MADINAH, 23 September 2006 — Many stationary and gift and card stores all around Saudi Arabia and Madinah, in specific, were full of customers and registered record sales of flags and pictures of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan.
Many people hurried to buy flags and decorate their cars with and to post slogans in the rear windows that express nationalism. Many stores were empty of flags because of the sudden increase in demand.
Sultan Al-Muhammadi, a stationery shop owner, said that he did not expect the demand for flags and pictures of the king would be this high. He said that in the past week before the National Day many parents, students and teachers rushed to buy flags and pictures of the king to hold National Day festivities.
“We prepared for the occasion by adding more stocks of flags and pictures of the king,” he said. “We ran out of stocks after few days because of the huge increase in the number of buyers. We have many customers even at night. We did not expect that such large numbers would turn up but it makes us very happy that many people are celebrating National Day.”
Saud Al-Ahmadi, another stationery shop owner, said that many shops took advantage of the occasion to raise their prices three times the actual price.
“What was beautiful to see was children coming to the shop to chose the flag that they wanted to buy and the picture that they wanted to carry. It was a beautiful scene because that will strengthen the concept of National Day in their hearts. On this day we remember our leaders and their efforts to unite the country under one flag. It is very important that children learn about their National Day and celebrate it.”
A trip to the biggest bookstores, Jarir and Al-Halabi, in Madinah revealed that there were no flags available for sale. An employee of Jarir bookstore told Arab News that sales of flags and pictures of king and crown prince were huge.
“Many turned up to buy flags and pictures,” he said. “What was more striking was that even non-Saudis were buying flags and pictures of King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan. People were buying rings with pictures of King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan, necklaces, badges and logos. The more we put up for sale the faster it disappeared. Parents brought their children with them and they were keen to buy as many pictures and flags.”
He said that this reflects the love of the country.
Saudi youth decorated their cars and drove on the streets of Madinah to mark the National Day. Some painted their cars with the green and white and carried the pictures of the founder of Saudi Arabia King Abdul Aziz, King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan.
A Saudi, who talked to Arab News, said that he wanted to turn his car into a moving exhibition of his love for the country. He said that he wanted to pass his feelings to the people on the street and to express the joy of the National Day.
