Ain-Al-Yaqeen - October 15, 2004

		October 15, 2004

ECONOMIC REFORMS, MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS, THE SETTING UP OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE JOURNALISTS ORGANIZATIONS ATOP OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS LIST.
KING FAHD..HONOURABLE SERVICES TO ISLAM AND MUSLIMS INCLUDE THE EXPANSION OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES.
POLITICAL REFORMS INCLUDE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SHOURA COUNCIL.
BILLIONS PROVIDED TO AROUND 70 COUNTRIES IN 20 YEARS.

Tuesday Shaaban 21, 1425H, marks the 23rd anniversary of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd's accession to the throne. Saudi Arabia has made tremendous progress in economic, political, social, educational and health sectors during King Fahd's reign. Built on the strong foundations laid by King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the Kingdom Saudi Arabia, King Fahd has led the nation through a period of unparalleled growth and prosperity. Wisdom, moderation and vision have enabled him to enhance the position of the Kingdom and increase its global influence.

He introduced a series of political, economic and social reforms over the years including elections to municipal councils and a series of measures to empower women and expand job opportunities for them. He has taken bold steps in the direction of privatization. As home to the two holy mosques, Saudi Arabia is viewed with great respect by Muslims all over the world. King Fahd initiated the largest expansions of the two holy mosques in Islamic history. Billions of riyals have been spent to improve the facilities and services for the pilgrims.

The Kingdom is also the world's largest oil producer and exporter. During his long rule, King Fahd has worked persistently to ensure the stability of oil prices and production, which is crucial to all world economies.

On the international stage, the king has followed the policy of his father, the late King Abdul Aziz that of non-interference in the affairs of other countries. However, this principle has not prevented him from working for regional stability, nor has it dimmed his commitment to Arab ideals.

King Fahd also championed the Palestinian cause, advocating the return of the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in the June 1967 war. He has personally been in the vanguard of leaders who seek to alleviate the sufferings of the Palestinians in the occupied territories.

For the past 22 years the king has defied the odds to achieve his goals. He came to the throne when Lebanon was under siege, Iraq-Iran war was in full swing, Afghanistan was being blown apart by the Soviets and the world economy was on a downward spiral. And yet he steered Saudi Arabia toward safety while playing a pivotal role in international affairs. It was his astute diplomacy that saw Saudi Arabia become a stabilizing factor, without involving itself directly in regional disputes.

While caring for Muslim visitors to the Kingdom has been paramount, Saudi Arabia has not hesitated to reach out to the Islamic community across the world.

Under the king's direction, Islamic centers, institutes, colleges and mosques have been built throughout the world to enlighten Muslims on their religion and to spread the message of Islam.

In January, 2000, a Supreme Council for Petroleum and Mineral Affairs (SPMC) was set up by Royal decree issued the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz. The council was set up to operate for four years renewable by royal decree. The Coumcil has the final word on all affairs of petroleum, gas and other hydrocarbon Materials.

On Monday, April 10th, 2000, Saudi Arabia's Council of Ministers approved a new Foreign Investment Law, following the recommendation of the Supreme Economic Council and the Majlis Al-Shura. King Fahd issued a Royal Decree approving the law, thus significantly revising the way foreign investment has been conducted in the Kingdom for more than 20 years.

The Council of Ministers also approved the establishment of the General Investment Commission, which is responsible for proposing and implementing policies to promote foreign investment in Saudi Arabia, and for issuing investment licenses to foreign investors. Prince Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki was appointed as the new investment body governor, with the rank of Minister.

In a dramatic change from the previous investment law, the new Foreign Investment Law allows foreigners 100-percent ownership of the projects, as well as the property required for the project itself or for housing company personnel, while enabling them to retain the same incentives given to national companies. For example, projects that are 100 percent foreign-owned will be eligible for loans from the Saudi Industrial Development Fund. Investors will also be able to hold investment licenses in more than one type of activity. The new law has brought significant changes to the previous sponsorship regulations. Foreign investors and their non-Saudi employees will be sponsored under the new licensed firm.

Another very significant change is the reduction in the corporate tax rate for foreign companies with profits over SR100,000 a year, from 45 percent to 30 percent. The new law also enables companies to carry forward corporate losses for an unspecified number of years.

