Women don colorful robes at guardian-free Hajj

Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque, in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah on July 6, 2022. (AFP)
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Updated 08 July 2022
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Women don colorful robes at guardian-free Hajj

  • Requirement of male guardian was shelved last year, bringing a whole new dimension to the annual pilgrimage
  • Many women abandoned black robes traditionally preferred by Hajj organizers, reds, greens, oranges, blues dotted crowds 

MAKKAH: With her husband back at home in Tunisia and draped in a national flag, Laila Al-Qarni urges all Muslim women to attend Saudi Arabia’s Hajj without a male guardian, after the requirement was shelved last year.

The Saudi authorities’ move has brought a whole new dimension to the annual pilgrimage.

“Why do women have to be accompanied by a male anyway? Why?” she said, speaking near the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Islam’s holiest city, in western Saudi Arabia.

“Women are capable of handling themselves. I encourage every woman to come here without a male guardian,” the 60-year-old added.




Muslim pilgrims arrive outside the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah on July 5, 2022. (AFP)

This year’s Hajj, the first large-scale edition since the guardian requirement was dropped in 2021 amid Covid-19, has taken on a different hue with thousands of unaccompanied women joining the rituals.

Many of them have abandoned the black robes traditionally preferred by Hajj organizers, adding a dash of color with reds, greens, oranges and blues dotted around the crowds.

Arab women should be “courageous and able to adapt” to different circumstances, said Al-Qarni’s sister, Hayat Abdul Malek.

“A woman is worth 100 men,” said the mother of three, who managed 1,400 employees at the company where she worked before retiring.

Last year, the Saudi Hajj ministry allowed women of all ages to make the pilgrimage without a male relative, known as a “mehrem,” on the condition that they go in a group.




emale Muslim pilgrims pray in the shade, to escape the heat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage in the Saudi holy city of Makkah, on July 6, 2022. (AFP)

Authorities previously stipulated a male guardian for any female pilgrim under the age of 45, preventing many women around the world from performing one of the five pillars of Islam.

Al-Qarni’s husband could not attend because he is over the maximum age of 65.

The new ruling has also encouraged women over 45 who had been hesitant to attend without their brothers, sons, fathers or husbands.

One million people, including 850,000 from abroad, are allowed at this year’s Hajj after just tens of thousands could attend over the last two years, due to pandemic restrictions.

On Saturday, the local women of Makkah are expected to celebrate the first day of Eid Al-Adha, which marks the end of the Hajj, in traditional, colorful Saudi dresses that were abandoned for decades before recent moves to modernize the conservative country.

The decision to drop the “mehrem” is part of the social reforms rolled out by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is trying to shake off the kingdom’s austere image and open up its oil-reliant economy.

Since his rise to power in 2017, women have been allowed to drive and to travel abroad without a male guardian.

Suhail Mohammed, an Egyptian pilgrim and mother of three, has worked as a manager in a department of the ministry of defense for more than three decades.

“Come and don’t be scared,” she said, encouraging other women to make the trip without male relatives.

“It gave me confidence... It empowered me and made me stronger,” she said of tackling the five-day pilgrimage.

“Women who stay at home are the ones who can feel afraid” of performing rituals such as the Hajj, which requires mental and physical resilience, she added.




A Muslim worshipper wearing a scarf showing the flag of Turkey waves at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah on July 6, 2022. (AFP)

The Arab region ranks the “lowest in the world in terms of women’s rights, with a gender gap that needs 153 years to close,” a Middle East Institute study said in October.

But despite hardships, women in countries such as Tunisia and Lebanon enjoy more social freedoms than others.

Things are also changing in the Gulf region, with more women entering the workforce and some going into politics, holding cabinet positions in the United Arab Emirates and parliament seats in Kuwait.

In Makkah’s Grand Mosque, many women this week performed the opening Hajj rituals alone.

Some of them video-called their relatives back home, and others read long prayers from electronic tablets.

“For those (women) who are able to (perform the Hajj), don’t lose the opportunity,” even if it means going without a male guardian, said retired Egyptian financial expert Faten Abdel Moneim, 65.

