- The Oasis residential compound in the oil-rich eastern
city of Khobar advertises a lifestyle of "opulence and exclusivity
for the most discerning expatriate", as it cocoons its residents from
the realities of life in the Saudi kingdom.
-
- Security is of primary importance and the compound is
surrounded by 4-metre high reinforced concrete walls. The only entrance
to the resort is through a gate manned by armed guards around the clock.
Additional security measures include CCTV cameras installed around the
perimeter walls and external vehicle patrols of the compound. A British
woman, named only as Tracey, told Sky News yesterday after the hostage-taking:
"I feel relatively safe here - it is extremely hard to get into the
compound. We won't be going out of the compound for a few days."
-
- Inside, the compound has a total of 200 villas, 48 apartments,
195 studio apartments and covers 1.3 million square feet. The luxury three-storey
Mediterranean-designed villas boast "marble floors, beautiful rugs,
and decorative lighting", and are fully furnished with a dining room,
four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a children's playroom and accommodation
for a maid "should domestic service be required". Each villa
has a private garden and staff.
-
- The desert resort offers numerous on-site leisure activities.
There are three heated outdoor swimming pools and an Olympic-size indoor
swimming pool, a state of the art gym, an eight-lane bowling alley and
an ice-skating rink - the home of the Saad Falcons International ice hockey
team. The man-made Musaad beach is a short drive away. Because women are
not permitted to drive in Saudi Arabia, the resort provides a regular shuttle
service to and from the beach.
-
- The complex also boasts a total of six eateries, including
a sushi bar, an Italian restaurant, a Middle Eastern restaurant and the
Patisserie de l'Oasis, which offers "an exquisite selection of pastries,
cakes and delicious cookies".
-
- For those with young children there is the learning centre
for children of two and a half and upwards available at $400 (£218)
a month. This could free time for mothers to spend at the beauty centre,
with its range of body and skincare treatments or to take part in the regular
"ladies' events", including cooking demonstrations, afternoon
tea and sewing groups.
-
- It is the possibility of such a luxurious lifestyle away
from home that attracts the expatriate community to Saudi Arabia. Tracey
said she - like the majority of foreigners in Saudi Arabia - were working
there for the money. "It is very different, the financial reward is
why the majority of us are out here."
-
- THE THREAT FROM AL-QA'IDA
-
- The message from Osama bin Laden, the Saudi-born leader
of al-Qa'ida, to the country's royal family is simple: expel the "infidels"
from holy soil or face Armageddon.
-
- The escalating attacks by the Islamic extremists have
shaken the House of Saud, which is seen by the militants as a corrupt government
that has betrayed Islamic ideals.
-
- Although al-Qa'ida is a loose coalition operating in
more than 40 countries, its militants' rallying cry is the liberation of
Islam's three holiest places: Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
-
- Bin Laden has already notched up one success: the departure
of US troops from Saudi Arabia, which hosts the holiest site of Islam,
the birthplace of the prophet Mohamed at Mecca.
-
- The government's close relationship with Washington,
its refusal to push through reforms and the Wahabi brand of Islam have
only encouraged the radicals; 15 Saudi nationals were among the 19 hijackers
who attacked the US on 11 September 2001.
-
- Abdul Aziz al-Moqrin, who claimed to represent al-Qa'ida,
said in a tape message yesterday the battle with government would continue
until the "crusaders are expelled from the land of Islam".
-
- - Anne Penketh
-
- © 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd
- http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=526642
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