News Analysis India

Tag: Saudi Arabia

  • Hajj pilgrimage to start from June 14, Saudi Arabia confirms | India News

    On Thursday evening, Saudi Arabia confirmed that the annual Hajj pilgrimage will begin on June 14 with Eid Al Adha falling two days later. The crescent moon, which heralds the start of Dhu Al Hijjah – the 12th and final month in the Islamic calendar – was sighted on Thursday evening, following which the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia made the announcement.

    The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken at least once by all Muslims with the means. Every year, millions of Muslims around the world embark on a sacred pilgrimage known as Hajj/Haj. This spiritual journey holds immense significance in the lives of believers, offering an opportunity to connect with Allah, seek forgiveness, and strengthen their faith.

    The Hajj involves a series of rituals completed over at least four days in Mecca and its surroundings in the west of Saudi Arabia. The high point comes on the second day, when pilgrims gather for prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed delivered his final sermon. That will occur on June 15 this year, and the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha will fall on June 16, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

    According to an AFP report, at a press conference on Thursday, the Saudi hajj and umrah minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah said “approximately 1.2 million pilgrims from various countries of the world” had already arrived in Saudi Arabia for this year’s hajj. Last year more than 1.8 million Muslims took part in the Hajj, according to official figures.

    Earlier, it was mentioned that in a historical moment, Indian Hajis are set to use a high-speed train directly from the Jeddah Airport to Makkah for the very first time, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh said. The Embassy noted that the train would not only shorten the journey time but, about 32000 Indian Hajis will also use this exclusive service this year.

  • Myth about Israel Army debunked: Former diplomat

    Express News Service

    BENGALURU: Even as Israel has been signaling that it is preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza in response to the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas, retired Indian Foreign Service officer and former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE, Talmiz Ahmad, claimed that the “mythology” around the Israeli army stands debunked. 

    “Israel has failed as an army at the strategic, intelligence and military levels. Hamas came and killed around 1,400 people including 300 Israeli soldiers. A music festival was being held next to Gaza without any effective security. This was despite the situation in the occupied territories deteriorating over several months. There had been settler violence against the Palestinians in the West Bank, while there had been repeated desecration of the sacred Al Aqsa mosque since January this year. How did the Israelis not anticipate an attack by Hamas?” asked the noted author on the Middle East.

    He further noted the ‘delay’ in ground strike at Gaza by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and said that this could be because of serious problems associated with the attack.  “For the last three days, the IDF has been threatening a ground attack in Gaza and has ordered people to evacuate northern Gaza in preparation of an apparent ground offensive, but they have not got their boots on the ground yet.

    First, even if they kill several hundred civilians, as they had done in 2014, they will suffer dozens of deaths in their ranks as well. Then, there is the problem of what happens next. Will they remain in Gaza as an occupation force and suffer further casualties? Will they really be able to eliminate the Hamas leaders and rescue over 195 Israeli hostages, who may have been held captive inside the labyrinthine tunnelled network? But if there is no attack on Gaza, it would be a serious blow to Netanyahu’s standing. He is already a discredited leader back home and facing a huge trust deficit from his own people,” said the former diplomat. 

    “Again, if the IDF exits from Gaza after the assault, there is every possibility that Hamas will return, and with a greater vigour,” he added. In a possibility that the IDF manages to kill some Hamas leaders they will not be able to “decimate the organisation because it is a resistance movement that enjoys the support of the Palestinian people,” said the retired diplomat.

    Ahmad said that under the circumstances, “The IDF may carry out a short ground strike in Gaza or there may be a negotiation for truce. The latter may not be easy for Netanyahu,” said Ahmad, adding that there is a possibility that “Netanyahu steps down and a government of national unity, made up of moderate figures, is formed.” Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

    BENGALURU: Even as Israel has been signaling that it is preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza in response to the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas, retired Indian Foreign Service officer and former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE, Talmiz Ahmad, claimed that the “mythology” around the Israeli army stands debunked. 

