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Riyadh International Book Fair

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Riyadh International Book Fair
File:Riyadh International Book Fair 2019 logo.png
Logo of the 2019 fair
1.5px
Logo of the 2020 fair
StatusActive
GenreMulti-genre
BeginsTuesday (an opening day, not open to the general public)[1]
EndsSaturday[2][better source needed]
FrequencyAnnually, in mid-March to April
VenueRiyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center
Location(s)Riyadh
CountrySaudi Arabia
Organized bySaudi Arabian Ministry of Culture[3]
Websiteno stable URL; changes annually.[4]

The annual Riyadh International Book Fair lasts 11 days,[5] and regularly attracts over a half million visitors (it is not the largest fair in the MENA region,[6] contrary to some claims[7]). The fair is used to showcase Saudi government policy,[8][9] and it has been a locus of political power struggles with the government.[3] Hundreds of publishers sell pre-approved books,[5] and some black-market books.[9] Writers take part in literary events. Invited speakers and the public discuss intellectual and social issues. Disagreements sometimes go beyond the bounds of debate, with speakers being shouted down and surrounded by protestors,[10] and arrests of speakers and protestors;[11] physical assaults are rare but not unknown.[12]

The fair is a focus for political conflict in Saudi Arabia,[3] though some local media sources deny there is political debate.[13] The fair is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information,[3][14] and has been regulated by the religious police; the two have clashed at the fair,[15][3][14] and religious police have been limited to more advisory roles.[16] Some Saudi clerics issued a fatwa against book fairs during the 2012 fair.[3] Journalist Jamal Khashoggi said of the intellectual climate: "It's like McCarthyism in the 1950s".[12]

The fair has been both praised and criticized domestically for providing books and cultural activities which are hard to come by in Saudi Arabia,[3] and criticized internationally for selling anti-semitic and misogynistic books.[17][18][19] Parts of the fair are gender-segregated.[20]

Activities

File:JamalKahshoggi.png
Journalist Jamal Khashoggi said of the intellectual climate: "It's like McCarthyism in the 1950s".[12]

The fair aims to provide freer access to literature, and a large selection is available,[21] including some books not usually sold in Saudi Arabia.[10] Protests about material at the fair are common.[21] Authorities pre-censor the books,[5] and have sometimes confiscated previously-approved books during the fair. Publishers say that they will be banned from the Saudi market if they speak openly about books being banned.[21] The book fair has become a topic of political controversy, praised for providing access to useful books and supporting culture and society, and criticized for insufficient, excessive, or inappropriate censorship.[3][21][17]

Apart from book sales, the fair also hosts writers, poets and intellectuals, who meet with the public. They sign books, take part in public discussion panels,[9] and give public lectures.[22] Authors give public readings of their works, without public discussion of the readings.[9]

There have been some gender-based restrictions on admission: some fair days have been men-only,[23] others "families-only", meaning that single men may not enter;[10] however, these were lifted in 2012.[24][22] Book-signings and discussion panels generally have gender-segregated spaces.[9] According to local media, men have been prevented from getting their books signed by female authors.[21][25] "If the author is a woman [male] people have to have their book signed through a third party so as to prevent her direct contact with the public", the head of the Hai'a at the fair explained in 2009.[26] Female panelists participate in panels by intercom, which a panelist from outside Saudi Arabia found disconcerting.[10] Women listen to lectures from a balcony, when not giving them.[22] The book fair has been criticized for supporting gender mixing.[3]

The fair has been patrolled by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Hai’a, religious police), who enforced gender segregation and advise on dress.[26] Men have been prevented from entering if their hair is too long.[21] Personal cameras were banned, as of 2012.[22] Some of the men who have interrupted events have claimed to be members of the religious police.[27]

Political context

A member of the religious police (right) speaking with member of the public in 2006. Religious police at the fair have worn plainclothes, including the bisht and unbound ghotra shown here.[28] The bisht is associated with power and religious position.[29]

The Riyadh bookfair is a focus of political conflict: its events are easier to understand in their political context. Power in Saudi Arabia is held by the monarch (as of 2020, effectively the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman), but traditionally also by the royal family, religious clerics, and the overlapping security services and business community, who have traditionally been allied.[30][31] These alliances are not holding as they once did,[30][31] because the monarchy is centralizing power and weakening other power bases.[32][31]

The general public and the media (including newspapers and book publishers) hold little formal power, but their potential power has been a matter of official concern. Since the 1920s, the monarchy had repeatedly promised democratic reforms and constitutional monarchy; however, in the twenty-teens, it affirmed absolute monarchy.[33]

Royal family

There has been a power struggle between the monarchy and the royal family. Royals often hold official posts, in government or academia. Some of the authors and public intellectuals at the fair are thus members of the royal family (for instance, Al-Zahrani is the name of the third royal family, and the name of a law professor who became involved in two clashes with clergy at the book fair). The large royal family has recently lost political power.[34] Royal officials have been replaced by officials beholden to the crown prince.[35] In 2018, members of the royal family and business community were placed under house arrest,[32] required to sign over assets to the government, and restricted in their movements, there are reports some were physically abused, which the government denies[36][37][38] (torture is illegal in Saudi Arabia[39]). Subsequently, the stipends paid to members of the royal family were secretly increased.[40]