In 2003 some ministries were restructured and now the Saudi government includes the ministries of Agriculture, Civil Service, Commerce and Industry, Communications and Information Technology, Culture and Information, Defense and Aviation, Economy and Planning, Education, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Hajj, Health, Higher Education, Interior, Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Dawa and Guidance, Justice, Labor, Municipal and Rural Affairs, Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Social Affairs, Transport, Water and Electricity and General Presidency of Youth Welfare.

In 1424H the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques issued his directives for the establishment of the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue and in the same year the Council of Ministers endorsed the decision to hold municipal elections.

The National Organization for Human Rights was established as well as the Organizations of Saudi Journalists which was founded according to the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard. The Council of Ministers endorsed the National Strategy for the Development of National Tourism and the Kingdom has set up its strategy of natural gas.

A privatization policy was founded and a list of areas to be privatized gradually was formed. Since becoming King in Shaaban 1402, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has presided over a rapidly changing Saudi economy and has continued to reorganize, modernize, and reform the government. He has also had to lead Saudi Arabia during two decades of regional unrest and conflict. Most recently, the King signed a decree approving elections for local councils.

The era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques is shining with a series of achievements in the fields of development, administrative systems in all areas and the implementation of applications to serve the Saudi citizen and his ambitions is the core of all exerted efforts in the Kingdoms' development.

According to the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard to improve services to citizen in all fields through improving the efficiency of governmental bodies a royal order was issued on 7/5/1420H to form a ministerial committee under the chairmanship of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General with the membership of a number of princes, ministers and high-ranking officials to study ways of achieving the required aims.

The Committee achieved thorough studies under the supervision of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, and issued its recommendations, which were approved by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has issued Royal Decrees with the following orders [details]:

Termination of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, and the assigning of its responsibilities to the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and other governmental authorities of similar concerns.

Termination of the Ministry of Industry and Electricity, and the assigning of all electricity activities to the Ministry of Water, which will be renamed the 'Ministry of Water and Electricity'; and all industrial activities to the Ministry of Commerce, which will be renamed the 'Ministry of Commence and Industry'.

Renaming of the Ministry of Information as the 'Ministry of Culture and Information', and the transfer to that ministry of certain cultural activities from other governmental organs.

Renaming of the Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones as the 'Ministry of Communications and Information Technology'.

Renaming of the Ministry of Communications as the 'Ministry of Transport'.

The Kingdom's Development Plans have considered every aspect of the economy, identifying its infrastructural, agricultural, industrial and commercial needs and formulating strategies, all compatible with each other, to achieve clearly defined national goals. Oil revenues have made the government the driving force behind the economy and, out of those oil revenues, the government has provided the essential infrastructure without which the economy could not mature.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia operates a market economy in which free enterprise flourishes. Indeed, as the country's agricultural and industrial base expands, the part played by the private sector in the economy grows in importance.

In this development process the care for the Saudi citizen, realizing his ambitions and welfare are at the core of all the efforts exerted to achieve development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The achievements realized reflects the importance the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud and his entrusted Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz accord to all what would benefit the citizens and the country.

The spread and promotion of education has been an important cornerstone of the Kingdom's policy to accomplish overall progress in line with the latest advances in science and technology.

Within this framework, the pioneer of education in the Kingdom, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, since he was the Minister of Education until this day, has been keen to boost education and follow it up, step by step, to match the educational developments of advanced countries.

In the light of this special patronage by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the educational sector has made great progress.

The Ministry of Education has established thousands of schools and other supporting buildings.

The Ministry of Education is keen to develop services for students and establish a special sector for student's affairs.

The Ministry of Education also encourages sports, scouting activities and other types of art and scientific activities. In this context, it has established playgrounds, in-door halls and swimming pools. It has also established 150 health care units to provide health services to students.

The Ministry has also given attention to schools for Holy Quran Memorization. The Ministry also gives great attention to adult education and the elimination of illiteracy and has opened a number of special schools and centres for this purpose all over the Kingdom.

On the other hand the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has realized, for many years, the importance of preparing qualified Saudis in order to build the nation. It believes that the cultural and scientific progress of any nation is closely dependent on qualified citizens who can take on the task of building the nation.

This trend has been reflected in the successive development plans, which have emphasized the need to develop human resources (the nation's real wealth). The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz was the pioneer of education in the Kingdom. He laid the foundations for the Kingdom's educational system and since then has been following the progress of education with great interest.