    “Israel has failed as an army at the strategic, intelligence and military levels. Hamas came and killed around 1,400 people including 300 Israeli soldiers. A music festival was being held next to Gaza without any effective security. This was despite the situation in the occupied territories deteriorating over several months. There had been settler violence against the Palestinians in the West Bank, while there had been repeated desecration of the sacred Al Aqsa mosque since January this year. How did the Israelis not anticipate an attack by Hamas?” asked the noted author on the Middle East.

    He further noted the ‘delay’ in ground strike at Gaza by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and said that this could be because of serious problems associated with the attack.  “For the last three days, the IDF has been threatening a ground attack in Gaza and has ordered people to evacuate northern Gaza in preparation of an apparent ground offensive, but they have not got their boots on the ground yet.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    First, even if they kill several hundred civilians, as they had done in 2014, they will suffer dozens of deaths in their ranks as well. Then, there is the problem of what happens next. Will they remain in Gaza as an occupation force and suffer further casualties? Will they really be able to eliminate the Hamas leaders and rescue over 195 Israeli hostages, who may have been held captive inside the labyrinthine tunnelled network? But if there is no attack on Gaza, it would be a serious blow to Netanyahu’s standing. He is already a discredited leader back home and facing a huge trust deficit from his own people,” said the former diplomat. 

    “Again, if the IDF exits from Gaza after the assault, there is every possibility that Hamas will return, and with a greater vigour,” he added. In a possibility that the IDF manages to kill some Hamas leaders they will not be able to “decimate the organisation because it is a resistance movement that enjoys the support of the Palestinian people,” said the retired diplomat.

    Ahmad said that under the circumstances, “The IDF may carry out a short ground strike in Gaza or there may be a negotiation for truce. The latter may not be easy for Netanyahu,” said Ahmad, adding that there is a possibility that “Netanyahu steps down and a government of national unity, made up of moderate figures, is formed.” Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

  • Ricky Gervais’ The Office gets Arabic remake

    By Express News Service

    British mockumentary sitcom The Office is set to get an Arabic language remake. Titled Al Maktab, the Arabic redo of the groundbreaking BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning comedy series will be set in Saudi Arabia.

    British mockumentary sitcom The Office is set to get an Arabic language remake. Titled Al Maktab, the Arabic redo of the groundbreaking BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning comedy series will be set in Saudi Arabia.

    As per Variety, Egypt’s Hisham Fathi (Ending So Gently) will direct with Italy’s Alessandro Martella serving as director of photography and Ryad-based AFLAM Productions’ Shadi Mcdad handling line producer duties. The series adaptation will go on floors in June on this MBC Studios original on which the BBC Studios international production team, who have licensed the format, will also have input.

    The plan is for the twenty-episode show to air on MBC’s linear TV channels, and stream on its Shahid VIP streaming platform later this year. The Saudi adaptation is set in a courier services company, with the main character played by Saleh Abuamrh, who plays Malik Al-Tuwaifi, the company’s self-absorbed yet lovable boss.

    Also joining the cast are Fahad Albutairi; Nawaf Alshobaili; Saad Aziz; Adhwa Fahad, Razan Mansour; Reem Busati; and Hisham Hawsawi, among other local talents. Commenting on the development, Andre Renaud, SVP format sales for BBC Studios said in a statement accessed by Variety,

    “Although office working may look slightly different for many of us in 2022, the familiarity of these well-observed characters as they navigate petty rivalries, moments of friendship and humour, and a boss that sometimes makes a fool of themselves, still rings just as true.”

    “I’m sure audiences in the Middle East and the Gulf will take Malik and his team to their hearts as much as audiences did with David Brent in the UK over twenty years ago,” he added.

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ banned in Saudi Arabia.

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Marvel Studios’ much-anticipated movie “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” has been banned in Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries due to the presence of a gay character.

    The “Doctor Strange” sequel, which will release in the US on May 6, was originally scheduled for hit theatres in the Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries on May 5.

    According to Variety, the Saudi Arabian censors didn’t issue the distribution certificate to the Benedict Cumberbatch-led superhero movie.

    The Sam Raimi-directed sequel stars Cumberbatch as the titular character and also features new hero America Chavez, played by actor Xochitl Gomez. Her character in the film is reportedly gay.