Clerical officials

There has also been a power struggle between the monarchy and clerical officials. Clerical officials control education and the judiciary (though the monarch may issue pardons). Clerical officials traditionally censored journalists and publications, through control of the Ministry of Interior (sic).[12] The Ministry of Interior also formerly had oversight of religious police, but lost it in the early 20-teens.[41] In 2017, the internal security forces and the powerful prosecution service were transferred from the control of the ministry to the direct control of the monarchy.[31] The powers of the clerical officials at the book fair have been increasingly restricted; for instance, the religious police have lost the power to enforce rules, retaining only the power to report violations, and government-controlled media report that members of the religious police disrupting book fair events in the 2010s were arrested.[16][44]

Media

Editors-in-chief in Saudi Arabia are appointed only with government approval, and work to guidelines on how stories are to be covered. Newspapers are post-censored; the government can blacklist any journalist in Saudi Arabia, preventing them from working anywhere in the country, and it can have online articles taken down.[12] Journalists have also been arrested, kept in solitary confinement, and tortured, often for unclear reasons.[45] Journalists often attend the fair as book authors. One journalist attributed a clash with the religious police (Hai'a) at the fair to her newspaper columns;[46] she had criticized the Hai'a,[46] as Hai'a-affiliated power over censorship weakened.[46] Books and entire publishing houses are also censored; anyone wishing mass access to the Saudi Arabian market needs the approval of the censors.[47][21]

The book fair programme is set by the monarchy, which uses it to showcase its policies;[9][8] the monarchy also pre-censors the books to be legally sold.[5] The event is regulated by the religious police, who have set admission rules, post-censored and confiscated books, and shut down events.[9][10]

Censorship at the book fair, as elsewhere, has become less religious and more political in its goals, as it has been transferred from clerical to monarchic control. Social liberals have sometimes, but not always, defended the freedom of speech of social conservatives, who now face heavier censorship at the fair and elsewhere.[48] Informal media also face stronger restrictions; people have been jailed and tortured for blog posts and tweets.[49][39][36] Blogs, social media, and satellite TV hinder censorship;[50]: 5  books banned from the book fair are discussed online, and available to many through illegal downloads.[51]

Public opinion

The population of Saudi Arabia is young, and youth unemployment has run at 20-30% since 1998,[52][clarification needed] higher for women,[53] and is expected to rise further.[52]
The population of Riyadh is growing rapidly

Visitors to the fair (both the public and the writers and intellectuals) seek evade censorship, buy and sell books, including blackmarket books,[9][10] and take part in discussions.[54] They come into conflict with both the monarchy and the religious police, as well as one another.[16]

Traditionally, the monarchy has presented itself as a progressive force, prevented from moving quickly with liberalizing reforms by the strong conservatism of the population;[55] by implication, if the country were to become democratic, then it would become much more radically conservative. This view has been challenged domestically.[56] It has also been suggested that the monarchy seeks to hinder a unified Saudi political movement by playing up tribalism and sectarian religious differences, and associating demonstrations, civil disobedience and criticism with foreign actors.[55][56]

The 2003-2005 Saudi Arabian protests saw calls and petitions for a constitutional monarchy and more electoral power.[57] During the Arab Spring, the 2011–12 Saudi Arabian protests, these were renewed, with public appeals and petitions for democracy.[33][58] Calls for reform were driven by corruption, official impunity, detention without trial, high unemployment, and royal excesses.[59] Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, who make up ~30% of the population (official census figures, as of 2014)[60] have limited rights and are disenfranchised, an additional potential source of unrest.[61]

There was also significant activism on guardianship rules, women’s franchise, the right to drive, and the rights of political prisoners.[55] A 2013 petition called for women to be permitted to drive[62] (a position which a Gallup poll found that the majority of Saudi men and women supported in 2007,[63] contradicting a 2006 government poll finding 89% of women opposed it[53]). Some petitions, like a 2016 one to abolish the male guardianship system, were supported by clerics and social liberals.[64][65]

The monarchy has taken action against independent and opposition clerics, usually on the grounds that they support extremism or terrorism. It has arrested clerics of a variety of political views, including some who have supported religious tolerance and opposed travel to fight in war zones,[66] and those supporting electoral democracy.[67] Generally, overt support of crown prince Mohammad bin Salman is required: in some cases, this includes performing specific requested acts of support.[31] The clerics who are tolerated all support the crown prince, though they vary in their other views.[66] This has entailed dramatic shifts in the monarchy's attitude to groups like the Sahwa movement and the Muslim Brotherhood, to whom it had formerly given official positions and influence; one such shift was marked by the banning of all Muslim Brotherhood books from the book fair.[67]

More such shifts have been seen on women's driving. In 2006, a politician was shouted down for raising the topic at the fair;[10] in 2014, a driving activist had an aisle at the fair named after her;[68] in 2017, the government announced that women would be allowed to drive, in 2018, the fair featured a driving simulator for women, women were allowed to drive,[8] non-activist women were asked to publicly thank the government so that the change would not appear to be a victory for the activists,[56] and many activists who had campaigned for the right to drive were arrested (including activists honoured in 2014); in 2019, a professor was arrested after expressing support of the still-detained activists at a fair discussion panel.[69][54]

Reforms: social liberalization, political restriction

Since these protests, the monarchy's message has begun to shift. It is now enacting socially-liberalizing reforms, against the opposition of more conservative elements of the clergy, breaking the alliance with some hardline clerics.[48][30] There is a drive to provide fun occupations for young people; movie theaters and music concerts are now permitted, and fashion, art, and sport promoted.[38][49] The heavily-promoted book fair also provides officially-sanctioned cultural activities, and some social restrictions at the fair have been relaxed (such as women's dress codes and gender segregation).[70]