As a result of this official interest from the Saudi Government, the Kingdom has witnessed great advances in education. The Kingdom now has eight universities in all parts of the country. Each university is academically and administratively independent and has modern dormitories. The government provides all the financial support needed by the universities.

As a result of the top priority given to the health of citizens by the Kingdom's leadership, Saudi Arabia has made impressive progress in the health sector. An official Health Ministry report said the number of the governmental and non-governmental hospitals totaled 318 with 45,729 beds facility by 1420 AH. During the same year, the report said the number of governmental hospitals reached 188, with 27,864 beds facility.

These hospitals are supported by 1,766 primary health care centers. Governmental hospitals employ 15,000 physicians, 38,054 nurses and 21,885 para-medical staff.

The number of physicians working in the governmental and non-governmental sectors stood at 31,502, including 6,281 Saudi physicians (about 20 percent of the total physicians), while the number of the nurses reached 65,526 and the number of the para-medical staff reached 36,350. Some other governmental authorities like the National Guard, the Ministry of Defence and Aviation, the Interior Ministry and the universities provide their personnel as well as the general population, with the required medical services.

By 1420 AH, there were 91 non-governmental hospitals with 8,766 beds. In addition, there are more than 706 private clinics, 43 private laboratories and 3,215 private pharmacies.

Meanwhile, the number of dental clinics at the health centers and hospitals totaled 1,315, staffed by 1,402 dental physicians.

Moreover, work is also in progress to carry out the project of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz to build 2000 health centers throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In recognition of the importance of training medical staff, the Health Ministry has established 24 health institutes and 13 health colleges, including six health colleges for girls.

During the era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz intensive efforts were exerted to develop the communications sector.

Twenty years ago, the length of the asphalted roads in the Kingdom was not more than about 20,000 kilometer, but now the length of the asphalted roads has reached 45,000 kilometer.

At the same time the length of the agricultural roads jumped from only 25,000 kilometer to about 107,000 kilometer.

The Kingdom has 25 regional ad international airports, and the Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) has 125 planes with more than 2000 pilots of whom 900 are Saudis.

The seaports of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia play a vital role in the Kingdom's exports and imports, during the last 24 years handled nearly 1.4 billion tons of goods and have become outlets to approximately 95 percent of the Kingdom's exports and imports.

The General Organization of the Seaports said in its report for the year 1419/1420 AH that the Kingdom has eight seaports comprising 83 piers that can receive the largest ships of the world.

Of all the indicators of social and economic progress in a modern society, probably the most obvious is the development of postal and telecommunication services. Certainly, efficient communications are a prerequisite of success.

King Abdul Aziz was well aware that an efficient telecommunications system was essential to his plans for consolidating and developing the Kingdom and it was during his reign (in 1930) that the first telephone exchange was installed in Al-Dira.

In 1953, the Ministry of Communications was formed and amongst its responsibilities were postal and telecommunication services. Within a year, the Saudi Arabian Radio Telecommunication Scheme RT-1 was installed, providing a multi-channel telephone and telegraph network, linking Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, the Holy Cities of Makkah, Al Madinah Al Munawarah and Taif.

In January 1996, the Global System for Mobiles (GSM) was launched in the Kingdom with the aim of installing 500,000 GSM mobile telephones. By late September 1996, more than half were in operation. By the end of the project, 45 Saudi cities and towns and all the major highways will be covered.

The development of the Kingdom's economy has generated a massive increase in the volume of mail which the postal services have had to handle. In a continuing process of expansion, the Fourth Development Plan provided for five new central post offices (in the Holy City of Al Madinah, Abha, Buraidah, Jizan and Skaka) to complement the three main postal complexes in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Indeed, an efficient postal network now covers all the cities and villages of the Kingdom, with 488 main and 175 branch post offices. The total number of domestic correspondence has increased from 19.1 million postal items in 1970 to 345.6 million items in 1999.

The development of telex services in the Kingdom has kept pace with every innovation in telex technology. From the early days of electro-mechanical devices, through the installation of electronic machines in 1978, to the introduction in the 1980s of the most sophisticated equipment, capable of handling Arabic and Latin text simultaneously, the Ministry of Post, Telegraphs and Telephones (PTT) has ensured that the Kingdom's ever-growing need for efficient telex communication services has been handsomely met. Telecommunications experts agree that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia possesses one of the most advanced telex networks in the world. This network is actively able to support the business community and, with it, progress and prosperity in the Kingdom.

