US protests; Saudi Arabia fires writer for article on Jews
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 3/22/2002

Chief editor of the Saudi daily al-Riyadh said that Turkey Abdullah al-Sadeiri said on Thursday that what was stated in his paper on that the Jews add "human blood" to their pies in the celebration of "al-Bourim" feast is wrong and that he terminated the contract signed with the woman who wrote the article.

He told reporters that what was stated by the writer on this matter is a mistake. He added that she is not a full time employee for the newspaper and what she had written and published in the paper did not reflect the opinion of the paper nor that of the Saudi government. "We do honor all religions," he said.

He continued that would never reach this indecent level (in remarks that Jews add human blood to their pies), adding Judaism is a divine religion even known since ancient times.

On Wednesday, the spokesman for the US state department Richard Boucher said that his ministry protested to the Saudi Arabian government over the said article.

Al-Sadeiri said he was outside Saudi Arabia when the article was published and that the writer Omima Ahmad al-Jalahima, who lectures at King Faisal university was stopped from writing for the paper since this incident.

However, the said article was issued on March 10 in Riyadh and was circulated widely after it was translated into English. Boucher said it is regrettable that anti Semitism is still a problem in the pro- government media and the opposition parties in various parts of the Middle East including the Saudi media.

Boucher said "Clearly we believe that such material is counterproductive to improving relations and dialogue. We do continue to press the Saudi Government on this at the highest levels and the clearest terms possible. Saudi officials have promised to address the issue, and we will continue to follow up on it. We were particularly concerned by the appearance of an article in a recent Saudi daily repeating a centuries-old calumny. The Saudi daily claims to report this as fact, and that is outrageous and defies disbelief."

The US concern and interference at such a high level with the Saudi Arabian government in order to suppress free speech, effect the livelihood and fate of a writer is worth noting, whether or not the written article is factual in describing the content of a Jewish recipe. The US however was silent regarding the jailing of Saudi poet (and firing of a newspaper editor) over having published a poem criticizing internal Saudi corruption.

Previous Stories:
  On the Saudi crown prince visit to Washington   (3/21/2002)
  Saudi Arabia arrests poet for criticizing corruption   (3/21/2002)
  Saudi support for Yemen   (3/21/2002)

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