Views on these social reforms seem to vary; young urban citizens tend to be more in favour, while conservatively religious citizens, who tend to come from specific rural areas, are more likely to oppose them.[49] Economic reforms, driven by falling oil prices, have varying levels of support, and a poor economy is a source of discontent.[71][61]

The social reforms are widely seen as a way to reduce activist pressure for reforms of political power structures (such as a greater popular voice in government).[49] The monarchy is simultaneously taking harsher measures against dissent. Regardless of how liberal or conservative they are,[72] activists who call for political reforms have been jailed and tortured, even when they have advocated[73] or worked with the government on reforms the government has enacted.[74][45] The government has also arrested academics expressing critical views (for instance, questioning government economic projections),[31] including at the fair.[75]

History

2004

The 2004 fair (advertised as the tenth[76]) had 300 publishers from 14 (mostly Arab) countries; there was one Iraqi publisher.[77]

2006

Mustafa Mahmoud published Dialogue with an Atheist in 1974; at the 2006 fair, it went on display in Saudi Arabia for the first time

Some days were restricted to "families-only" attendance, meaning that single men were not allowed to enter. Booths of foreign publishers, such as Dar Al Saqi, The Arabic Cultural Center, Dar Al Jamal, the Arab Establishment of Research and Publishing, and Dar Al Mada, were popular.[10]

Copies of the novel Banat al-Riyadh ("Girls of Riyadh") were unexpectedly absent; it was not clear whether it had been banned[10] or had sold out, although a representative of the publisher said it had not sold out, according to a Saudi government-run London newspaper. The same paper reported that The Dolphin’s Trip and Terrorist Number 20 were banned, while the New Testament and Dialogue with an Atheist were on display for the first time.[78] Turki Al-Hamad's novel Reeh Al-Jannah was also missing.[10]

Some official speakers and debate topics were controversial, touching on pressing political issues, and debates were heated.[14] A discussion panel was disrupted by hecklers who shouted down a member of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia[79] (Mohammed Al-Zulfa[10]) speaking at the fair[79] on women's driving.[80] A discussion on censorship, whose panelists included former Information Minister Muhammad Abdo Yamani and pro-government editor Turki al-Sudeiri, was shouted down by protestors, who also surrounded the panellists, and physically assaulted at least one journalist.[12]

2007

The 2007 fair was held in the same location as the 2006 one, and the topics selected for the cultural programme were described as less controversial.[81]

In 2007, the "families-only" days were dropped. Three evenings were open for men only; the rest were open to all. The ministry and the religious police negotiated this change.[81][79]

2008

The 2008 fair was held at the Riyadh International Exhibition Center in Morouj Dist, and featured less controversial speakers and topics than the 2006 fair.[14]

The National Society for Human Rights offered a report on the state of human rights in Saudi Arabia at the fair.[14]

The US Embassy in Riydh participated, hosting a "US Information Resource Center" booth.[82] The booth sold 1,829 copies of 66 pre-approved publications; Embassy officials were surprised by the positive response to their presence, and strong interest in English-language teaching materials and American literature.[83]

2009

There was controversy over events at journalist Halimah Matafar's book-signing
A woman selling books at the 2019 Cairo International Book Fair; female bookstall staff were rare at the Riyadh fair

In 2009, the fair moved to the Riyadh International Exhibition Center on King Abdullah Road,[23] and ran from Thursday the 3rd[27] until March 13th.[23]

Saudi newspapers, which are government-controlled,[12] reported that prices of books from non-Saudi publishing houses were up 20-25%, due to the costs of transportation, rental of space at the fair, and other factors. They said that some books that had previously been permitted were banned, and some previously banned were permitted, and that visitors were required to show the receipts for their books on the way out.[84] The government-controlled Saudi Gazette also reported that books by Abdel Rahman Badawi an Amin Maalouf were missing from the fair.[85]

Religious scholars condemned the fair for inviting Mohammed Abed al-Jabri. At the fair, al-Jabri said that religious groups sought to monopolise religious authority, by putting restrictions on the ability of civic groups to defend religious beliefs.[46]

According to accounts in Saudi newspapers,[87] on Thursday the 5th,[23] local journalist Halimah Matafar's (ar) book-signing was surrounded by five security men, six policemen and two religious policemen.[27][46] They report that some male writers[27] had their books signed; as they left, one waved and said "Thank you and goodbye" to the author,[26][27] and religious police accused him of addressing an unrelated woman.[27] Satirical novelist and journalist[88] Abdo Khal and poet Abdullah al-Thabet[89][90] (and law professor Mojab al-Zahrani, according to some accounts[86][84]) complained that they were then verbally abused and taken to the religious police center;[27] they were released without charge the same day. Halimah Matafar said that she was the only woman at the fair treated in this manner; she attributed it to her criticism of the religious police (in her weekly column). "I felt like I was wearing an explosive belt, not signing books... If any first-time female writer was surrounded by this many policemen, she would be discouraged" she said.[46]

During the 8th, a woman visiting with her family found only one stall staffed by a woman[26] (likely Najet Mield, per state-controlled sources[85]). The stallkeeper had come from France, and said staffing the stall on the first day, which was men-only, was awkward, so she had gotten a male stand-in for the men-only days.[26] On Friday the 6th (the fourth day), saleswomen were banned from the hall on men's days.[23] Women's access to the fair was expanded from two half-days.[27]

