Saudi fitness instructor and women's rights activist, Manahel al-Otaibi, 29, was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a terrorism court in Saudi Arabia for charges linked to her clothing preferences and online advocacy for ending the guardianship system. Dozens, mainly women, have been detained in Saudi Arabia in recent years for social media posts. Al-Otaibi, an early supporter of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's reforms, was arrested in November 2022 for terrorism accusations amidst a crackdown on online dissent.
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (Arabic: محمد بن سلمان آل سعود, romanized: Muḥammad bin Salmān ʾĀl Su‘ūd; born 31 August 1985), also known by his initials MBS or MbS, is Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. He is the seventh son of King Salman of Saudi Arabia and grandson of the nation's founder, King Abdulaziz. Mohammed was born as the first child of Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz and his third wife, Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain. After obtaining a law degree from King Saud University, he was an advisor to his father. He was appointed deputy crown prince and Defence Minister after Salman became king, then promoted to crown prince in 2017. He succeeded his father as prime minister in 2022.Since his appointment as crown prince in 2017, Mohammed has introduced a series of social and economic reforms. These include regulations restricting the powers of the religious police and improving women's rights, the removal of the ban on female drivers in 2018 and weakening the male-guardianship system in 2019. His Saudi Vision 2030 program aims to reduce the Saudi economy's reliance on oil through investment in non-oil sectors including technology and tourism. Under Mohammed, Saudi Arabia began co-ordinating its energy policy with Russia and also strengthened its relations with China. Mohammed leads an authoritarian government. Those regarded as political dissidents are systematically repressed through methods including imprisonment and torture. A CIA report released in 2021 found that Mohammed had orchestrated the assassination of the activist Jamal Khashoggi. He has denied involvement in the killing. Mohammed was the architect of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen and was involved in the escalation of the Qatar diplomatic crisis, as well as a 2018 diplomatic spat with Canada. Between 2017 and 2019, he led the purge of competing Saudi political and economic elites involved in financial corruption, seizing up to $800 billion in assets and cash and cementing control over Saudi politics.
Ameera bint Aidan bin Nayef al-Taweel al-Otaibi (Arabic: أميرة بنت عيدان بن نايف الطويل العصيمي العتيبي; born 6 November 1987) is a Saudi Arabian philanthropist and ex-princess. Born into the Tribe of Otaibah, she became affiliated with the House of Saud after marrying al-Waleed bin Talal al-Saud in 2008. She was the vice chairwoman of the al-Waleed bin Talal Foundation, a charity in Saudi Arabia, for the duration of her royal marriage, which ended in a divorce in 2013. Ameera is currently a member of the board of trustees at Silatech, a youth employment organization in Qatar. She has been a long-standing advocate for Saudi women's rights.
A man has been found guilty of wearing a headband in support of Hamas at a pro-Palestine rally in central London. Khaled Hajsaad, 24, wore the clothing at a pro-Palestine rally in Trafalgar Square on 25 November 2023. The green headband had the "Shahada" written on it in white - the basic statement of the Islamic faith, the court was told. Hajsaad told police the headband was "an item of Saudi Arabia" and the Shahada was a "statement of my faith". He was found guilty, at the City of London Magistrates' Court, of wearing the item "in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion" he was supporting Hamas - an illegal act in the UK where it is designated a terrorist group.
Faisal Al-Meslim Al-Osaimi Al-Otaibi is a former Kuwaiti politician, representing the third district. Born in 1962, Al-Meslim studied Political History at the University of Wales and worked as a professor before being elected to the National Assembly in 2003. Al-Otaibi is considered an Independent deputy and affiliates with the Islamist members.
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: عبد الله بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Saʿūd, Najdi Arabic pronunciation: [ʢæbˈdɑɫ.ɫɐ ben ˈʢæbdæl ʢæˈziːz ʔæːl sæˈʢuːd]; 1 August 1924 – 23 January 2015) was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1 August 2005 until his death in 2015. Prior to his ascension, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia since 13 June 1982. He was the tenth son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia.Abdullah was the son of King Abdulaziz and Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim. His mother was a member of the Al Rashid dynasty, historical rivals of the Al Saud dynasty. Abdullah held important political posts throughout most of his adult life. In 1961 he became mayor of Mecca, his first public office. The following year, he was appointed commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, a post he was still holding when he became king. He also served as deputy defense minister and was named crown prince when his half-brother Fahd took the throne in 1982. After King Fahd suffered a serious stroke in 1995, Abdullah became the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia until ascending the throne a decade later.During his reign, Abdullah maintained close relations with the United States and the United Kingdom and bought billions of dollars worth of defense equipment from both states. He also gave women the right to vote for municipal councils and to compete in the Olympics. Abdullah maintained the status quo when there were waves of protest in the kingdom during the Arab Spring. According to a 2013 BBC report, Saudi Arabia could obtain nuclear weapons at will from Pakistan during Abdullah's reign due to the close relations between the two countries. Abdullah had a longstanding relationship with Pakistan, and brokered a compromise between General Pervez Musharraf and ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whom he had requested to be exiled to Saudi Arabia for a 10-year exile following Sharif's ouster in the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état.The three crown princes during Abdullah's reign were among the full brothers of King Fahd. Upon becoming king in 2005, Abdullah appointed his half-brother Sultan bin Abdulaziz as crown prince. When Sultan died in 2011, Sultan's full brother Nayef was named heir to the throne, but Nayef himself died the next year. Abdullah then named Salman bin Abdulaziz as crown prince. According to various reports, Abdullah married up to 30 times and had more than 35 children. He was among the wealthiest royals in the world. Upon his death in 2015 at age 90, he was succeeded by his half-brother Salman.
