The Yemen crisis

The present crisis in Yemen is the result of a long-standing conflict. The Houthis carried out a silent coup with the support of elements from the old regime.

When the crisis deepens in Yemen, analysts would ask what were the efforts made by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to resolve it. They will also say that the Yemen crisis would have a negative impact on the GCC countries.

I would like to tell these analysts that the GCC edifice is strong enough to withstand the events that are taking place in Yemen. It would not be easy for the Houthis to continue in power for long.

GCC states have weathered the incidents that have occurred in neighboring countries like Iraq, Syria and Iran. GCC people have learned a lesson from these incidents that encouraged them to work for national unity, despite political differences.

When the Houthis say that they want to complete the revolution, they try to mislead the Yemeni and Arab public opinion. Actually they not only have spoiled the previous revolution but also launched an anti-revolution.

Their objective is to bring back the imamate system and this will trigger a bloody civil war in the country. Under the present tribal system in Yemen, they would not be able to realize their imamate dream. Of course they get political and financial support from Iran but that would not continue forever because of changing alliances.

It seems that the Houthis have miscalculated. They are likely to face a major military confrontation, which would be very difficult for them to face. The tribes in the south would revolt against them. Another reason for the Houthis’ failure is that they are thinking about the past while Yemen has made remarkable progress over the past 50 years.

The Yemenis should stand united to build a modern state, based on the outcome of a dialogue that was conducted among the various Yemeni factions.

— By Mohammed Al-Rumaihi, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat

Flag controversy in UK

Britain is one of the oldest democracies in the world and plays an important role in resolving international crises including those in our region. Even the US has taken its advice before launching some of its major campaigns. Saudi Arabia and Britain maintain strong relations uninterrupted by withdrawal of ambassadors or boycotts.

A few days ago, some British parliamentarians criticized the British government’s decision to fly the country’s flag half-mast on the Whitehall to show respect for the late King Abdullah. While replying to the questions raised in the Parliament, Prime Minister David Cameron said intelligence information passed by Saudi Arabia had helped save the lives of hundreds of Britons.

Saudi Arabia has nothing to do with this controversy, as the decision to fly the flag half-mast was taken by the British government for the protection of mutual interests.

Saudi Arabia follows its own systems and methods and nobody can ask the Kingdom to follow UK’s philosophy of governance because of differences in the nature of people and their religious faith.

I believe that the debate in the British Parliament on showing respect to a great ruler like King Abdullah was unnecessary. The two countries should focus their attention and efforts more on their long-term strategic cooperation rather than those peripheral issues and work together to solve pressing issues in the region, including combating terrorism. They should also work for expanding their economic, trade, cultural and military relations. I don’t think these minor issues would ever affect the 70-year-old relations between the two countries.

— By Yousuf Al-Kowaileet, Al-Riyadh

Is this Islam?

Islam is a religion of mercy, compassion, love and tolerance. It is a great religion that advises its followers to adorn themselves with perseverance, good morals and nice behavior. In the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) there are several instances that reaffirm the above mentioned high values and qualities that have encouraged thousands of people around the world to embrace this divine religion, making it one of the fastest spreading faith in the world.

The enemies of Islam were not happy with the progress of Islam. So, instead of they themselves attacking Islam, they mobilized some deviant Muslims providing them with money and weapon to fight this religion, in order to give the wrong impression that violence, terrorism and brutality are the hallmarks of Islam.

These terrorists also gave the wrong impression that slaying prisoners in front of cameras, stoning the accused without trial and throwing them from the top of buildings are Islamic teachings. They have also crucified children for not fasting to tarnish the image of our religion.

Recently this terrorist group did the most heinous crime by burning to death the Jordanian pilot and they circulated the video of their crime. They had kept the pilot inside an iron cage and poured on him a highly inflammable fluid and set him on fire and later they destroyed the cage using a bulldozer with the pilot’s burned body inside. We might have seen such things only in horror movies.

These barbaric acts have nothing to do with Islam. I am sure that such acts of terror would never contribute to spreading the message of Islam in the world or restoring the rights of Palestinians or driving the Israelis away from the occupied territories.

Of course, thousands of innocent Muslims around the world have suffered suppression, violence and torture, either from Muslims or from their enemies. We condemn these kinds of horrendous crimes being committed by terrorist groups in the name of Islam, as their actions are totally against the spirit of Islam. These terrorist groups do not represent Islam in any way.

— By Ibrahim Mohammed Badawood, Al-Madinah

New ministers

This is an open letter to the newly appointed ministers. The Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah remind them of the need to uphold the trust bestowed on them by the leadership with responsibility. They should protect the public wealth and should use it only for projects and programs that are useful to citizens and residents.

Concerned authorities should conduct regular inspections to make sure there is no foul play or misuse of public money. The government should continue its efforts to fight administrative and financial corruption.

All our ministers should carry out their responsibilities with trust. They should spend public money carefully and should not waste them. They should also take action against negligent workers who come late and do not complete works of citizens and residents quickly. They should commend and encourage good employees.

The ministers should know that the new measures taken by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman are in the interest of the nation and its people. They should give top priority to the welfare of citizens.

—By Abdullah Abdul Aziz Al-Faleh, Makkah Newspaper

Job security

Unemployment is a major problem that concerns young Saudi men and women as well as the Saudi society. According to a recent report, the job fair conducted by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) attracted only a few Saudi jobseekers. About 50 companies took part in the fair offering 2,500 jobs but only 400 youth turned up, representing about 16 percent of the jobs offered.

There is no need to feel surprised after reading this report, which should encourage officials to ponder as to why Saudis are rejecting private sector jobs. They may accuse the unemployed of being lazy and not interested in working. Everybody knows that the private sector pays better salaries than government departments.

Saudi workers run away from private companies because the government departments do not give them any protection when laid out from jobs without any reason. We know that a telecom company laid-off several Saudis without showing any respect to the Labor Law or rights of workers. The liquid gas company also fired some of its workers and was forced to take them back when they raised the issue through the media. Here also the departments did not come for their help.

Yes, we have several unemployed youth. I used to blame them for not accepting available jobs. But when I heard some of their stories of arbitrary retrenchment I realized that job security is better than high salary.

—By Fawaz Aziz, Al-Watan

Key to success

We often hear the sentence “Be yourself and you will be successful.” But what will be the result if myself is a failure or I cannot excel in any of the skills required by life. Investor Jim Rohn explains a story that happened when he was young. One day a girl who distributes sweets knocked at his door. She was good in convincing her clients to purchase her products. He wanted to buy the sweets but he did not have money to buy them. He just told the little girl that he did not want sweets.

After the girl left his house, Rohn felt disappointed for telling a lie and also for not possessing even two dollars. Rohn was born and brought up in the Idaho state of the US and he knew only how to milk the cow. When he reached 25, he knew that the wage he was earning was not enough to make both ends meet. So he decided to work in the evening as a salesman and learned the basics of marketing.

He later realized that his revenue had doubled. Then he decided to make use of qualified hands to support his work. Rohn continued to learn new skills and how to use the language as a successful investor and then how to become a successful trainer until he became one of the world’s best trainers.

Some people think that knowledge is the basis of excellence in life. Of course, knowledge plays a big role in creating a successful person, provided he used that knowledge effectively. We know about several knowledgeable people but many of them were not successful in their lives and failed to impress others. I have read somewhere that a student forgets about 70 percent of things he learned from school but remembers all the skills he achieved.

— By Yasser Hareb, Al-Sharq