The religious police had a large stall, which did not sell books. It exhibited items they had confiscated, and screened a video presentation on how they reverse magic spells.[26]

2010

The 2010 fair had family-only days (no single men) and three men-only evenings. It was criticized for lacking technical computer science books, and for its website changing its URL annually and being hastily thrown up just before the fair with limited information and some technical problems.[4] The presence of the religious police was more muted much in 2010 than in the previous year, including a smaller stall. Some stallholders were requiring official written notice that a book was banned before removing it from sale (rather than removing books on a verbal request from the religious police).[16] Controversially, a women did the announcements over the public address system.[16]

The children's area (in which men are not allowed) was greatly expanded, with more children's books, a reading area, a colouring area, a stage with regular performances, and, for mothers, screenings of films on child abuse and domestic violence.[16] The Saudi Human Rights Organization, the Riyadh Orphanage, the disabled association, a temporary museum exhibit, and other organizations had stalls just outside the exhibition hall.[16] There was a small but varied selection of English books.[16]

Abdo Khal's prizewinning[91] novel Tarmi bi-Sharar (English title: "Spewing Sparks as Big as Castles"[92]) was withdrawn from the fair.[93] Books by activist Abdullah al-Hamed were confiscated.[94]

2011

Youssef Ziedan at a book-signing at the fair in 2011; his books were confiscated midway through the 2017 fair

On the second day[95] of the fair, a group of men (30 according to one Saudi journalist,[96] dozens according to the Agence France-Presse,[97] and over 500 according to Al Arabiya[1] [a domestic, and thus government-controlled news outlet]) appeared to co-ordinate a disruption, targeting writers, publishers, journalists, and female speakers.[15][24] Domestic media stated that they physically assaulted some participants, issued instructions on women's dress and behaviour over a loudspeaker,[95] and harassed women, many of whom left.[42] According to Al Arabiya, one challenged Abdul Aziz Khoja, the Minister of Culture and Information, on the selection of speakers, complaining that they were too liberal.[96] Saudi media reported allegations that the men were Hai'a members in mufti;[95] a Hai'a spokesman said the Hai'a were not involved. Some were arrested (3, according to Sabq.org,[42][43] or 100, according to Al Arabiya, which also said that the remaining protestors staged a sit-in calling for their release[1]). The original source of information on this event is newspapers under the control of the Saudi government; as the government is a party to this dispute, there is a lack of independent reporting.

Dar al-Jamal, an Iraqi publisher, was banned.[24]

2012

In the lead-up to the fair, government authorities warned that only Hai'a were allowed to deal with religious issues at the fair, and non-Hai’a religious activists would be held accountable. This was in response to severe disruption at previous fairs.[98] There was also an announcement that women and single men would be allowed to attend simultaneously,[24] for the first time.[22] The Deputy Culture Minister promised that religious police would not harass women who did not cover their faces this year.[99] Security was heavy, likely in response to the previous year's disruption.[3]

A poll found that women at the fair sought socially-critical novels, followed by studies on social and political issues and religious self-help books.[22]

On March 11, 2012, five days after the 11-day fair opened, 70 Saudi clerics issued a fatwa against book fairs. They complained that the fair was uncensored, and thus allowed perverted literature which encourages ideological anarchy, including texts undermining the truths of Islam, and discussing deviant and pagan religions, sex, and various abominations. They also criticized the fair for being mixed-gender.[3] Religious conservatives did not disrupt the fair as in 2011.[22]

Syrian publishers were banned.[24][99]

2013

The Arab Publishers Association unanimously resolved to boycott the 2013 fair, citing the exclusion of Syrian publishers from the fair, but also the price of stall space and barcode system installation.[100] The barcode system was abandoned the same day in a tweet.[101] About 500 publishers, local and international, participated in the fair.[102]

Sales-tracking devices for publishers have been described as a reaction to under-the-counter sales of banned books.[9]

Women and single men were again allowed to attend simultaneously, and the Hai'a announced that they would only be reporting problematic books to the Ministry, not confiscating them themselves.[103]

2014

Mahmoud Darwish's poetry books were confiscated during the fair, on grounds of blasphemy

Over 570 publishers, local and international, participated.[102]

420 books were banned at the 2014 fair, and 10,000 copies of them were confiscated. The bans were described as prompting readers to download the banned books.[104][51]

The late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish's books were confiscated during the fair, after the stall was surrounded by protesters. There were also complaints from religious police and allegations that the poems contained blasphemous passages.[21] Similar actions were taken against works by well-known poets Badr Shaker al-Sayyab, Abdul Wahab al-Bayati, and Muin Bseiso.[105][104][106]

The Arab Network for Research and Publishing, arriving at the former location of their stall on the Friday morning of the 2014 fair, found that its books had been confiscated, its materials scattered on the floor just outside, and the signage on its stall replaced by signage naming another publisher.[5][89] The group's publishing focusses on nonfiction[89] about Saudi Arabia and political Islam. The books had been pre-approved, and most were sold in previous years; the reversal of the decision was attributed to the tenser political situation. The publisher was reportedly permanently banned from the fair.[5][107][89]

Azmi Bishara's books were also banned amid escalating tensions with Qatar.[105][104] Other banned books included Revolution 2.0, by Wael Ghonim, When will the Saudi Woman Drive a Car? by Abdullah Al Alami,[108] and Al Estbdad (The Tyranny), by Ahmed bin Hamad al-Khalili, the Grand Mufti of Oman.[102] The titles The History of Hijab and Feminism in Islam were also banned.[108]

