A new talk show on an Arab satellite TV channel will bring together two different generations of Saudis every Tuesday to discuss the impacts of Saudi Arabia's economy on its society. Hosted by none other than Saleh Kamel, President of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), the weekly show Al-Souq (The Market) will air on Arab Radio and Television (ART) every Tuesday. The show aired its first episode on Tuesday, April 8. In the talk show, Kamel meets Saudi students from King Abdul Aziz University and Dar Al-Hekma College to tell them the story of his success. “I am going to talk to students and businessmen about my experience during the past 40 years,” said Kamel. “I will also share stories of my visits and experiences in investment in more than 43 countries around the world.” The Saudi businessman added that the program would discuss Islamic business matters for both genders. Specific episodes will be dedicated to discussing the women' issues, such as their right to do business alongside men, and to contribute to several fields in the society. Islam as a basis for business is the main overall theme that was discussed in the program's first episode, in which Kamel and several economists discussed several economic concepts that have changed during the past few years. “I will only talk about the issues that I have experienced,” said Kamel. “Otherwise, there will be several economy and business experts from different countries to contribute and talk more about their knowledge and experience.” Kamel said private schools should work hard to improve practical experiences among their students and encourage them to come up with new ideas, eventually helping them become talented businessmen in marketing and management. The idea of the program came out of the ICCI's plans to strengthen the economies of Muslim countries. “Rather than simply criticizing other economic theories, we aim to launch a reform of the Islamic model of economy,” he said. “The ICCI's plans take account of refreshing Islamic economic concepts, cooperation between Muslim nations and spreading Arabic, the language of the Qur'an.” The program will be prerecorded, because with such a hot topic, the station cannot risk having the discussion run for too long and irrelevant topics being tackled in a live broadcast. “By choosing Al-Souq as the name of the show, I mean stock markets, business management, the price of oil, low incomes, Islamic banks and any other themes that the students or viewers need to discuss,” said Kamel. __
