The scholarly seminar on the history of King Faisal continued its sessions on Thursday in Riyadh, focusing on the influence of King Faisal on the international arena. Dr. Eid Al-Juhani from Arab Gulf Center for Energy and Strategic Studies kicked off with a paper entitled ‘King Faisal's Role to Support OPEC and Its Effects on Oil Prices.' The researcher talked about the role of King Faisal in Arab-Israel conflict in 1973, starting with the oil embargo he imposed against the United States, European countries, and others for their support of Israel, forcing them to re-evaluate their concurrent stand and their relations with Arabs. This historic decision King Faisal took was a turning point in the history of oil trade, boosting its economic value in the world to a new high after it was a cheap commodity, the researcher said. In aftermath of the oil embargo of 1973, OPEC was strengthened as a political strategy and ever since it has taken a leading role in the energy market, the researcher concluded. In a paper entitled ‘Religious Depth and Political Management in King Faisal's Thinking,' Dr. Abdulrahim Al-Elmi discussed the religious, ethical, and national backgrounds of the Palestinian issue that affected the political undertaking of King Faisal towards the case. The researcher presented different examples of the economic, political, social, and educational support of King Faisal of the Palestinian issue and how this Saudi support has continued ever since. The researcher also presented a discourse analysis of some of King Faisal's speeches about the Palestinian issue. With research documented by unexamined primary sources, Dr. Dalal Al-Harbi from the Girls' College in Riyadh talked about ‘King Faisal's Trip to the US.' She explored his participation in the making of the UN as representing the Kingdom by signing the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945 by which the Kingdom became a UN member. His visit to the US also contributed to consolidating the relationships between Saudi Arabia and the US, she said. King Faisal presented the Kingdom to the world through a diplomacy focused on principles of dialogue, peace, and justice, said Dr. Yousef Al-Thaqafi from Umm Al-Qura University in his paper. His term as a minister of foreign affairs before going to San Francisco in 1945 helped King Faisal to gain a considerable political experience that sharpened his communication skills with delegates of foreign countries during subsequent international gatherings, the researcher found. His speech in the UN was aimed at gathering the utmost support for Muslim and Arab causes, he said. A paper presented by Dr. Fatmah Al-Firaihi from Girls' College in Buraida tackled the role of King Faisal in the 1973 war. She talked about the successful coordination between Saudi Arabia and Egypt with reference to oil embargo, which eventually exerted pressure on the US to take a neutral and fair stand on the war, and the right of return of Palestinians. The researcher concluded with a section on the role of King Faisal on the Arab unity after the war. Apart from the political history of King Faisal, the literary and cultural perspective of his life was put under spotlight. A paper entitled ‘King Faisal in Yemeni Poetry' presented by Dr. Abdullah Abu Dahish from Imam Muhammad bin Saud University explored the works of prominent Yemeni poets about King Faisal. He analyzed some poems by Yemeni poets that praised King Faisal's political life that was dedicated for the benefit of the Ummah. The paper also discussed other poems that expressed grief over his death. Nigerians also wrote extensively on King Faisal. Dr. Khidr Abdulbaqi presented a paper in which he talked about the prominence of King Faisal in the Nigerian literature. Within the same context of foreign literature on King Faisal, Dr. Abdulhamid Noah talked about the King's visit to Japan and how the Japanese media viewed the visit at that time. He also talked about the research done about King Faisal and the Kingdom in Japan. Dr. Jalal Hifnawi from Cairo University talked about King Faisal in the Urdu literature and how the King earned the love of the Muslims of Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh for his brave political decisions to support the Ummah. He also talked about King Faisal's call for peace and dialogue in the 1971 war. Dr. Hifnawi discussed in his paper the role of King Faisal in the unity of Muslim Ummah through the Organization of Islamic Conference and Muslim World League. The researcher said that the policy of a united Muslim Ummah determined the course of foreign policy of the Kingdom during the era of King Faisal. The paper finally presented discourse analysis of what the media in Pakistan and India said about King Faisal during and after his life. – Okaz __
