JEDDAH, 17 June 2006 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah launched a number of educational, manpower training, housing and infrastructure projects including a university campus in the central region of Qasim yesterday. The projects are estimated to cost SR5 billion.
The king also warned Saudis against creating division in the country by labeling others as secularists, liberals, extremists, Islamists or hypocrites, saying such classifications were against the teachings of Islam and would weaken the country’s unity.
“We don’t question the faith or patriotism of any Saudi until proved otherwise by strong evidence,” he said.
The king made this comment while speaking at a grand reception accorded to him by the people of Qasim. More than 70,000 people, including top officials, attended the reception held at a sports stadium in Buraidah late Thursday night. An opera attended by 6,000 artists added color to the function.
“I request all citizens in general, as well as students, journalists and writers in particular, to rise up to expectations by keeping themselves away from such negative trends,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted the king as saying.
He also quoted a verse from the Holy Qur’an regarding a ban on the faithful from mocking or insulting others with name-calling. Abdullah commended the role played by Qasim, in the north-central part of the country, in the Kingdom’s unification thanks to its all-out support to King Abdul Aziz during his drive to unify the region. Abdullah pledged that he would work for the development of all regions. “We are heading for a bright future... a future of goodness and progress, covering all regions, houses and citizens,” he said.
The king laid the foundation stone yesterday afternoon for the second phase of the SR1.2-billion Qasim University project.
This phase of the project includes buildings for the colleges of Shariah and Usooluddin, Arabic Language and Social Studies, Medicine, Engineering, Computer Science, Pharmacology, and Applied Medical Sciences. The construction will also include a conference center, a 400-bed university hospital, housing for teachers and sports facilities.
Addressing the launching ceremony, Higher Education Minister Khaled Al-Anqari thanked the king for paying special attention to university-level education, which he believes to be the cornerstone for the nation’s development. On Wednesday, King Abdullah laid the foundation stone for the first university in the northern region of Hail.
Abdullah arrived in Qasim on Thursday from Hail on the sixth leg of his current tour. He has earlier visited Ahsa, Qatif, Alkhobar and Jubail, meeting people and launching new development projects. This is Abdullah’s first visit to Qasim after ascending to the throne in August.
On Thursday night, Abdullah launched 88 school projects for both boys and girls and laid the foundation stones for 324 educational projects for the Ministry of Education. The new educational projects are valued at SR1.6 billion. He also laid the foundation stone for a charitable housing project of Suleiman ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Rajhi, a prominent businessman. Sprawling over 600,000 square meters in Buraidah, the SR1.5-billion project aims at erecting 2,400 residential units with facilities such as schools, parks and shopping centers.
