BANNED SAUDI WEBSITE LAUNCHES ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VERSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAHRAN 000222

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/19/2019
TAGS: PGOV KIRF KISL PHUM SA
SUBJECT: BANNED SAUDI WEBSITE LAUNCHES ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VERSION

REF: A. A. 06 RIYADH 5315

B. B. DHAHRAN 46

C. C. DHAHRAN 217

DHAHRAN 00000222 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Kevin Kreutner, Acting Consul General, EXEC, DOS.

REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
SUMMARY:

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1. (C/NF) Rasid.com, the popular Arabic-language news website
run by a small group of Saudi Shia political activists, launched
an English-language version on August 1. The managing editor of
Rasid explained that they hope to reach a larger audience with
the English-language version. Both the Arabic and English
websites are blocked by Saudi authorities. While the website is
politically motivated to highlight the discrimination of the
Shia and other human rights violations that take place in Saudi
Arabia, and its biases must always be taken into account, it
remains a credible source of information about events that are
generally not covered in licensed Saudi newspapers. END SUMMARY.



REACHING A BROADER AUDIENCE:

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2. (C/NF) In an August 10 meeting, Hussein al-Alaq (strictly
protect) told PolOff that Rasid.com had officially launched
their English-language news website on August 1. In past
meetings, al-Alaq had mentioned the possibility of an English
version of the website, popular among Saudi Shia and liberals.
Echoing the sentiments of many Saudi activists, al-Alaq believes
that outside pressure, particularly from the U.S. and Europe, is
the most effective way to convince the SAG to change what he
says are discriminatory policies.



RASID.COM MANAGEMENT:

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3. (C/NF) When asked how he and his partners managed the
website, al-Alaq said there are only "about five people" that
work directly on the website, and that he was the managing
editor in charge of strategic direction. However, he made it
clear that each of the contributors has a great deal of autonomy
when choosing which individual story to report. Though al-Alaq
would not identify his partners, it is clear that they all have
day jobs and that they spend time following stories and managing
the website on their own time.




4. (C/NF) Al-Alaq said that one of the partners managing
Rasid.com has been doing all of the English translations.
(NOTE: So far, the translations have been generally accurate
and of decent quality. END NOTE.) He would not name the
translator or other partners, but a number of Shia contacts have
commented on different occasions that Jaffar al-Shayeb (strictly
protect) is involved with the media outlet, possibly financing
and/or providing news content. PolOff also suspects that the
young and aspiring Shia activist, Walid Sulais (strictly
protect),is assisting in the writing and managing of Rasid, if
not a full-fledged partner. Nevertheless, PolOff is almost
certain that the individuals running Rasid.com are all from
Qatif, the majority Shia oasis north of Dhahran on the Gulf
coast.



OPERATING A BANNED WEBSITE IN SAUDI ARABIA:

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5. (C/NF) Rasid.com is blocked by Saudi authorities, and
therefore inaccessible to internet subscribers in KSA. Al-Alaq
explained to PolOff that each time the SAG blocks Rasid's URL
address, Rasid simply modifies it slightly and emails the new
address to a select group of loyal readers on their listserv,
who then forward it to their trusted friends, and so on. They

DHAHRAN 00000222 002.2 OF 002


have gone through this process dozens of times, and post
contacts have described it to PolOff on other occasions (ref A).
Despite these difficulties, al-Alaq claims that the website
receives anywhere between 12,000 and 24,000 visits per day.
(NOTE: The original URL -- www.rasid.com -- is always
maintained and available to internet subscribers outside of KSA.
END NOTE.)




6. (C/NF) Until now, Rasid.com has been financed entirely by the
approximately five partners who manage and operate the site. As
noted in para 3, the prominent Shia political activist Jaffar
al-Shayeb may be a partner and provide a significant source of
financing, though PolOff has not been able to confirm this
claim. When asked about possibly selling advertising space as a
source of revenue, al-Alaq said that several companies (which he
would not name) have offered to pay for the right to advertise
on the website. However, he and his partners have not been able
to arrange a payment scheme that would avoid unwanted attention
from the Saudi authorities. For now, they are able to manage
with the limited resources available to them since the partners
do most of the investigating, writing, web design, and website
management themselves.



POLITICALLY MOTIVATED, YET GENERALLY CREDIBLE:

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7. (C/NF) Al-Alaq does not deny that the ultimate goal of
Rasid.com is to help the Shia overcome discrimination in Saudi
Arabia. He has emphasized to PolOff on several occasions that
he and his partners believe that the best way to do this is to
let the facts speak for themselves. (NOTE: Al-Alaq was a
participant in a PD-sponsored International Visitor program and
visited U.S. civil society institutions across several states in
September 2007, and has said that this experience has helped
shape his views on the role of journalism in society. END NOTE.)



COMMENT:

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8. (C/NF) In general, post views Rasid.com as a reliable source
of information, particularly on subjects that are often
intentionally ignored by licensed Saudi media outlets. The
Mission has cited Rasid in the annual International Religious
Freedom report as well as the Human Rights report. Although a
typical Rasid story is often peppered with politically loaded
terms and qualifiers, the facts being reported are generally
accurate. This was the case with the Medina incident and
subsequent protests in Qatif in February and March (ref B),as
well as the Khobar mosque closings that have taken place over
the past year (ref C). Nevertheless, the political objectives
of Rasid's founders must always be taken into account when
judging the credibility of any particular story. END COMMENT.
KREUTNER