(Washington Post) Jim Hoagland - In the wake of 5/12, as some Saudis call the terror bombings last month that killed at least 35 people in Riyadh, Jamal Khashoggi, editor of the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan, launched a sustained campaign in his newspaper to denounce extremism and religious intolerance. Khashoggi's articles ran parallel to the messages delivered to foreign governments and publics by official Saudi spokesmen, who emphasize the kingdom's sudden new awareness of the dangers of terrorism and its commitment to reform. But when Al-Watan made the same points in articles and provocative cartoons to Saudi readers in Arabic, religious conservatives demanded Khashoggi's ouster - and quickly got it. Khashoggi's firing, and death threats directed at him, were scarcely mentioned in the Saudi media. You now know more about this episode than do most Saudis.
2003-06-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive