Saudi Arabia students told to leave Lebanon

Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013

Manama: Saudi college students in Lebanon have been told not to register for summer courses and to leave the country at the end of their exams next week. The cultural attaché’s office in the Lebanese capital Beirut said that the decision to cut short the students’ stay was based on safety concerns amid the latest security crisis to hit the Middle Eastern country.

“We want to ensure our students’ safety and well-being,” Musaad Al Jarrah, the cultural attaché, told Saudi daily Okaz. “We understand that some students have to finish the requirements for their graduation and these will be allowed to stay in Lebanon. However, all the others will have to leave and we will be coordinating closely with them to make sure they are safe,” he said.

Several students told the daily that they were “seriously concerned” about their situation in the country as it lives “through highly critical times”.

“I have been allowed to stay until I meet all the requirements for my graduation in business management,” Malek Manjad, a final college year student, said. “This is a crucial year for me and I would like to finish it quickly. I will have to keep a low profile to ensure my safety and I will leave for Saudi Arabia as soon as I graduate.”

However, Dania Ghazawi, also a student in her final year, said that she would not have that chance.

“I will have to forfeit my last year and go home because my family is very concerned about my safety,” she said. “They tell me that the situation is very unstable and they do not want me to stay here. We have also received messages on the mobile from the Saudi embassy telling us that we should comply with the decisions taken by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regarding our stay in Lebanon. We do appreciate their concern,” she said.

The six GCC members have told their citizens to avoid travelling to Lebanon, a highly favourite summer destination for Gulf nationals, citing safety and security concerns.

The GCC foreign ministers last week condemned the “blatant interference in Syria” by Lebanese militia Hezbollah and “decided to consider taking action against its interests in the GCC countries”.

In May, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that his party was fighting alongside the Syrian forces against rebels.

By Habib Toumi Bureau Chief