Madeha al-Ajroush, a photographer and activist who campaigned for womens' right to drive, had an aisle at the fair named after her. The fair also featured a book on the driving protests, Sixth of November, by Aisha al-Mana and Hissa al-Sheikh.[68]

2015

Sales of the compilation book On the meaning of Arab Nationalism: Concepts & Challenges were permitted at the fair, but banned outside the fair.[9] Hai'a presence was less notable this year.[9]

A seminar entitled "Youth and Arts... A Call for Coexistence" was stopped by religious police after professor Mojab al-Zahrani condemned the destruction of monuments by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[109][110] They accused the speaker of idolatry.[111]

The fair ended with a statement that anyone distributing printed materials, books or videos to visitors without prior authorization will face questioning by security authorities.[110]

2016

The war in Yemen was a major theme of the 2016 fair

The 2016 fair was noted for its military themes, centered around the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen[9] (which began in 2015). The Minister also praised the theater in his opening speech.[9]

The opening day was noted for its international and rich local guests, and a temporary relaxation of gender segregation and women's dress codes, tightened again for the following days.[9] A Kuwaiti author was told not to smile, as this showed his dimples, which were considered seductive.[112][109]

The US government was questioned about praise its diplomats gave the fair in light of anti-semitic texts on sale. The fair also included misogynistic books, such as Women Who Deserve to go to Hell by Mansour Abdel Hakim.[18][19] The US State Department later condemned the anti-semitic books and other hate speech, distancing itself from the fair.[113]

Electronic tracking of books was implemented in an attempt to prevent under-the-counter sales of unapproved books.[109]

Journey to a Land Not Ruled By Allah, by Ibrahim al-Tamimi, was reported banned after conservatives tweeted objections to it using the "Campaign Against Atheist Accounts" hashtag.[19]

2017

Youssef Ziedan's books were confiscated midway through the 2017 fair, which he attributed to his mention of the disputed Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir.[114]

12 students of the Sekolah Seni Malaysia Johor Art School, performing a Malaysian folk dance, were interrupted by a heckler; other spectators told the heckler to leave the students alone. The religious police took prompt action and stopped the performance.[114] A young Malaysian painted painted murals during the event.[115]

2018

Held months after women were legally permitted to drive, the fair featured a booth with a driving simulator for women.[8]

A publisher's stall was closed down, and the publisher banned from participating in the fair forever, for selling Muslim Brotherhood books, on grounds that these incited violence and terrorism.[47] This was criticised; Jamal Khashoggi wrote: "Liberals whose work was once censored or banned by Wahhabi hard-liners have turned the tables: They now ban what they see as hard-line, such as the censorship of various books at the Riyadh International Book Fair last month. One may applaud such an about-face. But shouldn’t we aspire to allow the marketplace of ideas to be open?"[48]

The Simon Wiesenthal Center documented the display of antisemitic conspiracy texts at the fair, and requested that texts that inflame hatred against Jews be treated in the same manner as the Muslim Brotherhood texts were.[47][116]

2019

The College of Law and Political Science at King Saud University; Anas al-Mazrou, who was arrested shortly after speaking at the fair, lectured here

The 2019 fair took place at Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.[117][third-party source needed]

Anas al-Mazrou, a law professor at King Saud University, was arrested for speaking of the detention of women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia during one of these panel discussions at the 2019 fair.[75][118] "No one dares to ask, and I am not challenging anybody, including those who are sitting here on stage, to ask about the human rights activists," he said. He named four people as having "contributed to spread the idea of human rights... I will give you an idea and I invite everybody to think about it; the idea of the nation being the guardian of itself, [such that the guardian] is the people, not the ruler"[54] No information was given on where he was taken,[119] and he has had no contact with his family.[120] The video went viral.[69]

The Simon Wiesenthal Center again complained that the fair sold anti-semitic texts, including Hitler's Mein Kampf. They said that "Of the six Arab Book Fairs we annually monitor, antisemitic texts are sadly the most numerous in Riyadh", and asked the Saudi government to apply the same measures to "all forms of hate, on the same level as offences to Islam".[17][121]

2020

The Saudi Ministry of Culture has announced that the 2020 fair will be held on April 2 to April 11[122] at 'Riyadh Front'.[123] However, the fair was postponed due to coronavirus fears.[124]



