Saudi king gives women right to vote

He also announced that women would have the right to join the all-appointed Shura (consultative) Council, in an address opening a new term of the council.

“Starting with the next term, women will have the right to run in municipal elections and to choose candidates, according to Islamic principles,” he said.

This means that women will be able to take part in the elections that will be held in four years, as the next vote is due to take place on Thursday and nominations for those are already in.

“We have decided that women will participate in the Shura Council as members starting the next term,” the king also said in an unexpected move to enfranchise women in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

“The Muslim woman… must not be marginalised in opinion or advice,” said King Abdullah.

More than 5,000 men will compete in Thursday s municipal elections, only the second in Saudi Arabia s history, to fill half the seats in the kingdom s 285 municipal councils. The other half are appointed by the government.

The first elections were held in 2005, but the government extended the existing councils  term for two years.

More than 60 intellectuals and activists called in May for a boycott of the ballot because “municipal councils lack the authority to effectively carry out their role” and “half of their members are appointed,” as well as because they exclude women.

Saudi Arabia s Shura Council had recommended allowing women to vote in the next local polls, officials have said.

In April, Samar Badawi said she was suing the municipal affairs ministry for upholding the ban on women taking part in the local poll.

Badawi filed a lawsuit at the administrative court in Mecca against the ministry for denying women the right to register as voters.

Also in April, a group of women defied the ban on women in elections by turning up at a voter registration office in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, in a rare public demonstration against the male-only electoral system.

But they were turned back by the head of the centre who told them women were still banned from voting.

Women s rights activists have long fought to gain the right to vote in the kingdom that applies a strict version of Sunni Islam and bans women from driving or travelling without the consent of a male guardian

A group of defiant Saudi women got behind the steering wheels of their cars on June 17 in response to calls for nationwide action against the ban.

Yemen PM to return from Riyadh after attack on Saleh

RIYADH: Yemen’s prime minister will return home later on Tuesday from Saudi Arabia, where he has been recovering from injuries suffered in a June assassination attempt on President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a government source said.

Open market currency rates

The US dollar is being bought at Rs 86.00 and sold at Rs 86.50 in the open market.

The British pound is being sold at Rs 142.52 and Euro is being sold at Rs 123.89. Meanwhile, the Saudi ryal is being sold at Rs 23.09 and the UAE dirham is being sold at Rs 23.59.

Yemen’s Saleh comes out of surgery, future unclear

SANAA: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was recovering from an operation in Saudi Arabia to remove shrapnel from his chest while a truce between his troops and a tribal federation appeared to be holding.

Protesters, interpreting Saleh’s absence as a sign that his grip on power was weakening, celebrated on the streets of Sanaa where they have been staging anti-government demonstrations since January.

“Who is next?,” asked one banner held up by a protesters in a sea of red, white and black Yemeni flags, referring to the wave of uprisings in Arab world that has seen the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt toppled and inspired uprisings elsewhere.

Saleh was wounded on Friday when a rocket was fired into his presidential palace in Sanaa, killing seven others and injuring his closest advisers. He is being treated in a Riyadh hospital.

He left as acting president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the vice president who is seen by many as having little power. Leaving Yemen at a time of such instability, even for medical care, could make it hard for Saleh to retain power.

Early on Monday, a truce between troops loyal to Saleh and the Ahmar group, leader of Yemen’s Hashed tribal federation, appeared to be holding, offering some respite after two weeks of fighting in the capital in which more than 200 people have been killed.

Key in the coming days will be any news of Saleh’s condition and any signals from Saudi Arabia on whether he will be able to return to Yemen – or whether Riyadh will apply pressure on Saleh to step down.

Saleh, a political survivor who has ruled the impoverished country at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula for nearly 33 years, had so far managed to remain despite the defection of his top generals and ambassadors.

Saleh has exasperated his former U.S. and Saudi allies, who once saw him as a key partner in efforts to combat Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, by repeatedly reneging on a Gulf-brokered deal for him to quit in return for immunity.

“The kingdom (Saudi Arabia) will convince Saleh to agree to the Gulf-brokered exit so that the situation can be resolved peacefully and without bloodshed,” said Saudi analyst Abdulaziz Kasem.

Saleh’s fall could also give renewed impetus to protest movements around the region.

