Media, extremism among topics address at informal Shoura meeting

ALKHOBAR: The media should scrupulously quote Shoura Council members and be precise when conveying members’ statements to the public, Speaker of the Shoura Council Sheikh Abdullah Al Al-Sheikh said as members addressed several issues.
“We have shortcomings in dealing with the media, our newspapers should be rational,” Al-Sheikh said.
Al-Sheikh made his remarks Thursday during a meeting hosted by Shoura Council member Abdulrahman Al-Rashid and attended by several Shoura members. The meeting, which was not scheduled, touched on a wide range of topics, although not in detail.
He said the Shoura Council needs such meetings because of the developments in all areas of life.
During the meeting, the official touched on Article 15 which tackles the authorities enjoyed by government powers, as well as the council’s regulations and non-interference of the ruler in the decision-making process, except in a limited manner.
He stressed that development should happen, but only by respecting the Shoura principles.
The request to accept young business councils as members of the Shoura Council enjoys support among the Shoura Council members, but young people need to exert more effort.
He said Article 23 allows the Shoura Council to discuss topics not tackled by the Council of Ministers.
He also acknowledged that there are some shortcomings in the Shoura in certain areas, which, he said, are under consideration.
Prince Khalid Al-Mashari, a Shoura member, said the council is mandated to discuss annual reports presented by government agencies on their performance, to offer recommendations, address points of weakness and support points of strength. Sheikh Ahmed Albo Ali, a mosque imam in the Eastern Region who attended the meeting, called for coexistence between religious sects in order to deprive those who want to harm the country.
The speaker said the topics discussed are important and stressed that the Kingdom was established to unite all citizens under one banner.
“We will not allow anybody to sow dissent among the members of the community, which is made up of a diversity of sects,” he said, adding that the Shoura Council regularly studies topics related to coexistence and on some of them it is progressing well. The speaker said the Kingdom was built on cohesion, and the acts of extremism committed by a few people can be attributed to their lack of Shariah-based teachings; they are often committed by individuals instigating youths and targeting the unity of the country.
Sheikh Hasan Al-Saffar reaffirmed the importance of national unity and criticized those who wish to do evil onto the country.
He called for voting again on an article criminalizing incitement through social media, which has an awful negative impact on citizens, and for banning published material that “demonizes and incites.”