    Prior to “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, Marvel’s “The Eternals” was banned in Saudi Arabia, over its same-gender couple romance and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first gay superhero.

    “Doctor Strange” sequel follows the Sorcerer Supreme as he tries to contain the aftermath of the multiverse-fracturing spell he cast in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” which caused villains from across the multiverse to spill over into the central Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ banned in Saudi Arabia

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Marvel Studios’ much-anticipated movie “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” has been banned in Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries due to the presence of a gay character.

    The ‘Doctor Strange’ sequel, which will release in the US on May 6, was originally scheduled for hit theatres in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries on May 5.

    According to Variety, the Saudi Arabian censors didn’t issue the distribution certificate to the Benedict Cumberbatch-led superhero movie. The Sam Raimi-directed sequel stars Cumberbatch as the titular character and also features new hero America Chavez, played by actor Xochitl Gomez. Her character in the film is reportedly gay.

    Prior to “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, Marvel’s “The Eternals” was banned in Saudi Arabia, over its same-gender couple romance and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first gay superhero.

    “Doctor Strange” sequel follows the Sorcerer Supreme as he tries to contain the aftermath of the multiverse-fracturing spell he cast in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, which caused villains from across the multiverse to spill over into the central Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.

  • DJ David Guetta lauds Saudi reforms ahead of show in kingdom

    By Associated Press

    ABU DHABI: Internationally known DJ David Guetta has made a home for himself in the Persian Gulf.

    The French DJ is a resident of the United Arab Emirates, where he has performed multiple times — the latest being on the helipad at the landmark Burj Al Arab hotel, and was one of the first artists invited to perform in Saudi Arabia when the kingdom opened its doors to tourists and began allowing concerts and entertainment. Guetta is performing in Saudi Arabia again on Sunday.

    Guetta performed in Saudi Arabia’s Formula-E in 2018 and then a year later at the MDLBeast music festival in the capital of Riyadh. Marketed as the region’s biggest music event, the festival has drawn backlash for whitewashing Saudi Arabia’s image. Celebrities and influencers came under scrutiny for promoting a country widely accused of human rights abuses. Guetta is making his second appearance at the festival on Sunday.

    Speaking to The Associated Press ahead of his Saudi gig, Guetta defended his participation.

    “I don’t play for politicians, I play for people, and you know if I’m not able to, if I would need to be playing only in countries where I’m totally agreeing with the leaders,” he said from the Louvre Abu Dhabi where he was recording a set for a streaming New Year’s Eve show. that will be streaming on the night. If he were restricted to certain countries for political reasons, Guetta added, “I would probably stay home.”

    MDLBeast Soundstorm’s first edition featured performances by J Balvin, Steve Aoki and Guetta among others, while the 2021 edition has the likes of Tiesto, Martin Garrix, Guetta, and DJ Snake on the ticket. In 2019, Instagram and TikTok were afloat with pictures of celebrities, models, and influencers posing in different parts of Saudi Arabia.

    The posts attracted controversy and human rights groups scrutinized celebrities for marketing the country without speaking about its human rights record. Some celebrities later said they were paid to post about the event. Reports circulating on social media at the time claimed that some influencers and artists were paid high fees for the visits.

    “I’m not saying what I’m saying because I was getting paid, I’m getting paid in any country, you know I can make money in Saudi, in America, in Europe, in Latin America,” Guetta said.

    “I want to be able to play for the people wherever I go. But then, should I not go to China maybe? Should I not go to America because sometime(s), you know, I don’t always agree with certain wars that are happening?”

    The music festival was one of the first events in Saudi Arabia where men and women were allowed to dance and mingle openly in public.

    It was one of the most visible signs of change under crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2018. King Salman granted his son and heir, the crown prince, a free hand to usher in dramatic moves that have reshaped the country.

    Allowing women to drive, bringing in musical concerts, opening movie theatres, easing restrictions on gender segregation, and reigning in the powers of the religious police have all been signature reforms of the young prince.

    Because of the changes, “I was happy to be part of this,” Guetta said. “Of course there’s more things to be done to improve the country but I think they are opening and really going to the right direction.”

