Forbes has got it back on their face as “The Land of The Two Holy Mosques” has decided to boycott their latest issue of the Arabic language edition of Forbes magazine for an article about the wealth of the king and other Arab leaders. And they surely have a reason to do so. “The reason was a two-page report on the wealth of 15 ruling dynasties, seven of which are Arab,” Refaat Jaafar, managing editor of Dubai-based Forbes Arabia, told Reuters. “Instead of ripping out the pages of the report, the authorities decided to ban the magazine altogether,” said one government official, speaking on condition of anonymity. However, officials at the information ministry could not immediately comment on the ban. The report ranked King Abdullah third, behind the rulers of Brunei and the United Arab Emirates.
It is known that Saudi authorities have ordered columns by Khalid al-Dakhil, a prominent Saudi analyst and university lecturer, to be ripped out of Forbes Arabia twice so far this year. Authorities in the conservative kingdom also tear out pages from newspapers and magazines before they hit newsstands if they contain pictures deemed indecent. After reading this I have more value my democracy and also my government for it!
