Leading Saudi Woman Blogger Alhodaif Passes Away at 25

Ebtihal Mubarak, Arab News JEDDAH (Arab News) May 19, 2008 — For 25 days supporters and friends of Saudi blogger Hadeel Alhodaif have waited anxiously, hoping that she would emerge from the coma she fell into unexpectedly. But on Friday these hopes died as the 25-year-old writer and social critic — known for fearlessly using her real name in her criticisms — passed away. Alhodaif, who maintained "Heaven's Steps" (http://hdeel.ws/blog), often challenged other Saudi women to join her in stepping out of the shadows of anonymity and devote their writing to issues of social importance. "I wish that Saudi women bloggers would step forward in their writing instead of simply writing their personal diaries," she told Arab News in an interview last year. She said that blogging offered a unique opportunity in Saudi Arabia to create a "new free media" to face off against the entrenched establishment newspapers and television channels and give the public what they really wanted to know. In some cases she would appear in these media outlets, such as AlJazeera and Saudi Channel One. Alhodaif was invited last year to Oman's Sultan Qaboos University to discuss the role that Saudi blogs play in promoting the freedom of expression. Later that year she gave a lecture at the women's section of the Riyadh Literary Club calling on women to start their own blogs to help influence public policy and opinion. "I would like to educate Saudi women about the importance of blogging as an efficient medium that can greatly influence public opinion," she said during her presentation. When blogger Fouad Al-Farhan was detained late last year for openly defending a group of conservative academics that had been arrested for meeting and discussing the need for political reform, Alhodaif was the only Saudi woman who came out publicly calling for Al-Farhan's immediate release. She started a "Free Fouad" website and created a forum on the social networking site Facebook to keep interested people up to date on the case. "She was truly courageous speaking to the BBC Arabic eloquently and bravely about Al-Farhan's detention when most Saudi bloggers wanted only to be quoted anonymously," said a fellow blogger, who preferred to be quoted anonymously. Al-Farhan was released last month after four months of detention without charges. Alhodaif published a collection of short stories titled "Their Shadows Don't Follow Them." Last year her play "Who Fears The Doors" was performed at the men's section of King Saud University. In her blog Alhodaif mocked the fact that even as the playwright she was not allowed to attend the performance of her own work due to the university's strict policy on the mingling of the sexes. "I guess I have to beg the male audience to inform me how my play was produced," she wrote in Arabic. "I hope that a day comes when I can attend a cultural function where the presence of women does not cause anyone an allergic reaction!" Alhodaif's Facebook profile shows a young woman who was interested in reading, writing and good food. Saudis from all ages and backgrounds — liberals and conservatives alike, those who knew her closely or from a distance, and even those who did not know her at all before — are mourning the bright skinny girl with high dreams and hopes of a better future for all Saudis. RELATED: Saudi Activist Blogger Freed After 4 Months in Jail Without Charge ---------------------- Fair Use Notice This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. (See: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.) If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

SPREAD THE WORD! FREE FOUAD!!

UPDATE: April 23, 2008 - Fouad is free and back home in Jeddah after 137 days in custody. (more here) Bismillah Assalamu Alaikum! I'm writing today to ask you to SPREAD THE WORD! FREE FOUAD!! You can help free Saudi blogger Fouad Ahmad al-Farhan, who has been detained by Saudi authorities since December 10, 2008, by displaying this Quote Randomizer Badge on your blog! The quotes are translated from his blog post "Why Do We Blog?" The badge will allow the script to display random Fouad's quotes on your blog. CLICK ON THE BADGE BELOW (right) TO GET THE CODE! Aishah's Journey Blog is wearing the Badge! Please redistribute this communication widely, insha'Allah! Jazakallahu khayran for your support! Ma'Salaama, `Aishah Schwartz Director, Muslimah Writers Alliance Member, Committee to Protect Journalists LEARN MORE HERE! How Free is the Blog-o-Sphere? Family Member Given Access to Detained Blogger U.S. Concerned for Saudi Blogger Dissident Saudi Blogger Arrested Committee to Protect Journalists Fax or mail a copy of the letter (below) (or write your own letter) in support of the Committe to Protect Journalists' petition TODAY! January 2, 2008 Via Facsimile: (202) 944-3113 His Royal Highness King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud c/o His Excellency Ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia 601 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037 Re: Fouad Ahmed al-Farhan Your Royal Highness: The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to protest the continued detention of Fouad Ahmed al-Farhan, a leading Saudi blogger who has been held without charge since early December 2007. We believe al-Farhan is being held for comments published on his Web site, Alfarhan.org. On December 10, Saudi security agents detained al-Farhan at the Jeddah office of the IT company he owns. Security agents later visited his home and confiscated his laptop. This week, nearly a month after al-Farhan’s detention, Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry at last acknowledged that he has been detained, but would not give the reason for his incarceration. Ministry spokesman Gen. Mansour al-Turki was quoted by several newspapers as saying that al-Farhan was being questioned "about violating non-security regulations" but would not elaborate. Calls from CPJ to the Saudi Embassy in Washington were not returned. In an e-mail sent to friends prior to his arrest, al-Farhan explained that he had received a phone call from the Saudi Interior Ministry instructing him to prepare himself "to be picked up in the coming two weeks" for questioning by a high-ranking official. He also stated in the e-mail that he believed he was being summoned "because I wrote about the political prisoners here in Saudi Arabia and they think I’m running an online campaign promoting their issue." In one of his last posts before his detention, al-Farhan sharply criticized 10 influential Saudi business, religious, and media figures. Your Royal Highness, we find it deplorable that Saudi authorities would continue to hold our colleague in near secrecy after nearly a month. Arbitrarily detaining a writer and holding him for weeks without saying why violates the most basic norms for free expression and serves as a chilling reminder to those seeking to express their opinions. It also runs counter to official Saudi statements in support of reform and a more open press. During meetings with CPJ representatives in Riyadh in 2006, Saudi officials affirmed the country’s commitment to gradual reforms and praised the recent loosening of restrictions on the local press. We urge you to use all your influence to ensure that our colleague Fouad al-Farhan is released at once. Thank you for your attention to this important matter and we look forward to your reply. Sincerely yours, Joel Simon Executive Director CC: His Royal Highness Prince Sultan Bin Abdelaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Minister of Defense His Royal Highness Prince Nayef Bin Abdelaziz Al-Saud, Minister of Interior The Honorable Ford M. Fraker, U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Louise Arbour, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights American Society of Newspaper Editors Amnesty International Article 19 (United Kingdom) Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Freedom Forum Freedom House Human Rights Watch Index on Censorship International Center for Journalists International Federation of Journalists International PEN International Press Institute The Newspaper Guild The North American Broadcasters Association Overseas Press Club Reporters Sans Frontières The Society of Professional Journalists World Association of Newspapers World Press Freedom Committee