Saudi labor minister changed; top religious body, Shoura reshuffled

In a royal decree, the king also reshuffled the Council of Senior Scholars.

King Salman had appointed Ali bin Nasser Al-Ghafis as labor minister to replace Mufrej Al-Haqabani.

The Council of Senior Scholars, headed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, will be re-structured, according to the decree. 

King Salman also ordered extensions for dedicated sheikhs who are members at the Permanent Committee for Ifta, which is affiliated with the council. 

As per the decree, Mohammad Al-Amr, Shoura’s secretary-general, has been relieved of his post.

The new formation of the council will see Abdullah bin Mohammad Al-Sheikh as speaker, Mohammad bin Amin Ahmad Al-Jafry as deputy speaker, and Yahia bin Abdullah Al-Samghan as assistant speaker.

Of the new Shoura appointments, 29 members are females. One of them is Lina K. Almaeena, a popular figure in Jeddah who has assiduously promoted sports among young people, especially women.

She is the cofounder and CEO of Jeddah United Sports Co. Lina was thrilled and overwhelmed to hear the news. 

Speaking to Arab News Friday night, she said: “I am very honored with the royal trust. I ask God to provide me the strength to carry out this responsibility to serve the nation. Our country is full of opportunities and we should utilize them and make our Vision 2030 a reality.”

Saleh bin Manie Al-Khelaiwi, director general of Saudi Customs, and Nayef bin Hashal Al-Roumi, governor of the Public Education Evaluation Commission, have been relieved of their duties. 

Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad Al-Sadhan has been appointed as a minister-ranked consultant at the Royal Court, according to the decree.