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JEDDAH – Arabic Booker winner Abdo Khal was honored Tuesday by the Jeddah Literary Club for his prize-winning novel “Spewing Sparks”.

The ceremony was attended by Minister of Culture and Information, Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja.

Khal said that he will soon complete his latest novel, “Al-Hendawiya”, which he has been working on for the last three years.

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DAMMAM – Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Eastern Province, inaugurated the Dammam TV Complex here on Sunday.

Prince Jalawi Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Emir; Abdul Aziz Al-Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information; Ibrahim Al-Musallam, Supervisor of Dr. Khojas Office; Abdullah Bin Fahd Al-Hussein, Director General of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA); Dr. Riadh Bin Kamal Najm, Assistant Undersecretary of Ministry of Culture and Information for Engineering Affairs; and Saleh Al-Mughailith, Information Ministrys Assistant Undersecretary for Television Affairs, were also present on the occasion.

In his speech, Khoja congratulated the people of the Eastern Province on Prince Mohammed completing 25 years as the Emir.

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RIYADH – Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja has won the Media Innovation Prize for the Spirit of positive initiative in supporting prospects for media dialogue, awarded by the Arab Media Forum.

The Media Innovation Prize is an annual prize awarded to the most innovative leaders contributing directly and effectively to serving Arab media, whether by direct efforts or effective decisions that contribute to overcoming obstacles to media development.

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DAMMAM – The role of the Saudi media in supporting the Kingdoms development process and economic growth, and media practitioners responsibility in enhancing progress in the private business sector will be the key topics to be discussed in a dialogue between officials of the Ministry of Culture and Information, leading businessmen, and representatives of the media sector.

The dialogue on March 14 at the Asharqia Chambers of Commerce and Industry will be sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Information and hosted by the Asharqia Chambers.

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JEDDAH – Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom, has added his voice to those condemning last Sunday’s arson attack on Al-Jouf Literary Club and the death threat made to the club’s chairman, describing them as “abominable and wrong”.
“It is wrong for Muslims to attack state or individual property,” Al-Sheikh told Al-Hayat Arabic daily on Tuesday. “This is an injustice against the people…. and it is impermissible for us to bring up our young on crime, arson, enmity and evil, and to commit injustices on people. We should instead nurture in ourselves love and goodness.”
The Grand Mufti continued by saying that the money of Muslims was “inviolable” whether public or privately-owned, but that public money was “even more so”.
On the death threat to the chairman of the club, Al-Sheikh said it was “a sin and a crime”.
“The blood of Muslims is to be respected, and it is impermissible to threaten to kill anyone,” he said. “The shedding of the blood of Muslims is haram (impermissible).”
Sunday’s fire at Al-Jouf Literary Club – the second in under a year – tore through offices and a tent for cultural activities, and was preceded two hours earlier by a telephone text death threat to club chairman Ibrahim Al-Humaid.
“Do you know that your murder is halal (permissible)? Within a few hours you’ll be killed like your neighbor Hamoud and his colleagues,” the message read, in reference to Hamoud Al-Suwailem, one of several Al-Jouf police officers killed by terrorists in incidents in 2003.
Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, has said that authorities are working to identify the culprits, but described it as “an individual act”.
Speculation has abounded, however, that the acts may have been provoked by a club magazine editorial by Al-Humaid calling for people to unite in the face of the “common enemies of the nation and the Ummah”, listed as “Israeli and domestic enemies like poverty, lack of development, technological backwardness and cultural illiteracy”.
The editorial concluded by describing those factors as having “begun to recede and make way for a new dawn”.
Grand Mufti Al-Sheikh was preceded in his condemnations by member of the Board of Senior Ulema and the Supreme Judicial Council Ali Bin Abbas Al-Hakami. Saudi Gazette reported on Tuesday the sheikh as describing the culprits as “sinners”.
“It was a corrupt action and the perpetrators deserve severest punishment,” Al-Hakami said. “Who gives them the right to threaten to kill a Muslim? On what grounds do they conclude that killing of a Muslim is permissible?”

