American visitors get a taste of Saudi culture

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BREAKING DOWN CULTURAL BARRIER: Visitors try on Saudi clothes, while a student, below, applies henna to a visitor.
Updated 17 May 2016
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American visitors get a taste of Saudi culture

WASHINGTON: One day each year the Washington diplomatic community hosts “Passport D.C.: Around the World Embassy Tour,” a hugely popular event where the public is welcomed into selected embassies to celebrate the world’s cultural diversity.

Recently more than 70 embassies from Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, and the Americas opened their doors to hundreds of visitors to showcase their national cuisine, art, music, dance and fashion.
Because people are especially curious about the Kingdom, the Saudi Embassy consistently draws the largest crowds during this annual affair. This year, staff at the embassy offered visitors Saudi dance performances, samples of its coffee and dates, henna-painting demonstrations, and Arabic versions of a guest’s name rendered into frame-worthy calligraphy.
Visitors to the Saudi Embassy were also enlightened by a brief, broadcast-quality video that described the history, culture, and state-of-the-art infrastructure of the Kingdom.
Dozens of Saudi students attending colleges and university in the Washington area volunteered at the day-long event to answer questions from visitors. Saudi students were available to educate and inform visitors at each of the food and other stations.
Guests and the Saudi student “volunteer diplomats” agreed that the opportunity to explore, interact and share knowledge was rewarding. “It’s an amazing day. It’s so wonderful to see people learn about our culture,” said Turki Al-Abdullatif, an accounting student at the University of the District of Columbia. He said visitors ate dates, drank Saudi coffee, and tried on traditional Saudi clothing.
Al-Abdullatif said the embassy “open house” offered guests a chance to ask questions that they might have always thought about, such as whether he only wears a thobe when he goes out. His answer: “I wear it all the time, it’s part of me.”
Haifa Al-Shogiran, an international business major at Marymount University, said that many visitors had questions after watching the video documentary. “They were surprised to see snow in Tabuk,” she said. “They enjoyed learning about the pilgrimage, but some people were confused about Makkah and Madinah both being part of the pilgrims’ requirement for the Haj ... So, I think that they were glad that I was there to talk to them and explain it.”
Sara Abdullkarim, who majors in occupational therapy at Marymount University, said that her encounters with the embassy guests had a “tremendously positive impact” on her. “I’m really happy that people are open and interested to know about the things they see here, such as the mosques, our culture, the dancers and our flag,” she told Arab News.
“They were really happy when we wrote out their names in Arabic; many people didn’t know that we wrote from right to left. People were excited to wear Saudi clothes and pose for photographs in the Bedouin tent ... And they really loved our coffee and dates.
“The media has a certain perception of us,” Abdullkarim added, “but the visitors here were really open and interested in us — which made me really happy.”
Shams Al-Saby, who just received her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Baltimore, said: “Most of the visitors wanted more information about Makkah, and they didn’t know anything about it, or our alphabet ... So this was an amazing opportunity to share our culture with them.”
Even the shemagh, or Saudi male headscarf, was a subject of frequent questions. “Not only did they ask about the shemagh, but they also wanted to know why the checks on it were red,” said Saud Al-Saleh, an electronic engineering major at George Mason University. “I like being able to change their stereotypes of us. I don’t like politics, but I’ve heard some hurtful comments since the start of the Republican presidential campaign, specifically Donald Trump’s comments about Muslims. So this was a good chance to change their stereotypes of us.”
Haifa Al-Shogiran added: “Yes, many of the visitors commented that they didn’t think we would be so friendly. They seemed surprised and pleased.”
Many of the visitors to the embassy spoke of how impressed they were with the food and photographs of Saudi landmarks on display, and that their encounters with the Saudi students made a deep impression.
One American, who identified himself as Joe, typified this point of view: “It’s great to have Saudi students here; they’re very open to answering our questions ... In the future, when we hear about Saudi Arabia in the news, we’ll balance what we hear with our good experiences here. It’s really a good thing to be open, and have folks who can talk to us frankly about what is going on in their country.”


Saudi Arabia condemns attacks by ‘outlaw groups’ in Syria 

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Saudi Arabia condemns attacks by ‘outlaw groups’ in Syria 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has condemned the targeting of security forces and crimes by “outlaw groups” in Syria, a foreign ministry said early Friday. 

“The Kingdom affirms its support for the Syrian government in its efforts to maintain security and stability and preserve civil peace,” the statement concluded.


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RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participated on Thursday in the seventh GCC-Jordan joint ministerial meeting of foreign ministers in Makkah, the Saudi Press Agency said.

The meeting discussed regional issues including the Palestinian cause and the efforts made to achieve regional security and stability.

It also tackled ways of boosting GCC-Jordanian relations and supporting partnerships.

The meeting was headed by Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya.


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MAKKAH: Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita co-chaired in Makkah the 14th session of the Saudi-Moroccan Joint Committee.

The event was attended by senior officials from ministries, government agencies and private-sector institutions from both sides.

The convening of the meeting reaffirms the strong ties between the two countries and aims to boost cooperation in all areas of common interest.

Both sides appreciated the efforts of the entities involved in the committee’s work to meet the aspirations of both leaderships. They also emphasized their commitment to strengthening cooperation across various fields to further elevate their strong relations.


Crackdown on environmental offenders in Saudi Arabia

Updated 07 March 2025
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Crackdown on environmental offenders in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: The Special Forces for Environmental Security in Saudi Arabia took action in three separate incidents of environmental law infringement, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The forces apprehended two citizens for environmental offences after they cut protective fencing and entered the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve without proper permits. The authorities have implemented statutory procedures against the offenders and referred them to the authorities.

In a separate incident, authorities arrested a Sudanese resident for environmental offences in the Makkah region, where he was caught burning waste illegally, causing soil pollution and environmental damage. Legal measures were taken against him before referring his case to the authorities.

Authorities also intercepted a Saudi citizen transporting one cubic meter of locally harvested firewood in the Riyadh region. Standard legal procedures were applied, and the confiscated materials were handed over to the relevant authorities.

According to official statements, penalties for cutting or damaging fences in protected areas can reach SR100,000 ($26,665), with offenders required to repair damages and pay compensation. 


 


KSrelief distributes 500 food baskets in Conakry, Guinea

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KSrelief distributes 500 food baskets in Conakry, Guinea

CONAKRY: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center recently distributed 500 food baskets in the city of Conakry, Guinea, benefiting 500 families, totaling 3,513 individuals. 

This comes within the framework of the Kingdom’s humanitarian and relief efforts to help needy and affected populations worldwide with various forms of relief.

The center also distributed 150 food baskets in Bijelo Polje, Montenegro, benefiting 750 individuals from the most vulnerable groups, widows and orphans. These initiatives come as part of the Etaam food basket distribution project.

Meanwhile, 1,440 food parcels were delivered to displaced families in Sudan’s Sennar and Khartoum states.

In Mauritania, 574 food bags were distributed in the Tiaret district, while in Kosovo, the center distributed 1,150 food baskets across Klina, Peja, Decan, and Gjakova. In Ghana, KSrelief distributed 825 food baskets in Old Tafo, while 300 food baskets were provided in Syria’s Rif Dimashq.