its outward-looking generation.
According to Tohme, the psychological impact of going abroad for a few years then returning to your home country also cannot be understated.
Students develop a certain nostalgia for home while spending so many years abroad speaking extensively in a foreign language. They may develop the determination to make a conscious effort to strengthen their Arabic-language skills again.
Almuayyad is someone who can relate to that and says if he had spent his whole life in the Kingdom, his language development might not have been that different.
“I see a lot of people in Saudi who use English freely because global media and online content are so dominant,” he explained.
Yet, he admits that growing up in one place can limit the push to step outside of your linguistic comfort zone. “My exposure to two cultures forced me to practice that stretch constantly.”
Saudi deputy FM meets European Commissioner in Brussels
The two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in various fields and other topics of common interest
Updated 15 July 2025
Arab News
BRUSSELS: Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji met European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica in Brussels on Tuesday.
The two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in various fields and other topics of common interest, the Foreign Ministry said on X.
Haifa Al-Jadea, head of the Kingdom’s mission to the EU, was among the officials in attendance.
Saudi Arabia satisfied with Syrian measures to achieve stability after clashes
Kingdom condemned continued Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, interference in its internal affairs, and the destabilization of its security and stability
Updated 15 July 2025
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia expressed its satisfaction with measures taken by the Syrian government to achieve security and stability, maintain civil peace, and achieve sovereignty over all Syrian territory on Tuesday.
The Kingdom also condemned continued Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, interference in its internal affairs, and the destabilization of its security and stability, in flagrant violation of international law and the Syria-Israel Disengagement Agreement signed in 1974.
The condemnation comes after Israel launched strikes on Tuesday against Syrian government forces in the Druze-majority region of Sweida, saying it was acting to protect the religious minority.
Damascus had deployed troops to Sweida after clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes killed more than 100 people.
Israel announced its strikes shortly after Syria’s defense minister declared a ceasefire in Sweida city, with government forces having entered the city in the morning.
The Kingdom renewed its call on the international community to stand by Syria, support it during this stage, and confront ongoing Israeli attacks and violations against Syria, Saudi Press Agency reported.
