Comment: Human rights is region's new buzzword

Human rights is becoming a much-talked about subject these days. It comes within the framework of the process of democratisation and liberalisation the region appears to be undergoing.

Today, there is talk of elections taking place, greater openness, formation of human rights panels and so on and so forth.

Take Saudi Arabia. Last month, the Saudi government annou-nced the setting up of the country's first non-governmental org-anisation for the protection of human rights.

Such a step is considered the first of its kind in the Kingdom and it points towards a process of openness in the Gulf region. Just the other day, it was reported by the Saudi News Agency that a human rights conference would take place in Saudi Arabia in October.

The conference is the first of its kind and will be an international event as many organisations dealing with human rights issues are expected to participate.

The conference is organised by the Saudi Red Crescent Society and in coordination with the Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs and Justice.

This suggests the Saudi authorities are seriously pushing the process of reforms forward and are concerned about its image abroad. These developments, it can be argued, are a good way to deflect criticism from international human rights organisations about alleged Saudi violation, which Riyadh totally rejects.

This maybe due to the fact that there is an Islamic/cultural issue regarding such concepts as liberal democracy and human rights. Some Islamists see these issues as Western imports and say the Arab world as represented by Islam has its own beliefs, ideas and frame of mind for its way of life.

In this respect, the Sharia, they argue, does form a very good basis for society.

The recent Saudi decision could be a sign of the change of the times. Today there is a greater degree of acceptance of the compatibility between human rights and Islam.

The Saudis are clearly thinking as much. In the recent meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Bahrain, the Arab League Sec-retary General said in a press conference that the plans of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah for reform call for a new Arab order that goes in line with the new situation in the region.

The Saudis are feeling quite angry about how they are being portrayed by some American television stations.

The government, through its embassy in Washington, is embarking on a new promotional campaign on American television stations like CNN and Fox News to show the correct image of Saudi Arabia and how it has developed in the last 30 years.

The campaign will first be shown in 15 key American cities and then to the entire country. It is hoped the American public will be better informed about the Saudi society.