Saudi Arabia , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Sunni Muslim country with the world's largest oil reserves. The Capital is Riyadh. The King is Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.
King Abdullah appoints the first woman [Norah al-Faiz] as vice minister for women's education.
After King Abdullah's death on 1.23.15, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became the King.
Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was crowned Prince on 6.21.17. He promises to lead his country 'back to moderate Islam.'
The Hejazi region, where the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina are located, is the destination of the Ḥajj pilgrimage, and often deemed to be the cradle of Islam.
Islam is the state religion of Saudi Arabia and its law requires that all citizens be Muslims. Neither Saudi citizens nor guest workers have the right of freedom of religion.
The Country profile , the CIA Factbook, and the history.
PEOPLE:
* The population estimated to be about 27.6 million.
* Saudi Arabia is known as the birthplace of Islam. They enforce strict Islamic law (sharia) and occasionally metes out punishments based on the ancient legal code of an eye-for-an-eye.
* Most Saudis are ethnically Arab. Some are of mixed ethnic origin and are descended from Turks, Iranians, Indonesians, Indians, Africans, etc.
GOVERNMENT:
* The central institution of Saudi Arabian Government is the monarchy. The Basic Law adopted in 1992 declared that Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by the sons and grandsons of King Abd Al Aziz Al Saud, and that the Holy Qur'an is the constitution of the country, which is governed on the basis of Islamic law (Shari'a).
The Al Saud dynasty's
The House of Al Saud traces its origins to the 18th century emir, Muhammad ibn Saud, whose family ruled large parts of the Arabian Peninsula for over three hundred years. The modern House of Saud was established in 1932, when Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud, a direct descendent of the 18th-century ruler, established the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with himself as absolute monarch. Today, only his descendents are considered part of the "royal" family line and eligible to ascend the throne.
ECONOMY:
* Saudi oil reserves are the largest in the world, and Saudi Arabia is the world's leading oil producer and exporter. This oil-derived wealth allowed the country to provide free health care and education while not collecting any taxes from its people.
FOREIGN RELATIONS:
* Saudi foreign policy objectives are to maintain its security and its paramount position on the Arabian Peninsula, defend general Arab and Islamic interests, promote solidarity among Islamic governments, and maintain cooperative relations with other oil-producing and major oil-consuming countries.
U.S.-SAUDI ARABIAN RELATIONS:
* The United States and Saudi Arabia share a common concern about regional security, oil exports and imports, and sustainable development. Close consultations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have developed on international, economic, and development issues such as the Middle East peace process and shared interests in the Gulf. The continued availability of reliable sources of oil, particularly from Saudi Arabia, remains important to the prosperity of the United States as well as to Europe and Japan. Saudi Arabia is one of the leading sources of imported oil for the United States, providing more than one million barrels/day of oil to the U.S. The U.S. is Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner, and Saudi Arabia is the largest U.S. export market in the Middle East.
The Saudis are one of the U.S. most important Arab allies. They are sponsors of the only comprehensive peace plan for relations between the Arab world and Israel, although peace negotiations are at a standstill. - BBC News
HAJJ pilgrimage Tuesday December 9, 2008 - Stoning of the devil video or stoning of the jamarat (Arabic: ramy al-jamarāt ) is part of the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Muslim pilgrims.
What is stoning the devil : The stoning of the Devil ritual reenacts part of the story of Abraham and his sacrifice of his son. God told Abraham in a dream to slaughter his only son--Ishmael in Muslim belief--as a sacrifice to God. Abraham consulted Ishmael about this, and Ishamel told his father to comply immediately. On his way to sacrifice his son, the Devil appeared three times to Abraham to dissuade him from fulfilling his duty. Abraham stoned the Devil with seven stones each time he appeared to him. This ritual also has a spiritual significance. By stoning the pillars, pilgrims openly declare their enmity to the Devil. This ritual is particularly emotional for many pilgrims. The pillars actually become the Devil for many pilgrims, and people can be heard screaming, "Because of you, I did...".
Pres. Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia on 6.3.09. Interactive map of the 4-day trip to the Middle East and Europe.
Pres. Obama hopes to set a new tone which is designed to isolate extremists in the region and re-establish the understanding the U.S. gained after 9/11 and lost over Iraq, says Paul Reynolds from the BBC News website .
Not long after arriving in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pres. Obama and King Abdullah went to the Saudi ruler's farm for a welcome reception, to be followed by a meeting between the two leaders. The President leaves late Wednesday for Cairo, Egypt, where he is to address a mostly Muslim audience Thursday (6 a.m. ET).
Images
6.29.10 Pres. Obama and Saudi King agree on the need to press for Mideast Peace .
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz has died. President Barack Obama was among the world leaders paying tribute to Prince Sultan, referring to him as a "valued friend of the United States" and "a strong supporter of the deep and enduring partnership" between the two countries.
The family's close relationship with the United States, however, had its costs. Prince Sultan was key in allowing U.S. troops to launch the 1991 Gulf War on Iraq from Saudi territory. The presence of American troops in the home of the holiest shrines of Islam was a chief reason the terrorist group al-Qaida said it targeted the United States and Saudi Arabia.
The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait under Saddam Hussein on August 2, 1990, put the Saudi kingdom and the House of Saud at risk, with Iraqi forces on the Saudi border and Saddam's appeal to pan-Arabism potentially inciting internal dissent. Bin Laden met with King Fahd, and Saudi Defense Minister Sultan, telling them not to depend on non-Muslim assistance from the United States and others, offering to help defend Saudi Arabia with his mujahideen. Bin Laden's offer was rebuffed, and after the Saudi monarchy invited the deployment of U.S. troops in Saudi territory, Bin Laden publicly denounced Saudi Arabia's dependence on the U.S. military.
Bin Laden believed the presence of foreign troops in the "land of the two mosques" (Mecca and Medina) profaned sacred soil. Bin Laden's criticism of the Saudi monarchy led that government to attempt to silence him. Shortly after Saudi Arabia invited U.S. troops into Saudi Arabia, bin Laden turned his attention to attacks on the West .
On November 8, 1990, the FBI raided the New Jersey home of El Sayyid Nosair, an associate of al-Qaeda operative Ali Mohamed, discovering copious evidence of terrorist plots, including plans to blow up New York City skyscrapers. This marked the earliest discovery of al-Qaeda terrorist plans outside of Muslim countries. Nosair was eventually convicted in connection to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and later admitted guilt for the murder of Rabbi Meir Kahane in New York on November 5, 1990. Bin Laden continued to speak publicly against the Saudi government for harboring American troops, for which the Saudis banished him. He went to live in exile in Sudan, in 1992, in a deal brokered by Ali Mohamed.
11.6.11 Millions in Mecca to start the Hajj pilgrimage. Hajj, a five-day pilgrimage, consists of a series of detailed rituals in Mina, Muzdalifa, Arafat and Mecca. Muslims stone satan at Hajj.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is the King of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the head of the House of Saud. He had been Minister of Defence since 2011, and was Governor of Riyadh Province from 1963 to 2011. Salman became king on 23 January 2015 following the death of his half brother, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud , at the age of 90, three weeks after being hospitalized for pneumonia, and was succeeded as king by his half-brother Salman of Saudi Arabia.
9.27.17: Women can now drive , and the things they still cannot do.
The Hejazi region, where the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina are located, is the destination of the Ḥajj pilgrimage, and often deemed to be the cradle of Islam.
Islam is the state religion of Saudi Arabia and its law requires that all citizens be Muslims. Neither Saudi citizens nor guest workers have the right of freedom of religion.