Having equipped the Kingdom with one of the most modern telex networks in the world, the Ministry of PTT has been able to proceed with the introduction of a high-speed data transmission service (Teletex), to which existing telex subscribers will have easy access.

In 1985, with the launch of two communications satellites, ARABSAT (the Arab Satellite Communications Organization formed by the Arab League in 1976) became operational. The ARABSAT satellites are positioned in geo-stationary orbit above the equator.

Communications satellites facilitate the almost instantaneous transmission of many forms of data, including alphanumeric text, voice, still pictures and moving pictures. Their use, in news dissemination, business, entertainment and education is limited only by the imagination and resources of the user.

The Kingdom is playing an active role in the development and exploitation of this exciting medium of communication.

The King Fahd Satellite Communications City in Jeddah is the largest complex in the Middle East. It comprises four ground stations, two dealing with INTELSAT, one with ARABSAT and the other with ANMASAT for maritime communications to provide services to all ships, planes and vehicles. These stations provide telephone, telex, TV and cable services.

In 1999, the Internet service became available in the Kingdom, with all the connections routed through the State server, sited at the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology. The Ministry of Post, Telegraphs and Telephones provides the external means to access the Internet and the service is available for research establishments, academics and public and private companies.

In any program for industrial development the electricity plays an indispensable role and the need to extend electrification throughout the Kingdom was recognized early in the Kingdom's life. How the Kingdom has approached this task and, in particular, the way the strategy has evolved is worthy of note.

As the Kingdom's demand for electrical power in the industrial and agricultural sectors of the economy grew, the Government replaced the old fragmented system of electrical power generation (provided by numerous small companies) with SCECOs Saudi Consolidated Electricity Companies each providing electricity for a whole region of the Kingdom.

To improve and strengthen the power industry, in 1998, the Council of Ministers issued Resolution Number 169 for the restructuring of the electricity sector, aiming to reform its finances and increase the participation of the private sector in its ownership, management and energy conservation. In 2000, the Minister of Commerce issued Resolution Number 2047, announcing the establishment of the Saudi Electric Company.

One of the underlying purposes of the building of the Kingdom's infrastructure, and the expansion of the industrial and agricultural base, has been to encourage social development in its widest sense. Over and over again, King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has declared in his public pronouncements his Government's commitment to ensuring that all Saudi citizens participate in the Kingdom's development, both in terms of enjoying the benefits and contributing to its success.

The social services provisions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are extensive by any standard. They are designed to redress existing imbalances, to improve living standards and the quality of life of the population, to stimulate citizen participation in community development activities, and to provide remedial care and assistance for the disabled and the deprived.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, on behalf of the Government, is in charge of carrying out programs and projects designed to improve living conditions for the population and to smooth the processes related to the rapid transformation of the socio-economic system.

There are a number of social service agencies whose task it is to remedy social problems, many of which are created by the process of social development itself. The Government takes the view that poverty and deprivation are not necessarily due to the failure of individuals to meet their own needs. Most of these problems are a result of broader external conditions in society as a whole, and will not solve themselves. Public and private interventions are necessary to improve the conditions of the individual and the community. The social service agencies will continue to pay attention to the development of Saudi society, to assist in improving the standard of living, and to take steps to redress some of the social imbalances which have inevitably become more pronounced during a period of rapid economic change.

In addition to these social services, there is a compulsory occupational insurance scheme, covering provisions for sickness and retirement, for employees in both the public and private sectors.

The Government also created the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), in 1969. GOSI is responsible for protecting workers from poverty in cases of incapacity, old age and work injuries. It is in charge of the Government's Social Insurance Law, which covers 5.8 million workers.

The role of the Kingdom in serving the Holy Places and facilitating pilgrimage has always been of paramount importance to the Saudi Royal Family. During his reign, King Fahd's father, King Abdul Aziz, made clear in no uncertain manner that attacks by brigands on pilgrims would not be tolerated and, within available resources, every effort was made to ensure the safety and comfort of pilgrims.