References

  1. ^ a b c d "Saudi conservatives stir row in a Riyadh book fair". العربية نت. Alarabiya. 3 March 2011. (government-controlled domestic media, and thus not an independent source)
  2. ^ "Visit to International Book Fair: #Riyadh". Voice of Sudhnoti. 14 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Saudi Clerics Criticize Book Fairs, Culture Events in the Country". MEMRI.
  4. ^ a b c "Riyadh International Book Fair 2010, let's try this again". Khaled rambles. 3 March 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Omran, Ahmed Al (12 March 2014). "Edgy Saudi Bans Local Publisher". WSJ.
  6. ^ Williams, Mark (24 February 2019). "As western publishers look the other way millions attend Arab book fairs in February". The New Publishing Standard.
  7. ^ "Riyadh International Bookfair 2018". Eye of Riyadh. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d "The unlikely rise of book fairs in the Gulf". The Economist.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Aldosari, Hala (24 March 2016). "Riyadh Book Fair 2016: A Political Memorandum from New Rulers". Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Exclusive: Riyadh International Book Fair". Saudi Jeans. 25 February 2006. Archived from the original on 1 March 2006.
  11. ^ See accounts of 2011 and 2018 fairs (and some of the linked articles on authors and public intellectuals)
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Campagna, Joel. "Saudi Arabia report: Princes, Clerics, and Censors". cpj.org. Committee to Protect Journalists.
  13. ^ Suleiman Shoqiran, Fahad (25 March 2018). "Debate over intellectual freedoms and rights in Saudi Arabia". english.alarabiya.net.
  14. ^ a b c d e Al Omran, Ahmed (9 March 2008). "Riyadh International Book Fair: Could Be Better". Saudi Jeans.
  15. ^ a b "Book Fair Updates: Riyadh Disrupted by Ultraconservatives, Report from Casablanca". & Arablit. 3 March 2011.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h "Riyadh Book Fair 2010". Saudiwoman's Weblog. 5 March 2010.
  17. ^ a b c "Mein Kampf and antisemitic books found at Saudi Arabia book fair". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  18. ^ a b Speyer, Lea. "Human Rights Organization: Antisemitic Literature at US-Backed Riyadh Book Fair a 'Tragedy for the Jewish People'". Algemeiner.com.
  19. ^ a b c "Saudi Arabia". United States Department of State.
  20. ^ See "Restrictions on visitors" section.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h Flood, Alison (14 March 2014). "Saudi book fair bans 'blasphemous' Mahmoud Darwish works after protest". The Guardian.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g Freitag, Ulrike. "International Book Fair in Riyadh: Treading the Line between Censorship and Cautious Change - Qantara.de". Qantara.de - Dialogue with the Islamic World.
  23. ^ a b c d e Al Omran, Ahmed (7 March 2009). "Riyadh Book Fair '09". Saudi Jeans.
  24. ^ a b c d e Abdallah, Mariam. "Censorship Rife at Riyadh Book Fair - News Ghana". Ghana News.
  25. ^ a b "Saudi men arrested for seeking female writer's autograph - CNN.com". www.cnn.com.
  26. ^ a b c d e f "Riyadh Book Fair 2009". Saudiwoman's Weblog. 8 March 2009.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ammar, Hassan (7 March 2009). "Saudi Arabia welcoming more cultural events". msnbc.com. Associated Press.
  28. ^ Murphy, Caryle (3 April 2014). "Saudi Arabia's Shifting Islamic Landscape". Pulitzer Center.
  29. ^ Al-Mukhtar, Rima (7 November 2012). "Traditional & modern: The Saudi man's bisht". Arab News.
  30. ^ a b c Chulov, Martin (24 October 2017). "I will return Saudi Arabia to moderate Islam, says crown prince". The Guardian.
  31. ^ a b c d e f "The High Cost of Change: Repression Under Saudi Crown Prince Tarnishes Reforms". Human Rights Watch. 350 Fifth Avenue New York NY 10118-3299 USA. 4 November 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  32. ^ a b Hubbard, Ben; Kirkpatrick, David D. (19 October 2018). "Uproar Over Dissident Rattles Saudi Royal Family". The New York Times.
  33. ^ a b Alaoudh, Abdullah (July 19, 2018). "Saudi Arabia's crown prince is taking the kingdom back to the Dark Ages". Washington Post.
  34. ^ "What Changes In Saudi Arabia's Political Power Mean For U.S.-Saudi Relations". NPR.org.
  35. ^ Smith Diwan, Kristin (22 January 2019). "Saudi Arabia Reassigns Roles within a More Centralized Monarchy". Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
  36. ^ a b Hubbard, Ben (14 September 2017). "Saudi Arabia Detains Critics as New Crown Prince Consolidates Power". The New York Times.
  37. ^ Hubbard, Ben; Kirkpatrick, David D.; Kelly, Kate; Mazzetti, Mark (11 March 2018). "Saudis Said to Use Coercion and Abuse to Seize Billions". The New York Times.
  38. ^ a b "Radical reforms in Saudi Arabia are changing the Gulf and the Arab world, Radical reforms in Saudi Arabia are changing the Gulf and the Arab world". The Economist.
  39. ^ a b Mazzetti, Mark; Hubbard, Ben (17 March 2019). "It Wasn't Just Khashoggi: A Saudi Prince's Brutal Drive to Crush Dissent". The New York Times.
  40. ^ Nereim, Vivian; Martin, Matthew (February 1, 2018). "Saudis Raise Allowances for Some Royals after Purge". www.bloomberg.com. Bloomberg.