“The departure of Saleh is a turning point not just for the Yemeni revolution but also is a huge push for the current changes in the Arab region and is the start of the real victory,” said Zaki Bani Rusheid, a leading figure in Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood.

Egyptian political scientist Hassan Nafaa agreed: “The ‘Arab Spring’ will continue, Arab people are in a state of total rejection of their current ruling systems.”

Gulf Arabs to try to draw Yemen opposition to talks

SANAA: Gulf Arab ambassadors were to meet Yemen opposition figures on Wednesday to urge them to join mediation talks as protesters around the country again demanded an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 32-year rule.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) invited government and opposition representatives on Monday to talks in Saudi Arabia, at a date yet to be set, while the United States pressed the veteran political survivor to negotiate with his opponents.

U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates visited Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and was to discuss the unrest sweeping the region with King Abdullah, whose kingdom borders Yemen and is grappling with internal pressures of its own.

Saleh, who ignored a transition-of-power plan offered by the opposition on Saturday, accepted the GCC invitation on Tuesday and urged the opposition to follow suit. So did Ali Mohsen, the prominent general who turned against Saleh last month. There was no sign of a shift in position by Saleh despite the pressure. He has insisted for weeks he will leave once he has overseen parliamentary and presidential elections this year.

“The president will not leave his historic role early, before the transition of power… This issue is important,” Saleh adviser Ahmad al-Soufi told Al Arabiya television.

The ambassadors of Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia were to meet the government side on Wednesday as well as representatives of the opposition coalition, which has been non-committal so far.

“We welcome the (GCC) position on respecting the Yemeni people’s choices and we will also welcome any efforts made for the sake of President Saleh’s speedy departure,” Joint Meeting Parties coalition spokesman Mohammed al-Sabri said on Monday.

On Tuesday, an opposition source said security forces in the southern port city of Aden detained six people for mobilising students to join a civil disobedience campaign that has kicked off in South Yemen in recent days, with shops, schools and some government offices closed for part of the day in some towns.

Tension has risen this week in a standoff that began in February when protesters began camping out outside Sanaa University. Saleh, a wily political survivor who has been in power since 1978, said then he would run for re-election in 2013 but that did not persuade sceptical activists to go home.

On Monday, security forces and armed men in civilian clothes fired on protesters in Taiz, south of Sanaa, and the Red Sea port of Hudaida, killing 21 people.

On Tuesday, security forces and armed men again attacked a crowd of tens of thousands of protesters in Taiz, residents said, and protesters responded by hurling rocks.

Doctors told Reuters around 30 protesters were wounded by gunfire and beatings. Around 300 were injured in total, they said, most suffering from tear gas inhalation.

Saleh supporters clashed with protesters and army units protecting them in Sanaa on Tuesday, resulting in three deaths. The government said a mediation team sent to General Mohsen had been set upon, while Mohsen said it was a trap to assassinate him.

U.S. CHANGES TACK

Washington has long seen Saleh as a pivotal ally in its fight against al Qaeda, which has used its Yemen base to stage attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United States. In return for billions of dollars in military aid, he has pledged to fight militants and allowed unpopular U.S. air strikes on their camps.

But on Monday, U.S. officials said Washington was ratcheting up pressure on Saleh to work towards a power transition plan.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon said the United States was calling for a negotiated transition in Yemen “as quickly as possible.”

“Obviously the situation right now is a difficult one. The longer it festers, the more difficult it becomes,” Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said.

Some diplomats in Saudi Arabia have suggested Riyadh wants Mohsen to replace Saleh, though the general has said he is not interested in taking power. Civil society opposition groups say Mohsen, 70, an Islamist, is tainted by his kinship and long-time association with the veteran ruler.

More than 100 people have been killed since anti-government protests began in Yemen, including the March 18 killings of 52 anti-government protesters by rooftop snipers in Sanaa.

That incident, which led Saleh to declare a state of emergency, prompted top Yemeni generals, ambassadors and some tribes to back the protesters, in a major blow to the president.

Opposition sources say talks stalled because Saleh was manoeuvring to ensure he and his family do not face prosecution over corruption accusations raised by the opposition. Many demonstrators are sceptical about the GCC talks.

Frustration with Saleh’s intransigence may push Yemenis, many of them heavily armed and no strangers to wars and insurgencies, closer to a violent power struggle. AGENCIES

Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war: cable

RIYADH: Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni civilians when fighting rebels in a brief border war despite assurances that only rebel targets were hit, leaked U.S. diplomatic cables quoted a Saudi official as saying.

Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war that ended with a ceasefire in February.

In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked cables suggest civilians died.

“We tried very hard not to hit civilian targets,” Prince Khaled bin Sultan, son of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, told the U.S. ambassador in Riyadh, according to the cable from the Riyadh embassy in February.

“Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in the

Pak Saudi relations at strain

Saudi Arabia is not only our Muslim brother but also a time tested and dependable friend. The Rulers and the People of Saudi Arabia have always supported the People of Pakistan whenever required, whether it be UN sanction due to atomic test or natural disasters like earth quake or flood. The people of Pakistan proudly thank to King Abdullah and the Saudi people as well for their lasting support in the hour of need. May Allah Almighty shower His blessings to the Custodian of two Holy mosques and the peoples of Saudi Arabia for this kind help – this is NOT the first time – Saudi Government and the peoples of Saudi Arabia were helping Pakistan before also – any time Pakistan needs help.

Governor Punjab Salman Taseer had been recently talking bad about Saudi king, there is no doubt that being a diplomat or a politician is a great responsibility but all the Ministers including Governor Punjab have entered into a competition:” Who will prove himself/herself as more loyal to Zardari and to hell with nation”. It is very shameful for our corrupt leadership who is losing the tested friends of Pakistan and seeking help from its real enemies. They are absolutely unaware of the real diplomacy which is the foundation and practical realization of politics. Have our leadership undergone any training and experience of running the affairs of this country? They are only trained to wear brand name suits, shirts, and ties and wear shoes and spray perfumes on the cost of the nation. They are least bothered about the enemy surrounding and sitting right above our heads, always planning how to finish us. Our leadership is only enjoying and travelling foreign trips.

In fact Salman Taseer had never been exactly the favorite person of the people of Pakistan. His recent hard talk against King Abdullah and Saudi Arabia is against the all norms of diplomacy. Firstly if we speak about diplomacy on an international scale, the true diplomacy is an ability to make and maintain relations between states and international subjects as main task of a diplomat is to win wars by words, not weapons, but the same ability can nowhere be found in the comments given by the Governor Punjab, which otherwise was not his prerogative. He should have been flexible and smooth-tongued while working on such a top position of the country. Secondly, I am inclined to believe that diplomacy is the art of building and maintaining relations between governments and other international organizations, and searching for compromise for decision-making on different problems by doing and saying the nastiest thing in the nicest way, but such art and skill is non existent in whole of our leadership. They are determined to sacrifice their all the allies and tested friends either for their personal gains or on the direction of their “boss”. Today Pakistan’s ties with Saudi Arabia appear to be under high strain due to such hard talks. We are rapidly loosing another tested friend China by adopting Washington’s counterproductive policies. We have rested with no standing in the eyes of other nations also only due to this visionless leadership. The people of Pakistan can conclude from this statement:

“That which has never happened in the history of Pakistan seems to be about to happen. Pakistan seems hell bent on destroying its relationship with its best Islamic ally that has stood by it through thick and thin – Saudi Arabia.”

I am sorry; we are not doing anything for Pakistan except verbally saying good things about it and defending it in front of all the people inside the country and outside. It is high time that people of Pakistan should realize how bad the results are when they do not make right use of their vote; whole nation has to suffer. It is sad that they still vote for bad and corrupt people. There is an old adage which says that fools learn from their own mistakes while smart people learn from someone else’s mistakes. In spite of the fact that it is difficult to argue against the wisdom of the past, I am convinced that fools are unable to learn just by their definition, so to say – by default! And the failure that occurred once in real life is most unlikely to be repeated again – if we are not talking about full-time idiots… The people of Pakistan feel frustrated when they have a look on news papers filled with corruption stories of our leaders, even confessed by the leaders on TV about the corruption in different departments under the PPP led government. We all should think hard about doing at least one good thing for Pakistan and stop being negative. Please for God sake, do not vote for such people, also inform your family, friends and countrymen and women to be aware of such people. They can not do any good for this country. It is very important for this nation at this stage to bring people who are good, truthful and honest Muslims, and only they can run the country much more efficiently than these corrupt and inefficient people. Pakistan’s relations with Saudi Arabia predate its birth in 1947, when independence movement was at climax. And many Pakistanis, like Muslims in all other Muslim countries, feel strongly tied to Saudi Arabia because of the traditional Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. The people of Pakistan should come on roads and publicly condemn the attempts being made by our leadership to undermine the traditionally close ties between the two countries.