Saudi Arabia's 88-year-old King Salman has been admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah for routine examinations. He took the throne in 2015 and has elevated his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to the kingdoms monarch-in-waiting, who is believed to be managing the day-to-day affairs of the kingdom.
Juhayman ibn Muhammad ibn Sayf al-Otaybi (Arabic: جهيمان بن محمد بن سيف العتيبي; 16 September 1936 – 9 January 1980) was a Saudi religious dissident and ex-soldier who led the Ikhwan during their Grand Mosque seizure in 1979. He and his followers besieged and took over the Grand Mosque of Mecca on 20 November 1979 (1 Muharram 1400) and held it for two weeks. During this time, he called for an uprising against the House of Saud and also proclaimed that the Mahdi had arrived in the form of one of the Ikhwan's leading officials. The incident led to widespread unrest, culminating in large-scale anti-American riots throughout the Muslim world, particularly after Iranian religious cleric Ruhollah Khomeini of the Islamic Revolution falsely claimed over a radio broadcast that Juhayman's insurgency at the holiest Islamic site had been orchestrated by the United States and Israel.As his militants seized the Grand Mosque of Mecca and took hostages, Juhayman publicly denounced the House of Saud as corrupt and illegitimate, accusing the country's royals of pursuing alliances with "Christian infidels" and importing secularism into Saudi society. The nature of his allegations echoed that of the charges that his father had brought against Ibn Saud in 1921. Unlike earlier anti-monarchy dissidents in Saudi Arabia, Juhayman directly attacked the country's ulama for failing to protest against Saudi government policies that betrayed Islam; he accused them of accepting the rule of an infidel state and of offering their loyalty to corrupt rulers "in exchange for honours and riches" amidst broader discontent against what he perceived as their un-Islamic teachings.Consisting of 300 to 600 well-organized militants under Juhayman's leadership, the Ikhwan took hostages from among the worshippers at the Grand Mosque and fought against the Saudi military's attempts to retake it, leading to approximately 800 casualties in total. The Saudi government requested urgent aid from France, which responded by dispatching advisory units from the GIGN to the site. After French operatives provided them with a special type of tear gas that dulls aggression and obstructs breathing, Saudi troops gassed the interior of the Grand Mosque and successfully forced entry. Juhayman was captured during the assault, sentenced to death by Saudi authorities, and subsequently executed by beheading on 9 January 1980.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and push for a peace plan and the return of prisoners of war from Russia. Zelenskyy presented a 10-point peace formula seeking the expulsion of Russian forces and accountability for war crimes. Saudi Arabia, despite its energy ties with Russia, has positioned itself as a potential mediator in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Zelenskyy highlighted Saudi Arabia's support and discussed economic cooperation during the visit.
Hisham Al-Otaibi (1946 – 4 January 2017) was a Kuwaiti politician who served as the Minister of Finance and Industry from 1998 to 1999.Al-Otaibi was born in 1946. He received a Bachelor of Science in engineering from the University of Oklahoma.He served as the Director General of the Kuwait Stock Exchange during the 1990s. Hisham Al-Otaibi then became Minister of Finance and Industry, a position he held from 1998 until 1999. Additionally, Al-Otaibi held positions in a number of Kuwaiti, British and international firms and organizations, including the Kuwait Drilling Company and the Kuwait International Investment Company.Hisham Al-Otaibi died on 4 January 2017, at the age of 70.
Fahad Al-Otaibi (born 28 September 1975) is a Kuwaiti swimmer. He competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Marzouk Al-Otaibi (Arabic: مرزوق العتيبي; born 7 November 1975) is a Saudi Arabian former footballer, who last played as a centre-forward for Al-Markhiya in Qatar.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: سلمان بن عبد العزیز آل سعود, romanized: Salmān bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Su‘ūd ; born 31 December 1935) is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015 and had previously served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, he assumed the throne on 23 January 2015. Prior to his accession, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 18 June 2012 to 23 January 2015. Salman is the third oldest living head of state, the oldest living monarch, and Saudi Arabia's first head of state born after the unification of Saudi Arabia. He has a reported personal wealth of at least $18 billion, which makes him the third wealthiest royal in the world and one of the wealthiest individuals in the world.Salman is a son of King Abdulaziz and Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi, making him one of the Sudairi Seven. He was the deputy governor of Riyadh and later the governor of Riyadh for 48 years from 1963 to 2011. He was then appointed minister of defense. He was named crown prince in 2012. Salman became king in 2015 upon the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah. Since January 2024, he is the oldest surviving son of King Abdulaziz.Salman's major initiatives as king include the Saudi intervention in the Yemeni Civil War, Saudi Vision 2030, and a 2017 decree allowing Saudi women to drive. His seventh son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is considered the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, due to the King's poor health and his own political maneuvering. Mohammed replaced his father as prime minister in 2022.
Former President Donald Trump recently spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in their first publicly disclosed conversation since Trump left the White House in 2021. The exact details of the conversation have not been revealed, but it coincides with President Biden's efforts to broker Middle East peace deals. Trump's close relationship with the Saudi Crown Prince, including financial ties, has continued beyond his presidency. Notably, Trump had shielded bin Salman from congressional scrutiny over the Jamal Khashoggi case.
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