  41. ^ Press, Associated (April 13, 2016). "Saudi Arabia says religious police must be 'gentle and humane'". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  42. ^ a b c "Saudi hardliners disrupt book fair: Witnesses". Zee News. 3 March 2011.
  43. ^ a b Whitaker, Brian. "Thuggery at Saudi book fair". al-bab.com.
  44. ^ In a 2011 incident, some were arrested (3, according to Sabq.org,[42][43] or 100, according to Al Arabiya, which also said that the remaining protestors staged a sit-in calling for their release[1]).
  45. ^ a b Yee, Vivian (26 November 2019). "Saudi Arabia Is Stepping Up Crackdown on Dissent, Rights Groups Say". The New York Times.
  46. ^ a b c d e f Mahdi, Wael (March 24, 2009). "New-look book fair backfires on writers". The National.
  47. ^ a b c "Saudi Book Fair Called Out for Display of Antisemitic Titles, Including 'Mein Kampf'". Algemeiner.com.
  48. ^ a b c Khashoggi, Jamal (April 3, 2018). "By blaming 1979 for Saudi Arabia's problems, the crown prince is peddling revisionist history". Washington Post.
  49. ^ a b c d "Saudi Arabia: Liberalization, Not Democratization". afsa.org.
  50. ^ Nolan, Leigh (May 2011). "Managing reform? Saudi Arabia and the king's dilemma" (PDF). Brookings Doha Center.
  51. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia: 420 books banned at Riyadh International Book Fair". Freemuse. 18 March 2014.
  52. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia - youth unemployment rate 1998-2018". Statista.
  53. ^ a b "Unshackling themselves, Unshackling themselves". The Economist.
  54. ^ a b c Translated quote from the New York Times: Yee, Vivian; Kirkpatrick, David D. (5 April 2019). "Saudis Escalate Crackdown on Dissent, Arresting Nine and Risking U.S. Ire". The New York Times.
  55. ^ a b c "The Saudi response to the 'Arab spring': containment and co-option". openDemocracy.
  56. ^ a b c ""Moderation" requires tolerance, acceptance of others, free speech and human rights". القسط. 6 November 2017.
  57. ^ al-Rasheed, Madawi (22 January 2015). "King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia obituary". The Guardian.
  58. ^ Eman al-Nafjan (18 February 2011). "The Arab Revolution Saudi Update". Saudiwoman's Weblog.
  59. ^ Murphy, Caryle. "Will the House of Saud adapt enough to survive ... again? | The Star". thestar.com.
  60. ^ "Census shows Kingdom's population at more than 27 million". Saudi Gazette. 24 November 2010. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-20.
  61. ^ a b Guest Contributor (10 August 2016). "What If Saudi Arabia Collapses?". LobeLog. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  62. ^ "Dozens of Saudi Arabian women drive cars on day of protest against ban". The Guardian. 26 October 2013.
  63. ^ Gallup (21 December 2007). "Saudi Arabia: Majorities Support Women's Rights". Gallup.com.
  64. ^ Sidahmed, Mazin (26 September 2016). "Thousands of Saudis sign petition to end male guardianship of women". The Guardian.
  65. ^ Eman al-Nafjan. "February 2011". Saudiwoman's Weblog.
  66. ^ a b Ismail, Raihan. "How is MBS's consolidation of power affecting Saudi clerics in the opposition?". Washington Post.
  67. ^ a b Lacroix, Stéphane. "Saudi Arabia's Muslim Brotherhood predicament". Washington Post.
  68. ^ a b "Sixth of November at the Riyadh Book Fair". Saudiwoman's Weblog. 13 March 2014.
  69. ^ a b Qiblawi, Tamara (5 April 2019). "Two US citizens arrested in first Saudi arrest sweep since Khashoggi killing, sources say". KABC-AM. CNN.
  70. ^ See details in the history section; 2012, for instance)
  71. ^ Shahine, Alaa; Nereim, Vivian; Abu-Nasr, Donna. "Saudi Arabia's Great Makeover Can't Afford to Fail This Time". www.bloomberg.com. Bloomberg.
  72. ^ Fahim, Kareem. "Saudi Arabia's once-powerful conservatives silenced by reforms and repression". Washington Post.
  73. ^ Khashoggi, Jamal. "Saudi Arabia's crown prince wants to 'crush extremists.' But he's punishing the wrong people". Washington Post.
  74. ^ Batrawy, Aya (26 November 2019). "Activists: Saudi Arabia detains 8 in sustained crackdown". AP NEWS.
  75. ^ a b Safi, Michael (4 November 2019). "Saudi Arabia: arrests of dissidents and torture allegations continue". The Guardian.
  76. ^ "Not Fair!". Saudi Jeans. 19 September 2004.
  77. ^ "The Book Fair Report". Saudi Jeans. 30 September 2004.
  78. ^ Asharq Al-Awsat. "Saudi Arabia: Copies of "Girls of Riyadh" Novel Mysteriously Disappear from Book Fair". eng-archive.aawsat.com.
  79. ^ a b c "Saudi Arabia: 2007 Riyadh International Book Fair, Ahmadinejad's Visit to the Kingdom, and More · Global Voices". Global Voices. 7 March 2007.
  80. ^ Arabia, Crossroads (21 March 2007). "Riyadh Book Fair off to Quiet Start". web.archive.org.
  81. ^ a b "Saudi Jeans: Let's Meet and Talk". web.archive.org. 15 November 2007.
  82. ^ Al-Omran, Ahmed. "Some of the 'Less Boring' Saudi Wikileaks Cables". MidEastPosts.com.
  83. ^ "New Audiences Reached at Riyadh International Book Fair". Wikileaks. 2008.
  84. ^ a b c d "Saudi Gazette - High prices, Hai'a dampen spirits at Riyadh Book Fair". Saudi Gazette. 27 May 2009. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. (government-controlled domestic media, and thus not an independent source)
  85. ^ a b c d e Hawari, Walaa; Al-Dosary, Shiekha (11 March 2009). "Women's Issues in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia: Frustrating experience". Women's Issues in the Middle East (apparently reprinting an Arab News report). Arab News (government-controlled domestic media, and thus not an independent source).