In King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz reign, this tradition has been maintained and, with the benefit of increased revenues, a program of expansion and refurbishment on an unprecedented scale has been implemented. Of all the projects with which King Fahd is personally identified, none has been closer to his heart than the expansion of the Holy Mosques in Makkah and Al Madinah.

Realizing the importance of water in agricultural development, the Ministry of Water has been giving great attention to the development of sources of ground water through the setting up of dams in the valleys.

The Saline Water Conversion Corporation has announced that, in 1419/1420 AH, there were 27 desalination stations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, producing 775 million cubic meters of desalinated water, providing more that 70 per cent of the required drinking water.

Meanwhile, the electricity generation capacity of the desalination stations reached 22.3 million megawatts during the same period, which is approximately equivalent to 21 per cent of all electricity generated in the Kingdom.

Also the finance institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have, since the early 1970s, given to the citizens more than SR266 billion, and contributed to the Kingdom's rapid development.

The Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has realized the important role of citizens in the development process. It has, therefore, set up a number of programs to support citizens in carrying out their role in the comprehensive development.

This support has come from different financial institutions, including: the Agricultural Bank, the Lending Bank, the Real Estate Development Fund, the Industrial Development Fund, and the General Investments Fund.

The Real Estate Development Fund was established in 1975, with a capital of SR 250 million, to encourage citizens to build their own houses for both private or residential use and investment.

The Industrial Development Fund was established in 1974 and gives special attention to supporting industrial development in the private sector. It also offers administrative, financial, technical and marketing consultations to projects it finances. Until last year, the total value of loans by the Industrial Development Fund reached more than SR 35 billion.

The Agricultural Bank was established in 1962 to encourage farmers to use modern and advanced technology. The Bank gives short and long term, interest-free loans to farmers to help them with acquiring advanced agricultural tools and necessary materials. The Bank's total loans, up to last year, were SR 31.5 billion and SR 11,800 billions as support.

The Saudi Credit Bank supports citizens with limited income and helps them with the expenses of marriages or with rebuilding their houses. The Bank, which was established in 1971, had given SR 6.115 billion in loans, up to 1419AH.

The General Investments Fund was established in 1971 to support commerce projects. Its loans reached SR 59 billion up to last year.

On the other hand the industrial development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has resulted in setting up 3381 factories in a short period of time, has turned the Kingdom from and importing to an exporting country of industrial products.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia currently exports to more than 118 countries SR 20 Billion worth of non-oil industrial products annually.

In 1993, King Fahd introduced three major political developments which formed part of a carefully constructed strategy to modernize the Kingdom's system of Government within the framework of Islam and the Kingdom's traditions. These were; the formation of the Majlis Al-Shura (Consultative Council); the restructuring of the Kingdom's Regional Government; the promulgation of the Basic System incorporating the first two developments.

The announcement of the establishment of the Council, which coincided with the 10th anniversary of the accession of King Fahd, and which was accompanied by details of a new Basic Law, clearly marked the first steps towards a more formal, broadly based involvement in the Kingdom's political processes.

At its inception, the Consultative Council consisted of a speaker and sixty members selected by the King. The Royal Decree establishing the Council made it clear, first and foremost, that the Council was set up and would operate in compliance with [the existing system of government in the Kingdom] and in adherence to the Book of God and the tradition of his Messenger.

In 1997 a Royal Decree was issued to amend the third article of the Shura system and accordingly the number of Consultative Council members was increased from 60 to 90.

In 2001, the number of members was increased to 120.

In practice, members of the Council are able to initiate legislation and review the domestic and foreign policies of the Government. Any Government action not approved by the Council has to be referred back to the King. By 1998, the Council was well established and operating effectively.

In grasping the significance of these measures, it is important to understand that King Fahd's purpose in establishing the Majlis Al-Shura and in introducing other planned reforms was to provide an institutional framework through which the traditional form of Saudi Arabian Government, based on consultation within the context of the tenets and requirements of Islam, could be most effectively expressed in today's increasingly complex and interdependent world.

The reforms can, however, be seen as marking an important new chapter in the life of the Kingdom and in King Fahd's desire to hasten the pace of modernization, while remaining firmly within the religious and cultural traditions of the Kingdom.

