Articles
December 2011, Page 68
Diplomatic Doings
Saudi Arabia Celebrates 80th Anniversary
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrated its 81st national day on Sept. 23 with a reception at its Washington, DC embassy hosted by Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir. (Days later, on Sept. 29, Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, was arrested at New York City's JFK airport and charged with plotting to kill Ambassador Al-Jubeir.)
For years Saudi embassies around the world have celebrated the anniversary of the 1932 founding of the Saudi state by King Abdulaziz Al-Saud, but this year Saudis at home also enjoyed the national holiday. Crowds gathered to watch special events in cities and towns throughout the Kingdom. Judging by videos posted on YouTube, Saudi revellers danced in the streets and drove through the streets waving flags.
There are more than 50,000 Saudi students studying in the United States, and many of them hosted celebrations at their universities. The Saudi Student Association at Marymount University in Arlington, VA held a special event at the Verizon Gym, in the school's Lee Center to mark national day, featuring Saudi food, dance and poetry. Hammad Albalawi, president of the Saudi Student Association at George Washington University, gave a remarkable speech at Marymount about national pride and read a poem about the founding of the Kingdom.
"I am very proud of every single young man and woman who is studying in the United States," Ambassador Al-Jubeir said. "They make my job easier. Instead of having one ambassador, we now have 50,000 ambassadors."
—Delinda C. Hanley
