Princess: Stepping Out of the Shadows, стр. 71

2001

26 January

. A UN panel angers the Saudi government and citizens when it criticizes Saudi Arabia for discriminating against women, harassing minors and for punishments that include flogging and stoning.

5 March

. Thirty-five Muslim pilgrims suffocate to death during the ‘stoning of the devil’ ritual at the annual hajj in Mecca.

March

. The Higher Committee for Scientific Research and Islamic Law in Saudi Arabia says that Pokémon games and cards have ‘possessed the minds’ of Saudi children.

September

. After 9/11, six chartered flights carrying Saudi nationals depart from the USA. A few days later, another chartered flight carrying twenty-six members of the bin Laden family leave the USA.

2002

17 February

. Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah presents a Middle East peace plan to

New York Times

columnist Thomas Friedman. The plan includes Arab recognition of Israel’s right to exist if Israel pulls back from lands that were once part of Jordan, including East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

March

. There is a fire at a girls’ school in Mecca, but the police block the girls from fleeing the building because they are not wearing the veil. A surge of anger spreads across Saudi Arabia when fifteen students burn to death.

13 April

. Saudi Arabian poet Ghazi al-Gosaibi, Saudi Ambassador to Britain, publishes the poem ‘The Martyrs’ in the Saudi daily

Al Hayat

, praising a Palestinian suicide bomber.

25 April

. American President George Bush meets with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. Crown Prince Abdullah tells the American president that the country must reconsider its total support of Israel. Abdullah gives Bush his eight-point proposal for Middle East peace.

April

. The Saudi Arabian government close several factories that produce women’s veils and abaayas that are said to violate religious rules. Some of the cloaks are considered too luxurious, with jewels sewn on the shoulders.

May

. There is a disagreement between Saudi diplomats and members of the UN Committee Against Torture over whether flogging and the amputation of limbs are violations of the 1987 Convention Against Torture.

December

. Saudi dissidents report the launch of a new radio station, Sawt al-Islah (the Voice of Reform), broadcasting from Europe. The new station is formed with the express purpose of pushing for reforms in Saudi Arabia.

2003

February

. Mina, Saudi Arabia: fourteen Muslim pilgrims are trampled to death when a worshipper trips during the annual hajj pilgrimage.

29 April

. The United States government announces the withdrawal of all combat forces from Saudi Arabia.

12 May

. Multiple and simultaneous suicide car bombings at three foreign compounds in Riyadh kill twenty-six people, including nine US citizens.

14 October

. Hundreds of Saudi Arabians take to the streets, demanding reform. This is the first large-scale protest in the country, as demonstrations are illegal.

2004

It is discovered that Libya planned a covert operation to assassinate Crown Prince Abdullah the previous year (2003).

1 February

. During the hajj, 251 Muslim worshippers die in a stampede.

10 April

. Popular Saudi Arabian TV host Rania al-Baz is severely beaten by her husband, who thought he had killed her. She survived, suffering severe facial fractures that required twelve operations. She allowed photos to be broadcast and opened discussions of ongoing violence against women in Saudi Arabia. She travelled to France, where she wrote her story. It was reported that she lost custody of her children after her book was published.

May

. In Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, suspected militants spray gunfire inside the offices of an oil contractor, the Houston-based ABB Ltd. Six people are killed. Many are wounded. Police kill four brothers in a shoot-out after a car chase in which the attackers reportedly dragged the naked body of one victim behind their getaway car.

6 June

. Simon Chambers, an Irish cameraman working for the BBC, is killed in a shooting in Riyadh. A BBC correspondent is injured.

8 June

. An American citizen working for a US defence contractor is shot and killed in Riyadh.

12 June

. An American is kidnapped in Riyadh. Al-Qaeda post the man’s picture on an Islamic website. He is identified as businessman Paul M.

Johnson Jr. Islamic militants shoot and kill American Kenneth Scroggs in his garage in Riyadh.

13 June

. Saudi Arabia holds a three-day ‘national dialogue’ in Medina on how women’s lives could be improved and the recommendations are passed to Crown Prince Abdullah.

15 June

. Al-Qaeda threatens to execute Paul M. Johnson Jr within seventy-two hours unless fellow jihadists are released from Saudi prisons.

18 June

. Al-Qaeda claim to have killed American hostage Paul M. Johnson Jr. They post photos on the internet showing his body and severed head.

June

. The Saudi parliament pass legislation overturning a law banning girls and women from participating in physical education and sports. In August, the Ministry of Education announces that it will not honour the legislation.

20 July

. The head of slain American hostage Paul M. Johnson Jr is found during a raid by Saudi security forces.

30 July

. In the United States, in a Virginia court, Abdurahman Alamoudi pleads guilty to moving cash from Libya to pay expenses in the plot to assassinate Saudi Prince Abdullah.

28 September

. The use of mobile phones with built-in cameras is banned by Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority. The edict claims that the phones are ‘spreading obscenity’ throughout Saudi Arabia.

6 December

. Nine people are killed at the US Consulate in Jeddah when Islamic militants throw explosives at the gate of the heavily guarded building. They force their way into the building and a gun battle ensues.

2005

13 January

. Saudi judicial officials say a religious court has sentenced fifteen Saudis, including a woman, to as many as 250 lashes each and up to six months in prison for participating in a protest against the monarchy.

10 February

. While women are banned from casting ballots, Saudi male voters converge at polling stations in the Riyadh region to participate in city elections. This is the first time in the country’s history that Saudis are taking part in a vote that conforms to international standards.

3 March

. Men in