Armed with a computer, an internet connection and your ideas, Ahmed Al-Omran is one of the few "
bloggers" Saudis to try and
encourage a change to be heard in the conservative Persian Gulf monarchy. "Blog" is an atypical form of speaking in a country that does not have an elected parliament, where the clerics have a great influence on public opinion, newspapers often reflect the official line and public demonstrations are banned.
"I want to do because I want to be part of the change that is taking place in the country. I want to help the changes go faster," said Omran, a student who writes in his blog Saudi Jeans (saudijeans.org).
King Abdullah has introduced tentative reforms since taking power in 2005 and withdrew from two hard-line clerics of the main positions in a cabinet reshuffle in February, while promoting reforms.
Saudi Arabia recently allowed foreign media to expand its presence in the kingdom and the new
information minister even had its own page on Facebook, but analysts and diplomats say that the Conservatives are still reluctant to change. "Ultimately, we want to happen something through the blog and call for change. We ask and sponsors, "said Fuad
Alfarhan in an unusual meeting of" bloggers "in Yeda, the most liberal city in the kingdom.
"For the first time now, as individuals in our society, we have in our hands the power to demand change," said Alfarhan at the meeting, which was designed to encourage bloggers to continue their work despite the difficulties.
PROBLEMS
Farhan himself has not "blog" since he was arrested in 2007 and jailed for five months after campaigning for nine reformists arrested.
Saudi investigators say there are 10,000 blogs in the kingdom. But a lot are now inactive or have been repressed to hold policy discussions since the arrest of Alfarhan. Many blogs also distancing from Islam, a sensitive issue, and focus more on daily life and other social issues. "The incident showed that there Alfarhan red lines are not known," said Khaled al-Nasser, another blogger. Abdulrahman al-Hazza, spokesman for the Minister of Information, he added that in general are not monitored blogs.
But bloggers are concerned about a law earlier this year that allows prosecution of anyone who "goes beyond the general order, religious values, or normal behavior," according to the Ministry of Information.
"All you can accuse me of that," said Omran. "My only fear is whether the government will use that law against people who want to speak freely online. This could be used as an intimidation tactic," he added.
The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Saudi Arabia in April as one of the worst countries for "bloggers," citing arrests, monitor and block 400,000 websites.