It has been argued that, while oil wealth has transformed the economy and infrastructure of Saudi Arabia in the past three decades, the political machinery of the Kingdom had previously remained unchanged. These measures are seen by some as a cumulative process facilitating the modernization of Saudi Arabian Government but the reforms do not mean that the Kingdom has moved away from its Islamic traditions. King Fahd himself stressed that his reforms were based on Islamic principles of fairness, decency and popular consultation.

Furthermore, the nature of the initial reforms should serve to reassure the religious conservatives. The Council as presently constituted has no lawmaking power, merely the right to summon and question ministers. King Fahd's choice of Speaker for the first Council the Justice Minister, Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Jubeir served to confirm notions that the reform process was intended to be gradual in pace and judicious in development. The Council's members are selected because they have proved themselves to be responsible and loyal citizens of the Kingdom.

In essence, the Consultative Council should be seen, not as a modest move towards Western-style democracy but as an organic development of the consultative processes by means of which the Kingdom has been governed since its inception, processes which arose from a tradition that goes back to the life of the Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him.

The determination of the Kingdom to support Islam and Islamic institutions to the best of its ability was evident from the formation of the Kingdom by King Abdul Aziz but it was only when oil revenues began to generate real wealth that the Kingdom could fulfill its ambitions of spreading the word of Islam to every corner of the world, of assisting Muslim countries less well endowed economically and of alleviating the suffering of Muslim minorities wherever they might live.

When King Fahd gave his support, either personally or through his Government, to these institutions, it was also part of his purpose to challenge and expose the caricature of Islam which is widely promoted by sections of the Western media. Islam is a religion of compassion which has exercised a profoundly civilizing influence on mankind. By ensuring that there should be, where most needed, voices to promote the true teachings of Islam and the contribution of Arab culture and Islam to the history of mankind, King Fahd hoped to counteract and challenge negative stereotyping. In this enterprise, King Fahd has enjoyed only partial success. The voice of Islam and Arab culture is stronger now than it has been for many decades and certainly far stronger than it would have been without King Fahd's contribution, but the bias against Islam, the tendency, in some quarters, to identify Islam with fanaticism or even terrorism persists and has not been completely erased from the popular mind in the West.

The cost of King Fahd's efforts in this field has been astronomical, amounting to many billions of Saudi Riyals. In terms of Islamic institutions, the result is some 210 Islamic Centers wholly or partly financed by Saudi Arabia, more than 1,500 Mosques and 202 colleges and almost 2,000 schools for educating Muslim children. The role of the monarchy in serving the Holy Places and facilitating pilgrimage has always been of paramount importance to the Saudi Royal Family. During his reign, King Fahd's father, King Abdul Aziz, made clear in no uncertain manner that attacks by brigands on pilgrims would not be tolerated and, within available resources, every effort was made to ensure the safety and comfort of pilgrims.

In King Fahd's reign, this tradition has been maintained and, with the benefit of increased revenues, a program of expansion and refurbishment on an unprecedented scale has been implemented. Of all the projects with which King Fahd is personally identified, none has been closer to his heart than the expansion of the Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah and to emphasize the monarchy's commitment, and his own, to this responsibility, in 1986 King Fahd adopted the title of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in preference to the title of His Majesty.

The religious center of the Holy City of Makkah is the Holy Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Haram) and the well of Zamzam, located inside. The present Haram, meaning "sanctuary", dates from 1570 AD, and takes the form of a central quadrangle surrounded by stone walls. Around the inner sanctuary is a marble pavement, the El Mataf. The holiest shrine of Islam, the Kaaba, is situated at the heart of the Holy Mosque's central courtyard.

The tradition of expanding the Holy Mosque dates back to 638 AD when the increasing number of conversions to Islam led the second Caliph Umar bin al-Khattab to develop the site.

When King Abdul Aziz established the modern Saudi State, one of his primary concerns, like that of the early Caliphs, was his role in overseeing the well-being of the pilgrims undertaking the annual Hajj. Aware that the Holy Mosque could not support the growing numbers of worshippers, he initiated a refurbishment and expansion program.

In 1988, King Fahd laid the foundation stone for the third Saudi expansion of the Holy Mosque in Makkah and so initiated an expansion of the Holy Mosque which in scale and grandeur was unprecedented. Work began in 1989.