“This is a spiritual joy that cannot be described. You are in the house of God, what more could you ask for?“


Saudi pavilion at UNESCO Arab Week in Paris celebrates Kingdom’s camel culture

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Saudi pavilion at UNESCO Arab Week in Paris celebrates Kingdom’s camel culture

  • It shows how the role of the camel evolved from essential means of transport and provider of resources to a cultural icon embodying the Kingdom’s values

PARIS: The Saudi pavilion at UNESCO’s Arab Week event in Paris this week featured a showcase of the Kingdom’s deep-rooted connection to camel culture.

It explored the role of the animals as a vital part of the nation’s heritage, identity and civilization, and offered a glimpse into their enduring place in society, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The exhibits showed how the role of the camel has evolved from essential means of transport and provider of resources to a cultural icon that embodies the Kingdom’s values, and the ways in which camels are embedded in Saudi customs, traditions and literature, including poetry and proverbs.

The Saudi Ministry of Culture designated 2024 “The Year of the Camel” to highlight and reinforce the status of the animal as a national symbol and cornerstone of the Arabian cultural identity. Camels are regularly celebrated across the country through dedicated festivals, race events, clubs and research centers.

UNESCO’s Arab Week, which features 22 Arab nations, was initiated by Saudi Arabia. Guests at the official opening of the event on Monday included Saudi envoys, ambassadors representing other nations, Arab and other international diplomats stationed in France, and officials from UNESCO.


AI makes media industry more efficient and drives growth, expert says

Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman of S4 Capital, speaks to Arab News at the Athar Festival of Creativity.
Updated 48 min 4 sec ago
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AI makes media industry more efficient and drives growth, expert says

  • Martin Sorrell: ‘AI speeds up writing processes, increasing efficiency’
  • New tech allows for increasingly personalized content

RIYADH: Artificial intelligence is being used more effectively and efficiently to drive higher economic development in the media industry, said Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman of S4 Capital.

At a panel session at the Athar Festival of Creativity Sorrell described how media agencies, such as S4 Capital and its subsidiary, Media.Monks, are using AI in a number of ways.

One application of AI in media, he said, is in “speeding the execution of copywriting and visualization.”

Time to market is drastically decreasing: “What took us literally days is now taking us three hours,” he said. Yet this produces another problem because reducing the time of procurement cuts costs, but this also means it is necessary to move to a model that increases gains in outputs,” he said.

Another application is in personalizing content for consumers. Sorrell told Arab News: “Individualization, hyper personalization, are going to become more important. Knowing the consumer in excruciating detail, using data, using the signals from the platforms, using first-party data, it becomes even more important.”

Using Netflix audience feedback algorithms as an example, Sorrell pointed out that AI enables these algorithms to produce larger and more accurate quantities of output, for example, recommendations based on user profile readings.

“We charge on a per asset used basis. Price of the asset may come down, but total revenue grows because we’re using multiple assets,” he said.

A growing area is in “media planning and buying.” Sophisticated algorithms can far more efficiently choose the distribution of planning and buying than individual media planners.

Technological capital and human capital, however, go hand in hand.

“We as agencies have to validate the algorithm’s analysis. We have to make sure that the client’s money is spent in the right way.”

Another benefit of AI is its ability to improve organizational efficiency. Where organizational silos once kept departments and specializations separate, AI opens up information to the majority of users.

To maintain the emotional connection and trust of the brand-consumer relationship in a technologically driven world, according to Sorrell, understanding individual motivation is increasingly crucial.

“Insights into culture, insights into language, into custom, into belief, into family, into country, that knowledge becomes critically important, far more so in a globalized world,” he said.

The diversity and knowledge of global and local organizations are essential for the success of any company, but the value of personalization means that local knowledge may take the lead, he added.

Quoting Harvard Business School professor Ted Levitt, Sorrell continued: “because remember, consumers will consume everything in the same way everywhere.”

Advising young professionals in tech, media and other industries operating in an AI-powered future, Sorrell said that rather than stripping away opportunities from creatives, avoiding the risk of “bombarding” consumers with much of the same, AI means “creativity becomes even more important.”

Additionally, creatives need to familiarize themselves with the skills and roles that are complementary to the new world: “I think every creative should learn Chinese. I think every creative should learn Spanish, probably Arabic too … and they should learn code.”