    For example, he added, “Four years ago women couldn’t drive, and now they can come to a David Guetta concert and dance, you know it’s a huge evolution.”

    Guetta says that people shouldn’t have to wait for a country to have a perfect record before wanting to show support.

    “My position is, ok, if young people want me to be there, I want to be there for them,” he said.

    With the sunlight dancing through the dome of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and the cascading light and shadows creating an ethereal vibe on the waters around the museum, Guetta recorded his New Year’s Eve DJ-set on Wednesday, to no audience.

    The show was recorded on a floating stage in the water of the Louvre Abu Dhabi and will be streamed on Guetta’s social media platforms at midnight on New Year’s Eve. The show features more than 500 light fixtures and will include 20-meter-high flames (about 65 feet) that will shoot up into the sky.

    Guetta said he made Arabic-inspired music, especially for the event, including Arabic percussion and vocals.

    “The site is one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen,” he said.

  • Saudi critic’s fiance urges Justin Bieber to cancel F1 show

    By Associated Press

    DUBAI: Pop star Justin Bieber is facing growing calls to cancel his concert in Saudi Arabia next month as the fiance of slain Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi joined a chorus of voices on Sunday urging him not to perform at the kingdom’s Formula One race.

    In an open letter published by The Washington Post, Hatice Cengiz urged the Canadian megastar to cancel his Dec.5 performance in the Red Sea city of Jiddah to “send a powerful message to the world that your name and talent will not be used to restore the reputation of a regime that kills its critics.”

    Bieber’s concert is the most headline-grabbing performance scheduled for the race in Jiddah, though other F1 concert performers include rapper ASAP Rocky, DJs David Guetta and Tiesto and singer Jason Derulo.

    It is not the first time a pop star has faced pressure to pull out of a concert in Saudi Arabia.

    Mariah Carey was the biggest-name performer to hit the stage in Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi’s killing by Saudi agents in Turkey in October 2018.

    She brushed off calls to boycott the show.

    Public pressure, however, prompted Nicki Minaj in 2019 to cancel her appearance on stage at a concert in Jiddah, telling The Associated Press at the time she wanted to show support for women’s rights, gay rights and freedom of expression.

    Khashoggi’s stunning killing in 2018 was carried out by members of a team of 15 Saudi government agents who’d been sent to Istanbul, where the writer and former government spokesman had an appointment at the Saudi consulate for documents needed to marry Cengiz.

    She waited from him outside the consulate, but he never walked out.

    His body was never found.

    The killing by agents who worked for the crown prince drew international gasps and cast a shadow over Prince Mohammed, whose reputation never fully recovered.

    Prince Mohammed has maintained he had no prior knowledge of the operation that killed Khashoggi.

    A U.S. intelligence assessment made public under President Joe Biden, however, determined the crown prince approved the operation.

    “Please know that your invitation to participate in a concert in Jiddah comes directly from MBS, as the crown prince is known,” Cengiz wrote in her open letter to Bieber.

    “Nothing of significance happens in Saudi Arabia without his consent, and certainly not an event as important and flashy as this.”

    Bieber’s concert in Saudi Arabia comes shortly before he opens a world tour in February that was rescheduled from 2020 due to the pandemic.

    In the time since, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned sovereign wealth fund — steered by Prince Mohammed — scooped up shares in Live Nation, the company that owns Ticketmaster and promotes concerts for Bieber and other major stars.

    As Live Nation’s shares plummeted last year during COVID-19 lockdowns and the cancellation of thousands of shows, the Public Investment Fund bought $500 million worth of shares in the battered company.

    Public filings show the Saudi wealth fund is now the second largest institutional holder in Live Nation, with a stake worth some $1.4 billion.

    Human Rights Watch has also called on Bieber and the other performers to pull out of the F1 concerts in Saudi Arabia, saying these events are aimed at “sportwashing” by diverting attention and deflecting scrutiny from Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

    Saudi youth are the main attendees of these concerts, enjoying the country’s newfound social changes that allow for music and gender mixing.

    The kingdom’s General Sports Authority argues that sports is a tool for social change within the kingdom.