There were many difficulties to be overcome. The work had to be carried out with minimum disruption to the movement of pilgrims and the normal life of the Holy City of Makkah. The area designated for the expansion contained a number of utilities (water, electricity and telephone services) which had to be removed and replaced elsewhere without interrupting supplies, disrupting the commercial activities of the city or impeding the progress of pilgrims. The extension of the Holy Mosque had to be joined to the existing structure in such a way that the existing structure was undamaged and the old and new structures merged seamlessly with each other.

The development of the Holy Mosque site has incorporated an expansion of the western wing of the existing Mosque, and a subsequent enlargement of the building to hold more than a million worshippers during the Holy Month of Ramadan, and during Umra and Hajj. The expansion project includes over 71,750 square yards [60,000 sq m] of prayer area on the enlarged roof, in addition to another almost 103,000 square yards [86,000 sq m] in the surrounding plaza. Two towering minarets have been added to complement the seven existing whitened stone structures, the latest additions carefully matching the former in architectural style. An elaborate new entrance and eighteen other gates have also been built. Other exquisite decorative work, specially commissioned by King Fahd, adorns a series of 3 domes running parallel to the main gate structure and close to 500 marbled columns on the ground and first floors.

New prayer halls on the ground and first floors are complete and ready to accommodate the millions who now make the journey of a lifetime to the Holy City of Makkah, and a sophisticated broadcasting network has been installed to cope with the additional requirements. Indeed, the safety and comfort of the Hajjis has become a major concern for the authorities, necessitated by their sheer volume in recent years. The newly laid floor tiles were made of specially developed heat-resistant marble, and further to ensure the comfort of worshippers the whole structure is cooled by one of the world's largest air-conditioning systems.

To facilitate the movement of worshippers to the newly developed roof area of the Holy Mosque during the busiest seasons, additional escalators have been incorporated alongside a number of fixed stairways in the northern and southern sides of the building. To accommodate the escalators, two buildings were constructed. Each building had two sets of escalators. These, added to the escalators installed elsewhere in the Holy Mosque, bring the total number of escalators to 56, with the capacity to handle 105,000 people an hour.

In order to reduce traffic congestion around the Holy Mosque, the development project has involved the construction of a new tunnel for vehicles in the vicinity of Alsouk Alsagir.

Free car parks, with a 12,000-vehicle capacity, have been provided for pilgrims so that they may leave their cars and travel from the car parks to the Holy Mosque by bus or taxi in ten to twenty minutes, depending on the volume of traffic. Pedestrian routes and tunnels have also been carefully planned and laid out to ensure the safety of the worshippers.

Other improvements resulting from King Fahd's generous patronage have included a newly laid drainage system. (Flooding and drainage problems had beset the Holy City of Makkah and its Holy Sites since the pre-Islamic period.)

The Holy City of Madinah is a pilgrimage city second only to the Holy City of Makkah, and is the city to which the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his followers migrated in 622 AD (the hijrah).

According to Islamic tradition, when the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, made the hijrah, with the first Muslim community, his first act on arrival in the Holy City of Madinah was to locate a suitable piece of land for the enclosure that was to become his Holy Mosque. The Mosque was erected as a combined effort by all the Muslim followers of the Prophet, and its basic design is said to have survived ever since as a model for all subsequent Mosques.

The Prophet's Mosque contains the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and is therefore one of Islam's most sacred shrines. (The first two caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar, are also buried there.)

The Mosque was rebuilt by the third Caliph, Uthman, in 64950 AD, using stone to replace the early wooden structure, and the site was later expanded greatly by the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid in 707 AD. Much of the early structure was destroyed by the great fire of 1256 AD, however, and the oldest parts of the Mosque standing today reflect successive waves of Ottoman building work.

The expansion and development plans formulated by King Fahd for the Prophet's Mosque in the Holy City of Madinah were just as ambitious as those for the Holy Mosque in Makkah. Before the expansion was implemented, although the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah received each year approximately the same number of worshippers, its area was little more than one tenth of the Holy Mosque in Makkah. King Faisal had added some areas for prayer on the western side of the Prophet's Mosque where pilgrims could pray out of the glare of the sun but these arrangements were temporary and insufficient to meet the ever-growing need.

Determined to provide the Prophet's Mosque with space and facilities commensurate with its importance as of one of Islam's two holiest sites, King Fahd gave orders for what must be the greatest Mosque expansion program in the history of Islam.