RIYADH – The Riyadh International Book Fair was opened here Tuesday by Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja.

The event, which lasts for 10 days, brings together more than 650 publishing houses from more than 30 Arab and foreign countries, displaying more than 250,000 titles in Arabic, English and French.

In a speech, Sharifa Al-Shamlan, lauded the reform process in the country, led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. She underscored the importance of translation, hoping that it would be encouraged from other languages into Arabic.

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JEDDAH – Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, faces over the next couple of months some of the busiest and most exciting periods in the post, with the Riyadh International Book Fair which opens this coming Tuesday to be succeeded by the ever-more ambitious annual Janadriya Festival.

With a new law governing the Kingdoms electronic media and satellite television also under discussion – a law which “will take time” – in an exclusive interview Minister Khoja addressed these and related issues, including the openness of Saudi society to other cultures, King Abdullahs vision for the national press, and womens involvement in cultural occasions.

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JEDDAH/JOUF – The Jouf Literary Club was set on fire Sunday two hours after its chairman received an SMS death threat, in what appears to be a criminal act.

The Civil Defense cordoned off the area and blocked entry to allow authorities to investigate. The fire tore through offices, the patio and the cultural tent.

The allegedly criminal act came after the literary club announced the names of men of letters taking part in the book fair in Riyadh. This is an event where extremists in the Kingdom have always objected to and have tried to disrupt its activities in the past.

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RIYADH – Over 650 publishing houses from 30 countries are participating in the 10-day Riyadh International Book Fair starting here Tuesday.
On behalf of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, will inaugurate the fair in which over 250,000 books in Arabic, English and French will be on display. The event will also host a wide range of cultural activities with Senegal as the guest of honor.
This year the book fair will witness the participation of publishing houses from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, other Arab countries, the USA, Britain, France, Sweden, Cyprus, Germany, India, Japan, Turkey and Iran. Several criteria were taken into consideration in accepting the participation of publishing houses. These include the number of publications, date of publication, subjects, specialization and the status of the publishing house in cultural circles.
Starting from Wednesday, the book fair will be open to all visitors from 10 A.M. until 10 P.M. with morning and evening sessions, except for Friday, Sunday and Tuesday when the evening sessions are reserved for men only.
Abdullah Al-Jassir, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture and Information, said that all preparations were in place for the launch of the fair. “We’ve been working as part of a team from government and non-government bodies to make this an impressive event reflecting the Kingdom’s cultural progress, and not just a place to buy and sell books. It should be a cultural forum that reflects the cultural growth of the Kingdom,” said Al-Jassir, who is also the Supervisor General of the fair.
Al-Jassir said the cultural program for this year will take into consideration maintaining balance and diversity. It will include an evening on national dialogue in the Kingdom and its role in boosting the concepts of moderation and tolerance. – Okaz/SG

RIYADH – Rotana, the Arabic Music Gateway, bagged the third FM radio license in the Kingdom Saturday at the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh, marking the launch of a new generation of FM radio stations in the Saudi market.
Rotana’s bid for the new radio channel amounted to SR76,350 million, shooting down the competition for the third license from nine media companies.
The license was awarded in the presence of Abdul Aziz Khoja, the Minister of Culture and Information.
Two more FM radio licenses are expected to be awarded next month after the offers are submitted, said Riyadh Najem, assistant deputy minister for engineering affairs and supervisor of audiovisual media.
The first-ever FM radio license worth SR75 million went to the media alliance of Alf Alf, which would allow it to broadcast from 30 locations in the Kingdom.
The second license worth SR66 million went to Ghayat Al-Ibdah company.
The Ministry of Culture and Information had earlier announced that 11 qualified media alliances and companies would submit their financial bids for the five new FM radio licenses in the Kingdom.
Over 73 percent of people in Saudi Arabia listen to radio programs, with over half of them tuning into radio on a daily basis, mostly while driving, according to a new study by the Arab Advisers Group. – Okaz/SG