  86. ^ a b "the tanjara: religious[sic] police and censorship cause discontent at riyadh book fair". the tanjara. 10 March 2009.
  87. ^ Only government-controlled domestic media give names of all three men;[84][85] (well, and a blog[86]) Associated Press says three men but gives one name;[27] CNN says only two were arrested, but cite the Saudi reports...[25] A reprinting of a domestic media article[85] carries a great deal of detail on the incident, including what appear to be interviews with the participants. It contradicts another source on whether the journalist was trying to give books to her colleagues, and had to pass them via a male security guard,[85] or the male writers had bought books and passed them to her via a male security guard.[84] All the accounts seem to be by or based upon domestic media)
  88. ^ "Abdo Khal: International Prize for Arabic Fiction". www.arabicfiction.org.
  89. ^ a b c d "Saudi Publisher Booted From Riyadh International Book Fair". & Arablit. 12 March 2014.
  90. ^ "If You're in the KSA: The Riyadh International Book Fair". & Arablit. 20 February 2010.
  91. ^ "But is it fiction?". al-bab.com.
  92. ^ Calderbank, Tony. "One Arabic-English translator shares his experience". www.britishcouncil.org. ritish Counci.
  93. ^ "Saudi writers find voice depicting closed society". DAWN.COM. 22 June 2010.
  94. ^ "Saudi Arabia". freedomhouse.org. 12 January 2012.
  95. ^ a b c Royston, Steve. "Sharp Divides Emerge over Saudi Reforms". MidEast Posts.
  96. ^ a b Wagner, Rob L. "Riyadh Book Fair Debacle is Nothing More Than Theater". MidEast Posts. (not an independent source)
  97. ^ "Saudi hardliners disrupt book fair - Region - World". Ahram Online. Agence France-Presse.
  98. ^ Arabia, Crossroads. "Saudi Authorities Crack Down on 'Book Fair Louts'". MidEast Posts.
  99. ^ a b "(Don't) Boycott the Riyadh International Book Fair". & Arablit. 9 March 2012.
  100. ^ Saad, Mohammed (29 January 2013). "Arab Publishers Association boycotts Riyadh Book Fair - Arab - Books". Ahram Online.
  101. ^ "Controversy Even Months Before Opening of 2013 Riyadh International Book Fair". & Arablit. 30 January 2013.
  102. ^ a b c "Riyadh fair bans Oman writer's book". gulfnews.com.
  103. ^ "Saudi women given unprecedented permit to attend book fairs - with men - Region - World". Ahram Online.
  104. ^ a b c "Saudi Arabia bans prominent Palestinian authors from Riyadh book fair". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  105. ^ a b "Saudi bans books at fair in wide-ranging crackdown - Region - World". Ahram Online. Agence France-Presse. 16 March 2014.
  106. ^ "No, Ambassador: It's Not 'Meddling' to Call for Free Speech in Saudi Arabia". HuffPost UK. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015.
  107. ^ Al-Rasheed, Madawi (13 March 2014). "Saudi officials shut down display at book fair". Al-Monitor.
  108. ^ a b "Saudi bans books at fair in crackdown". www.emirates247.com.
  109. ^ a b c "KSA: Members of the Saudi Religious Police (CPVPV – The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice) Attacks a Seminar About Destroying Monuments". Arabic Network for Human Rights Information. 9 March 2015.
  110. ^ a b "The 2015 Riyadh International Book Fair: A Mixed Bag". & Arablit. 17 March 2015.
  111. ^ Whitaker, Brian. "Where literary meets military". al-bab.com.
  112. ^ "Liberated Saudi Youth Wonder Where All the Wahhabis Have Gone". Bloomberg Businessweek.
  113. ^ Speyer, Lea. "State Department Denies Knowledge of Antisemitic Material at Saudi Book Fair Attended by US Embassy Reps (VIDEO)". Algemeiner.com.
  114. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia: Books banned, performance interrupted at book fair". Freemuse.
  115. ^ Alnufaie, Hanan. "Young Malaysian painter wins Saudi hearts at Riyadh Book Fair". english.alarabiya.net.
  116. ^ "Wiesenthal Centre to Saudi Culture Minister: "We are Distressed to Discover Vicious Antisemitic Conspiracy Texts on Display at the Riyadh Book Fair"". www.wiesenthal.com.
  117. ^ "Cultural minister: Riyadh book fair to kick off in April". Arab News. 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-08-06. (government-controlled domestic media, and thus not an independent source)
  118. ^ "Saudi law professor arrested for criticising kingdom's human rights record: Report". Middle East Eye.
  119. ^ "Fresh wave of arrests in Saudi Arabia". www.amnesty.org.
  120. ^ النجار Alnajjar, أميمه Omaima. "Anas al-Mazrou". القسط ALQST.
  121. ^ "Wiesenthal Centre to Saudi Media Minister: "Ban Antisemitic Hate at the Riyadh International Book Fair"". www.wiesenthal.com.
  122. ^ "Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture Announces Riyadh Book Fair Plans for 2020". About Her. 2019-07-16. Retrieved 2019-08-06. (government-controlled domestic media, and thus not an independent source)
  123. ^ "Saudi Culture Ministry chooses 'Riyadh Front' as book fair's new headquarters". Arab News. 2020-01-10. Retrieved 2020-01-11. (government-controlled domestic media, and thus not an independent source)
  124. ^ "Riyadh Int'l Book Fair Postponed over Coronavirus Fears". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 2020-03-06.

See also

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