“I wanted a name to reflect the philosophy of both East and West, and I found an Arabic word that is really no longer used. In fact it is so obscure, many Arabs would not even know what it means, which I like. Hindamme means to possess, like in harmony and aesthetic. An older generation of Arabs would have used it to describe someone who was well dressed and took care of their appearance. I thought it was a fitting name. Also, it is easily pronounced by a non-Arabic tongue.”
–Mohammed Khoja, Saudi Fashion designer, on his latest collection, Hindamme, which took his inspiration from Al-Ula in the Kingdom. [thenational.ae]
“I wanted to do my best during my studies so that I could get a job in academia afterwards, because that was the best option available for us. But big changes happened during the past four years. Almost all of my friends are now working, and when one of them doesn’t get a job, it seems strange.”
-Rouaa al-Mousa, who like thousands of Saudi women entered the workforce as reforms sweep the Kingdom and “is certain that neither grumbling male bosses nor the coronavirus will change that.” [AFP]
“It is hard, a lot of people are still skeptical and cling to things they thought were right, and they find it hard to see something so ‘immoral’ coming to their towns. But for me, making films [in Hollywood] doesn’t mean you are not religious. In the Middle East, we’ll always be very religious, we’re [similar to] Italians, but it is important to take religion and make it more personal. So the father in The Perfect Candidate goes to a concert, but that doesn’t mean he’s not religious. He goes and prays, but music is part of his journey.”
-Haifaa Al-Mansour, in an interview with Vogue Australia, discussing why she doesn’t worry how her Hollywood projects would be received in Saudi Arabia. She praised recent reforms in Saudi Arabia as paving the way for Saudi women to reach their potential. [vogue.com.au]
“For years, I’ve had my family for iftar on the first day, as well as good friends of the family. For some time, as the grandchildren got older and traveled to pursue their degrees abroad, the gatherings became smaller. In recent years, they came back and I had them all under my roof and what a joy it was. Though it’s not a rare occasion in our household, Ramadan is special and my heart soars seeing how all my children and grandchildren are together again. This year is different and is extremely difficult, I finally have everyone here in Saudi and now with the coronavirus pandemic, it’s painful not having them over.”
–Um Mohammed, a resident of Jeddah, quoted in Arab News about how Ramadan this year is different under Coronavirus restrictions. [arabnews.com]
“It pains me to welcome the glorious month of Ramadan under circumstances that forbid us from prayers in mosques.”
–King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, lamented the need for social distancing during the holy month. [Reuters]
“Commentary in Saudi Arabia exposes the folly of official American messaging on COVID-19, which focuses on pinning the blame for the pandemic on China. American criticism of Beijing rings hollow given the obvious failure of the U.S. government to marshal an effective pandemic response within its own borders.”
-Andrew Leber, writing in warontherocks.com, on Saudi media’s coverage of China and the United States and their respective governmental response to the spread of the Coronavirus. [warontherocks.com]
“The decisive first sighting of the young Moon could be on Thursday, April 23, 2020, since the young Moon will have moved every so slightly away from the Sun by the time of sunset. However, it’s still going to be very close to the Sun, and since it will also only 1% lit, it could be too difficult to find.”
-Jamie Carter, writing in Forbes, discusses the science behind sighting of the new moon that signals the start of the month of Ramadan. [Forbes]
“Saudi Arabia is facing exceptional circumstances, which might warrant a blank check to protect the economy from permanent damage. Debt sustainability will not be determined by this year’s deficit, which could balloon if policy enters a crisis-management mode, but by how fiscally disciplined the government will be when normalcy resumes.”
-Ziad Daoud, Bloomberg economist. [bloomberg.com]
“I express my great gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and to the Saudi people for their great generosity by donating $500 million, in response to plan to combat the Coronavirus, hoping the rest of the G20 members follow King Salman’s step.”
-Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s Director-General. [arabnews.com]
