Arab News then grew into an influential newspaper in the region. It served as a forum for readers to express their views on various national and international issues and a mouthpiece for Saudis and expatriates as the paper relayed their problems, grievances and requirements to official authorities. The publishers, in their far-reaching vision, also wanted the paper to represent the Saudi press to the outside world. Thanks to the blessings of God, Arab News has been remarkably successful in realizing its mission.
The editors in chief during the past three and a half decades have worked sincerely to improve its quality. Ahmad Mahmoud was the first man to take charge as editor in chief. Renowned journalist Jihad Al-Khazen was also on board for some time. But much of the credit for the paper’s tremendous progress goes to Khaled Almaeena, who has been leading the daily for the majority period of its existence. Today, Arab News and Khaled Almaeena have become two sides of the same coin.
Ever since its publication, Arab News has been playing a significant role in highlighting Islam. It spread the divine teachings of Islam through informative and authentic articles and tried to bring different faiths closer. The paper became popular by publishing diverse opinion pieces while giving space to people in the Letters to the Editor column, thus paving the way for a constructive cultural dialogue.
Arab News is credited to have several firsts in the field of journalism. It was the first newspaper to introduce computers with the help of an Australian IT expert and the first Saudi newspaper to publish simultaneously from four cities: Jeddah, Cairo, London and Washington.
It is the first Saudi newspaper to appoint a woman — Somayya Jabarti — as managing editor. It also translated opinion columns and articles from Arabic newspapers that shed light on domestic problems.
Arab News has been playing an important role in highlighting major international and Islamic issues such as Palestine, which is the first and foremost issue for Muslims around the world. It defended the legitimate rights of the Palestinians, and supported the rights of Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The exclusive reports published by Arab News on so many other issues were the main sources of information for other media organizations.
Editor in Chief Almaeena has been instrumental in providing a clear picture of the Kingdom and Islam during his travels for lectures, seminars and conferences in different parts of the world. He used those platforms to emphasize the moderate teachings of Islam and present Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance that rejects terrorism, extremism and violence. Almaeena was awarded the top medals of Pakistan and the Philippines in appreciation of his contributions to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s relations with the two countries.
Arab News has been covering important events related to Saudi Arabia that took place within and outside the country. This includes “The Kingdom Yesterday and Today Exhibition” that visited a number of countries several years ago. The exhibition was instrumental in highlighting the Kingdom’s achievements.
The paper also played a big role in stopping attacks against Saudi Arabia after the 9/11 events by publishing several articles in defense of the Kingdom and engaging officials from the US and other Western countries in meaningful dialogue. It was in the forefront in promoting King Abdullah’s cultural and interfaith dialogue initiatives as it stressed the need for such a dialogue to promote world peace and stability.
I must, however, thank Arab News and Almaeena for publishing a large number of my articles, in which I have expressed my views on various social and religious issues. My articles used to appear on Fridays beginning from Jan. 1, 1999 and they helped many English-speaking readers within and outside the Kingdom to know my views as a Saudi lady on various issues. People used to interact with me through e-mails after reading my articles, some supporting and some opposing my views. Arab News used to reply to those letters on my behalf. I am extremely grateful to Almaeena for encouraging me to write these articles expressing bold opinions.
My style of writing attracted the attention of many readers including foreign ambassadors. As a result I received two invitations from the German and US consulates to visit their countries. They honored me by making the visit exclusively for me and was arranged during my vacation time without disrupting my work. At that time I was working at the Education Department. I visited Germany for a week and the United States for three weeks in June and July of 2000.
I take this opportunity to wish Arab News more years of progress and prosperity, crossing new horizons of excellence.
