>>3530918
from 2003 on JK
could JK in Q posts also be referencing Jamal A. Khashoggi?
In the first sign that it has already wearied of the public debate over the possible roots of extremist thought in Saudi Arabia, the government ordered the removal today of the the editor in chief of Al Watan, the daily newspaper which had been most outspoken on the subject.
The editor, Jamal A. Khashoggi, one of the country's leading experts on political Islam, declined to comment on his firing. There was also no government announcement, but an official of the Ministry of Information official confirmed it without elaborating on the reasons.
The news quickly electrified participants in the virulent debate that has erupted since coordinated suicide bombing attacks on May 12 killed 25 people at three housing compounds.
Those who believe that religious institutions propagate extremist ideas were dismayed by Mr. Khashoggi's dismissal, while members of the religious establishment felt vindicated.
The paper, partly owned by prominent descendants of the late King Faisal, had opened its pages to those who wished to examine the prevalence here of Islamic militancy, which ranges from shunning Westerners in its most benign form to violent attacks against them.
No one at Al Watan, which means The Homeland in Arabic, could be reached for comment. The chairman of the board of directors, Prince Bandar bin Khalid, a grandson of King Faisal and the son of Prince Khalid, the governor of Asir Province, where the paper is based, was traveling outside Saudi Arabia and could not be contacted. The paper's general manager did not respond to several telephone messages.
But members of the staff who were excited that their paper had been so central to the debate over extremism were deflated by the firing of Mr. Khashoggi, who was educated at Indiana State University and spent almost eight years covering Osama bin Laden and extremist Islamic movements for Al Hayat, an Arabic newspaper in London. He was appointed editor in chief in March.
How can this happen now, at this time? asked one writer at Al Watan. They are doing what the radicals want. A lot of journalists are asking what is going to change in Saudi Arabia. If they fired Jamal Khashoggi, nothing is going to change.
https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/28/world/after-the-war-riyadh-a-saudi-editor-who-offended-clerics-is-ousted-from-his-post.html