Saudi Ideological War Center launches initiatives to fight terrorism

May 2, 2017

Riyadh, May 2: The Ideological War Center (IWC), a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense, is launching extensive plans to fight extremism and terrorism, the ministry announced on its social media accounts.

SalmanIn a series of messages released in several languages via social media, the IWC will focus on exposing mistakes, allegations, suspicions and deceptive techniques promoted by extremists and terrorists.

IWC also discussed on its social media accounts the correct Shariah methodology regarding issues of extremism and terrorism.

The messages also aim to introduce intellectual initiatives similar to the ones presented by Saudi and non-Saudi agencies as well as intellectual initiatives for the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition.

In addition, the IWC, plans to raise the level of Islamic awareness in Muslim and non-Muslim countries to garner more support about the real Islam.

Inoculating youth against extremist thought through various programs and dismantling the means used by terrorism to recruit its followers were also among the goals targeted in addition to establishing the methodology of moderation in Islam.

By discussing in-depth the true ideological underpinnings of Islam the IWC also wants to establish the right concepts regarding issues, which terrorism acted to distort with incorrect interpretation and atrocious crimes.

The center also wants to implement effective plans against ideological extremism, including promotion of moderation, tolerance, dialogue and understanding values within the context of the belief in diversity.

Furthermore, the messages aim to present the values and principles of the correct version of Islam in a discourse that considers difference between understandings, cultures and civilizations in harmony with its contemporary context.

The IWC also wishes to use studies and research by creating scientific and intellectual platforms, international forums and research chairs to engage communities in promoting moderate view.

The IWC is staffed with experienced experts from Saudi Arabia and abroad in view of the international goals of the IWC with diversified content and discourse to include all the groups under its messages. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will supervise the project.

The IWC participated in several international activities. The IWC introduced several intellectual initiatives and communicated with think tanks and power centers around the world.

The IWC embarked on posting its electronic messages focusing on extremist ideologies, fighting from all over the world. The IWC managed to attract people who have been persuaded by extremism from more than 100 countries, including individuals who have been born, lived and grew up in non-Muslim countries. They have been affected by messages of terrorist extremism exchanged electronically among them due to a lack of knowledge about what they mean. Some of these messages focused on stirring religious fervor or taking advantage of financial difficulties.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Dubai, Jul 31: The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia tweeted early on Friday sending congratulations to everyone on Eid Al Adha.

"I congratulate everyone on the blessed Eid Al Adha. May Allah [grant us another Eid where we will be in] good, blessings, health, and wellness," King Salman said.

"We also ask [God] to accept the pilgrimage of those who completed Haj, and [to accept] Muslims' prayers, and to remove the coronavirus pandemic in our countries," he added.

King Salman left King Faisal hospital in Riyadh after recovering on Thursday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.

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News Network
March 6,2020

Riyadh, Mar 6: Saudi Arabia on Thursday emptied Islam's holiest site for sterilisation over fears of the new coronavirus, an unprecedented shutdown state media said will last while the year-round Umrah pilgrimage is suspended.

The kingdom halted the pilgrimage for its own citizens and residents on Wednesday, on top of restrictions announced last week on foreign pilgrims to stop the disease from spreading.

State television relayed images of an empty white-tiled area surrounding the Kaaba -- a large black cube structure inside Mecca's Grand Mosque -- which is usually packed with tens of thousands of pilgrims.

As a "precautionary measure", the area will remain closed as long as the umrah suspension lasts but prayers will be allowed inside the mosque, state-run Saudi Press Agency cited a mosque official as saying.

Additionally, the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in the city of Medina will be closed an hour after the evening "Isha" prayer and will reopen an hour before the dawn "Fajr" prayer to allow cleaning and sterilisation, the official added.

A group of cleaners was seen scrubbing and mopping the tiles around the Kaaba, a structure draped in gold-embroidered gold cloth towards which Muslims around the world pray.

A Saudi official told news agency the decision to close the area was "unprecedented".

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia suspended the umrah for its own citizens and residents over fears of the coronavirus spreading to Islam's holiest cities.

The move came after authorities last week suspended visas for the umrah and barred citizens from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council from entering Mecca and Medina.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared three new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of reported infections to five.

The umrah, which refers to the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of year, attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe annually.

The decision to suspend the umrah mirrors a precautionary approach across the Gulf to cancel mass gatherings from concerts to sporting events.

It comes ahead of the holy fasting month of Ramadan starting in late April, which is a favoured period for pilgrimage.

It is unclear how the coronavirus will affect the hajj, due to start in late July.

Some 2.5 million faithful travelled to Saudi Arabia from across the world in 2019 to take part in the hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam as Muslim obligations are known.

The event is a massive logistical challenge for Saudi authorities, with colossal crowds cramming into relatively small holy sites, making attendees vulnerable to contagion.

Already reeling from slumping oil prices, the kingdom risks losing billions of dollars annually from religious tourism as it tightens access to the sites.

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News Network
May 19,2020

Dubai, May 19: In a heart-warming decision to reunite families that have been split by anti-Covid travel restrictions, the UAE has announced that residents with valid visas stranded outside the country can return from June 1.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship said they will begin the process on Monday, June 1, by allowing the return of those residency holders currently stranded outside the country who have relatives in the UAE. Residents who meet this criteria must apply for a Resident Entry Permit on smartservices.ica.gov.ae.

The ministry and the authority said the decision was taken to reunite families that have been affected by the anti-coronavirus measures taken due to the exceptional circumstances.

"The UAE is keen to facilitate the procedures for holders of UAE residency visas who are stuck outside the country and reunite them with their families who were affected by the precautionary measures taken by the country in light of the current exceptional circumstances to combat Covid-19," the federal authorities were quoted by state news agency Wam.

Hundreds of UAE residents are currently stuck abroad and are separated from their families due to the unexpected freeze on air travel imposed by many countries as precautionary measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The #BringBackUAEresidents hashtag was trending on Twitter on Monday as several residents and families requested the government to expedite their return to the UAE.

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