Protecting women’s rights

Last week Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received a delegation of human rights leaders in the Kingdom. It was a historic day when the king emphasized the role of women in bringing up their families properly and boosting the country’s development.

During that reception, King Salman also met with women delegates and asked them about the present condition of women compared to the past. Saudi women have achieved remarkable progress over the past years. We were happy to hear from the king that his government is ready to extend all-out support for women.

We know that when King Salman was the governor of Riyadh, he was deeply concerned with the issues of domestic violence and I will never forget his support when we were in the initial stages of social protection at the Ministry of Social Affairs. Some families were not happy with government interference in their affairs to prevent cases of violence.

But King Salman’s firm stand on the issue, when he was the governor of Riyadh, changed the situation. He used to show his personal interest in dealing with many family violence cases, which were raised through the women’s department headed by Princess Sara bint Mohammed bin Saud.

This royal support has helped us in rescuing many oppressed and tortured women and children as well as many disintegrated families in the society as a result of violence, drug abuse or chronic diseases. In those days we were badly in need of such a royal support in the absence of a law to deal with family violence.

King Salman’s words made us reassured about the improved condition of women in the society. It reminds us of his father King Abdul Aziz who had stated: “Women are our mothers, sisters and daughters. They will have our full support and care.”

I would like to thank the king for meeting with women delegates and asking about women’s condition in the country. Let me also thank the Human Rights Commission for organizing this historic meeting with King Salman.

— By Moudhi Al-Zahrani, Al-Jazira

Bloodbath in Qatif

The terrorist attack on a mosque in Qatif by the Islamic State terrorist group was obnoxious. The attack left more than 20 people dead and nearly 100 others sustained injuries. The attack raises the question that who are the people behind this terror group and what is the motive behind attacking worshippers in a mosque. Do they think this operation would lead them to Paradise?

A young man wearing Pakistani dress was the suicide bomber. We are disappointed to see our young men being enticed by terrorist groups to carry out crimes.

It is unfortunate that several killings are taking place in different parts of the Arab world, especially in Egypt and Yemen. We have to make it clear that the attack on citizens is an attack on the nation and an attack on a mosque means an attack on Islam as well as the country.

We have to identify our real enemies. There are people who trigger enmity toward the nation because of their ignorance. Those who are happy with the victims of Qatif attack today should understand that it would also make their enemies’ happy tomorrow.

The incident demands greater cohesion and cooperation among citizens. We hope government would take measures against those who spread division among society by praying against those who differ, especially the Shiites.

— By Sara Al-Rashidan, Al-Watan

National tragedy

I am deeply saddened by the terrorist attack on the mosque in Qatif on Friday that claimed the lives of many innocent people. Let me condole the Saudi leadership and people for this great tragedy.

We should understand that this attack carried out by IS terror group targets the whole nation. It aims at spreading the feelings of hatred among citizens and creating chaos and confusion in the country.

The bomber did not respect the sanctity of mosque and its worshippers when he launched the heinous crime. I believe the real culprits are all those who spread sectarian thoughts and feelings in the society through the public media, social media and other platforms, especially those who abuse Shiites day and night. This is an attack against the nation, firstly and lastly, because every city in this country, including Qatif, is part of our beloved nation. We are not asking people to discard their religion or school of thought (madhab). What we want is that people should consider religion and madhab as their personal matters and should not try to impose them on others.

When King Abdul Aziz arrived in Qatif many leading personalities in the region, on the instructions of Imam Ali Abu Abdul Kareem Al-Khunaizi, pledged their allegiance to the king. Qatif has proved its allegiance to the nation and those who try to abuse Qatif and its people are mercenaries.

— By Siraj Abussaud, Al-Sharq

Recruitment challenges

The lack of housemaids is one of the major problems facing Saudi citizens. It poses a big challenge to the Labor Ministry. Many maids run away from their actual employers because of the presence of a black market, which has skyrocketed the price of a maid from SR800 to SR4,000.

The recent measures taken by the ministry to reorganize recruitment of domestic help instill a ray of hope among citizens. The ministry has set out the upper limit for the cost and period of recruitment, specified the amount to be paid at the time of signing the contract for recruitment and increased the amount of fines to be imposed on erring recruitment agencies.

The ministry insisted that applicants pay only 25 percent of the cost at the time of signing the contract and pay the rest when the visa is stamped in the passport of the domestic worker, male or female.

Recruitment companies have to pay a fine of SR100 for each day of delay and not more than SR3,000 if they failed to supply the worker within 60 days.

The ministry has also licensed new recruitment companies to increase competition among them and provide more options to citizens. We hope the ministry’s new measures would help solve the problem once and for all.

— By Lolo Al-Hubaishi, Al-Madinah

Strategic think-tank

In light of the growing threats facing the nation as well as its social stability and economic progress the government is bound to take difficult decisions. Such developments naturally demand drastic changes in our approach to what is happening inside and outside the Kingdom.

Many things have changed such as increase in population, expansion of urban development and changes in politics and culture. At international level, the US is imposing its dominance in the world without a competitor.

We have seen globalization as a kind of new cultural and economic colonialism. A new slogan, “If you are not with us you are against us” has been raised. There were also attempts to launch wars in the name of democracy. The survival of the most powerful is new byword, replacing survival of the fittest.

Surrounded by these dangerous developments, Saudi Arabia should prepare for its future. We have seen that countries that make plans for the future achieve remarkable successes. In order to predict about and deal with future many countries have set up think tanks or strategic thought centers.

These centers conduct studies about possibilities in the future in light of political and economic changes and discuss what must be done to avoid dangers and make use of future opportunities.

I would like to propose the establishment of a strategic center for future studies and this could be the research wing of the two councils for political and security affairs and economic and development affairs.

This center can also play a leading role in activating the research centers under Saudi universities. We are now in an age of self-reliance. This is what we have experienced from Operation Decisive Storm.

Everybody has seen how Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman changed the course of things in the region, opening a window of hope and a spirit of optimism for the Ummah. This new direction demands the formation of a think tank to support the decision making process. A college of government studies can also be established under the new center.

— By Adnan bin Abdullah Al-Shiha, Al-Eqtisadiah

Scholarship students

Chemical engineer Mansour Al-Bouali, a graduate of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, left for a western country with the intention of obtaining master’s and doctoral degrees. The Higher Education Ministry had promised that he would be allowed to join the scholarship program once he completes four months in a language institute.

The ministry later changed the law, throwing Al-Bouali on the high seas. He then launched a social media campaign emphasizing the need to include Saudis who pursue their higher studies on own expense to join the scholarship program and King Salman has approved the request, which was to benefit 12,000. But the new conditions set by the ministry have excluded language students.

Huda Ali is another victim of the program. She decided to get scholarship and left for Canada. After four months she was told to attend a forum for scholarship students in Riyadh and she had to spend SR10,000 for that purpose. Then officials told her to return to Canada pledging that her papers would be processed soon. Now eight months have passed, nothing has happened.

Huda says all those who have attended the Riyadh forum were accommodated in the program. She then spoke about the various financial and health problems she had to face for opting out from the program. There are many Saudi students who face similar problems.

I hope the ministry would look into these issues to find a solution quickly. Many parents have taken loans for the education of their children abroad while many others have become mad hearing the worse situation of their children.

We should not make this important program that was created to boost the Kingdom’s development into catastrophe because of a lack of proper system and transparency. We should not leave this matter to mere luck, making our young men and women disappointed.

— By Hiba Zuhair Qadi, Makkah Newspaper