Saudi to compensate Pakistani pilgrims: Kazmi

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi has said that the Saudi ministry of Hajj agreed to compensate the Pakistani pilgrims who remained deprived of residences at Mina.

The affectees would be given compensation of 250 riyals each. Talking to media after holding a meeting with Saudi Minister for Hajj Fawadul Farsi, Kazmi said that the Saudi government would give the money within two days.

Kazmi would return to Pakistan on Nov 25.

Hajis to return to Mecca to perform rituals today

Staff Report

MECCA: Hajis are completing last rituals of Haj and will return back to Mecca after performing Rami (stoning the devil), Trend Pk learnt Thursday.

Hajis will spend one night in Mecca after performing all three Rami and will start their departure from tomorrow after doing their last circumambulate.

PIA will start their Haj flights from November 21, 2010 which will continue till December 21.

According to Minister of Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi, the Saudi government has created a committee to monitor difficulties faced by Pakistani hajis along with other four countries’ hajis. Trend Pk

Terrorism is Haram in Islam, Mufti-e-Azam

Terrorism is Haram (forbidden) in Islam, and such acts should not be reciprocated in any term, said Mufti-e-Azam Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah. Delivering the Hajj Khutba (address) to the Hujjaj (pilgrims) assembled in Mt Arafat to perform a key ritual of Hajj, Mufti Azam said that Allah Almighty dubbed the Muslims as best Ummah on the face of the earth, and he whoever kills a Muslim deliberately would be sent to Hell. He said that Islam condemns any that act, which aims at creating anarchy in the society, adding that, and as being the religion of peace it calls for end to cruelty and defiance. Even those people who are defaming Islam, also offer prayers, lamented the Mufti.

However, Allahs pious men will change fear with peace, for it is only in peace that we can worship and establish mosques.He said that Islam believes in co-existence and harmony. The door of repentance remains open in our religion, it never closes. He called upon the Muslims to eat what is Halal and avoid the forbidden; dont hanker after vain desires; follow the Quran and Sunnah. Islam endorses moderation where materialism has no room, the Mufti advised.
Around 2.5 million Muslims assembled on Monday at Mount Arafat for Wuquf-e-Arafat, the key ritual of annual Hajj pilgrimage.

This year’s pilgrimage season is estimated to be attended by up to 2.5 million pilgrims.The worlds largest annual pilgrimage, the Haj, began on Sunday with hundreds of thousands of Muslims pouring into the camp of Mina from Makkah to prepare for solemn rituals.

The passage to Mina marks the official launch of the Haj on the eighth day of the Muslim calendar month of Zilhaj.
At Mount Arafat, some 10 kilometres southeast of Mina, the pilgrims spend the day in prayer and reflection. After sunset, they move on to Muzdalifah, halfway between Mount Arafat and Mina, where they spend the night. The pilgrims are estimated to total up to 2.5 million this year, a major concern for the Saudi authorities who have yet to report any major incidents since the faithful descended on the holy city. Many took buses but some had already set off on foot overnight as they headed to the vast plain of Mina, a small village about five kilometres east of Makkah that comes to life for just five days a year. Authorities say permits have been granted to 1.7 million foreign pilgrims, with a further 200,000 or so issued to pilgrims from within Saudi Arabia and from neighbouring Gulf states.

This year has seen a crackdown on pilgrims who do not have the requisite papers as authorities attempt to prevent numbers getting out of hand.A driver caught transporting unauthorised pilgrims faces a fine of 10,000 riyals for each individual. Vehicles with a capacity below 25 passengers have also been banned from entering Haj sites to streamline the flow of buses transporting pilgrims. The day is known as Tarwiah (Watering) as pilgrims in the past stopped at Mina to water their animals and stock up for the following days trip to Mount Arafat.

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