“The skills of the ‘Mad Men’, that Don Draper had or his colleagues … are very different to what you need now.”


Green initiative launched in Eastern Region

Updated 05 November 2024
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Green initiative launched in Eastern Region

  • Goal is to plant more than 500,000 trees and 3 million flowers throughout Dammam’s streets and parks
  • Scheme, in line with Vision 2030’s goal of increasing green spaces, also aligns with the broader national afforestation campaign

DAMMAM: The Eastern Region Municipality has announced a special initiative involving 30 volunteers to mark National Greening Season, launched by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley.

The goal is to plant more than 500,000 trees and 3 million flowers throughout Dammam’s streets and parks in a bid to improve air quality, reduce heat and enhance biodiversity, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The scheme, in line with Vision 2030’s goal of increasing green spaces, also aligns with the broader national afforestation campaign under the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to promote sustainable environmental development and enhance vegetation cover.

The municipality emphasized the initiative would help combat desertification and promote the achievement of environmental balance through the use of locally suitable plants. 

It highlighted how collaboration with various institutions will raise awareness about afforestation and support green infrastructure, thereby improving the quality of life in the Eastern Region.


Madinah research center releases map of 50 prominent archaeological sites

Updated 05 November 2024
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Madinah research center releases map of 50 prominent archaeological sites

  • Map includes documented historical landmarks, their current locations, and their association with the life of the Prophet Muhammad
  • Forms part of the center’s scientific and cultural documentation efforts, with the map featuring an interactive barcode for each historical landmark

RIYADH: The Madinah Research and Studies Center has released an updated version of the Innaha Taybah map, which features 50 historical and archaeological sites in the region.

The map includes documented historical landmarks, their current locations, and their association with the life of the Prophet Muhammad.

This comes as part of the center’s scientific and cultural documentation efforts, with the map featuring an interactive barcode for each historical landmark that introduces the place and allows users to view the historical site’s details.

It contains significant landmarks that tourists can visit, starting with the Prophet’s Mosque, the most prominent site in Madinah and a destination for Muslim visitors throughout the year.

Also featured are Baqi’ Al-Gharqad, Al-Safiyyah Museum and Park, the Architecture of the Prophet’s Mosque Exhibition and the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography.

The map also includes prominent historical mosques that were built during the Prophet’s era and are still standing, such as the Mosque of Al-Ghamama, Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque, Omar bin Al-Khattab Mosque, Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque, Al-Sajdah Mosque, Al-Ijabah Mosque, Al-Suqya Mosque, Al-Manaratain Mosque, Bani Haram Mosque, Al-Fatah Mosque, Al-Rayah Mosque, Bani Harithah Mosque, Al-Shaikhain Mosque, Al-Jumu’ah Mosque, and Quba Mosque.

The Innaha Taybah map includes numerous archaeological landmarks, notably the Sela Mountain, Jabal Aynayn (Al-Rumat), the Martyrs of Uhud Cemetery, and ancient wells that have been rehabilitated as part of a project to restore historical sites in the region. These include Bir Al-Khatam (Well of Arees), Athq Well, Al-Ihn Well, the Well of Ghars and Al-Foqair Well. Other sites include the Urwa Palace, Al-Jamawat, the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an, and natural landmarks connected to events that took place in Madinah during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and subsequent eras.


Saudi cabinet calls for Arab-Islamic summit, urgent political solutions amid regional crises

Updated 05 November 2024
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Saudi cabinet calls for Arab-Islamic summit, urgent political solutions amid regional crises

RIYADH: The Saudi cabinet discussed the Kingdom’s call for an Arab-Islamic summit to address ongoing Israeli aggression in Palestinian territories and Lebanon, in a session chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday.

The cabinet also stressed the urgent need for a political resolution to the crisis in Sudan, urging all parties to honor the commitments outlined in the "Jeddah Declaration" of May 2023. It emphasized the importance of an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, a cessation of hostilities, and the unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.

The cabinet also reviewed the Kingdom’s recent hosting of the inaugural meeting of the Global Alliance to Implement the Two-State Solution, which brought together representatives from 90 countries and international organizations.