The project was launched by King Fahd in 1985. Before the expansion could begin, it was necessary to prepare the area on which the extensions were to be built. This operation alone involved a Herculean effort. Almost 400 buildings had to be demolished. Because the site was holy and the engineers were determined to avoid any possibility of damage to the existing Mosque, explosives were not employed. Instead, the supporting posts of each building were weakened and then ripped out by bulldozers. The resultant rubble, estimated to have been 654,000 cubic yards [500,000 cu m], was used to landfill areas on the outskirts of Madinah in preparation for further expansion of the city.

The land designated for the expansion of the Prophet's Mosque, even when cleared, was far from ideal and, before building could commence, it was necessary to pile-drive some 8,500 steel-encased stakes to a depth of between 100 and 160 feet [3050 m] into the ground down to the bedrock in order to ensure the extensions would be able to withstand any eventuality and would be strong enough to support an additional floor if, at a later date, such a further development is deemed necessary.

By the middle of 1990, the main building had been finished and, by April 1994 the entire project had been completed. The total area, including the ground around the Mosque, now stood at 478,803 square yards [400,327 sq m], of which King Fahd's expansion accounted for 460,000 square yards [384,000 sq m]. The area could now accommodate in excess of one million worshippers at the busiest times.

A unique feature of the expansion project was the development of the twenty-seven main plazas. Each plaza is now capped by a state-of-the-art sliding dome, which can be rapidly opened or closed according to the weather and can be used in unison or separately as required. Elaborately carved stone friezes decorate the domes, and the plazas have been paved in decorative geometrically patterned marble tiles. The project also necessitated the building of six additional minarets, the most powerful visual sign of the Mosque, each 354-foot [105 m] construction crowned with a 4-ton gold-plated crescent.

The development of the surrounding open areas and the seven newly constructed entrances ensure the smooth passage of pilgrims into the Prophet's Mosque. Indeed, the designers of the entire project have masterfully considered every eventuality of the existing and future capacity of the Mosque, and all this within the strictures of the existing architectural pattern. The building extensions have therefore been fitted out with a suitable number of staircases and escalators. The designers have added an extension to the roof area for praying purposes, whilst also allowing for the possibility of adding another floor to accommodate worshippers in the future.

Like the splendidly redeveloped Holy Mosque in the Holy City of Makkah, the Prophet's Mosque is now fully air-conditioned. The comfort of worshippers has been further enhanced, however, by an ingenious method of natural ventilation. A series of domes, 27 in number, have been installed. These domes can be opened or closed, according to weather conditions. In the inner courtyard, twelve enormous mechanically operated teflon umbrellas, six in each court of the Mosque, have been developed by King Fahd's architects to protect from and withstand the high temperatures.

The Prophet's Mosque project also includes provision of extensive car parking facilities and the construction of a new dual carriageway, the Bab Alsalam Road, linking Madinat Alhujaj on the western side of the Holy City of Madinah to the site of the Mosque. A series of service tunnels, drainage systems and supply networks now also criss-crosses the area. In fact, the magnitude of support services made it necessary to construct a vast basement complex in which to accommodate the service equipment and wiring needs, as well as various other maintenance works.

The reconstructed main gate leading into the Mosque site, the new King Fahd Entrance, is situated on the northern side, and is topped with a profusion of domes and minarets on both sides. The exquisite decorations and architectural touches here and elsewhere are in complete harmony with earlier building work on the site, and they feature wonderfully crafted golden grilles, cornices, pillars, brass doors and marble works, as well as special ornately carved pigeonholes for the Holy Quran.

Further enhancements include a public address system operational throughout the Mosque and surrounding areas; a closed circuit television system as part of the safety measures; an advanced fire-warning and fire-fighting system; a cold water drinking system; the provision of adequate washing facilities; a backup electrical system to be used in the event of any problem with the main electrical system; and extensive free parking facilities.

The renovated Prophet's Mosque in the Holy City of Madinah inspires awe in all who visit. As King Fahd himself so eloquently expressed it:

"With the help of God, the Government and people of Saudi Arabia have been able to turn dreams into reality. Who could have believed that the expansion of the Prophet's Mosque would equal the area of the city of Madinah in ancient times and that we would accommodate such huge numbers of worshippers and visitors?"