    Next month’s F1 race will be the first time Saudi Arabia hosts the premier sporting event, though the kingdom has hosted the lesser known Formula-E race in past years in an effort to raise the country’s profile as a tourist destination.

    At the time of Khashoggi’s killing, the crown prince was being lauded for ushering in social reforms transforming life for many inside the country.

    Khashoggi had been writing columns for The Washington Post criticizing the crown prince’s brash foreign policy moves and simultaneous crackdown on activists and perceived critics, including women’s rights activists, writers, clerics and economists.

    Saudi Arabia held a trial for some of those involved in his killing, sentencing five to death before sparing them of execution.

    Khashoggi’s fiance has told The Associated Press she will keep speaking out in the hopes of giving voice to those who remain imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for expressing their opinion.

  • Man booked for giving triple talaq to wife over phone from Saudi Arabia

    By PTI

    FATEHPUR: A man has been booked for allegedly divorcing his wife over phone from Saudi Arabia through the outlawed practice of instant triple talaq, police here said on Wednesday.

    In her complaint, Razia Bano has alleged that Tasabbul gave her talaq as her family could not fulfil dowry demands, Hathgam Station House Officer (SHO) A K Gautam said.

    A case has also been registered against eight members of Tasabbul’s family, police said.

    Bano had married Tasabbul, a resident of Mohammadpur Gaunti under the Sultanpur Ghosh police station, on May 21, 2005, the SHO said, adding that the woman is a resident of the Chak Auhadpur village.

    After her marriage, Tasabbul and his family members also allegedly assaulted her several times, Gautam said.

    Tasabbul, who works in Saudi Arabia, on Monday gave her triple talaq over phone, the SHO said.

    No arrests have been made yet and the matter is being probed, he said.

  • Two Indian workers allegedly held captive by employer in Saudi Arabia

    By PTI
    KOTA: Two Indian workers are being held captive by their employer in Yanbu city of Saudi Arabia despite an assurance by authorities that they will be allowed to return by April-end, a local Congress leader alleged on Monday and appealed to President Ram Nath Kovind to intervene.

    Gaffar Mohammed (49) of Bundi district and Vishram Jatav (46) of Bharatpur district had gone to Saudi Arabia over three years ago on a work agreement, which expired in November 2020.

    They requested their employer to send them back to India.

    However, it is alleged, the two were held captive under inhuman conditions, and the issue was brought to the notice of the central government.

    “The PMO website, on complaint number PMOPG/D/2021/0105100, dated April 3, 2021, responded that the case was closed on April 26, 2021 as the sponsor of the two Indians granted them the permission for exit by end of the month (April),” Charmesh Sharma, Congress’ Bundi district vice president, claimed.

    “The fact is that the two Indians are still living in captivity,” Sharma said and claimed he had spoken to them four days ago over the phone where they again narrated their plight.

    Sharma said he has written to President Ram Nath Kovind to intervene in the matter and ensure the safe and immediate release of the two Indians.

    “The two labourers have somehow managed to survive on leftovers given to them by other others labourers out of pity,” he said.

  • Saudi Arabia gives a blow to Imran Khan, water falls on Pakistan’s expectations

    Saudi Arabia has given a big shock to Imran Khan. Saudi’s decision has dashed the hopes of Pakistani citizens. In fact, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s administration has refused to grant visas to those applying Chinese vaccines.

    The reason for this is that the Saudi regulator has not allowed China’s Cyanovac and Sinopharm vaccines. Although China sent this vaccine to Saudi under vaccine diplomacy, the administration did not use it.

    Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan returned from a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday night. After this, Saudi Arabia has issued a new decree. Due to which the problems of Imran government have increased.

    According to the media report, the Saudi administration has now given some relief in this matter. Those who have not got the vaccine, they will have to show the negative RT-PCR report. Along with this, the 14-day quarantine will also have to be completed and that too at your expense.

    Approval to travel to Saudi Arabia will be given only to those who have completed vaccination. In this also a condition has been added that those who have made the vaccine made in China will not get the approval of the trip. The problem for Pakistanis is that only the vaccine received from China is being used here. Sputnik vaccine was ordered from Russia, but not a single dose of this has reached Pakistan.