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WORLD NEWS Saturday 13 OctOber 2018

Missing Saudi writer had big plans for his troubled region

By SARAH EL DEEB when they first met. It was
Associated Press called Friends of Democ-
BEIRUT (AP) — The Saudi racy in Algeria, he said,
contributor to the Washing- and followed the botched
ton Post who went missing elections in Algeria, which
more than a week ago and the government annulled
is feared dead had major to avert an imminent Is-
plans, including a string of lamist victory. Khashoggi
new projects to promote spoke out against power-
inclusiveness and account- ful ultraconservative clerics
ability lacking around the in Saudi Arabia. He was a
Arab world, his friends say. voice of reform when Saudi
Jamal Khashoggi, a prolific Arabia came under intense
writer and commentator, criticism following the 9/11
was working quietly with attacks, in which a dozen
intellectuals, reformists and Saudis were implicated.
Islamists to launch a group When Sunni Islamists rose
called Democracy for the to power in other parts of
Arab World Now. He want- the region, Khashoggi was
ed to set up a media watch pragmatic. He argued that
organization to keep track the future of the region
of press freedom. can’t be without Islamists
He also planned to launch and denounced govern-
an economic-focused Yasin Aktay, an advisor to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to The Associated ments’ crackdowns on
website to translate inter- Press next to an empty chair with a picture of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi placed on it, at them. He argued the most
national reports into Arabic London-based TV station al-Hewar, in Istanbul, late Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. effective way to challenge
to bring sobering realities to Associated Press Iran’s growing influence in
a population often hungry squad that flew in from Azzam Tamimi, a promi- where. He wanted to alert the region is by allowing
for real news, not propa- Saudi Arabia. nent Palestinian-British ac- Western public opinion to Sunni political Islam— a rival
ganda. A friend and neighbor in tivist and TV presenter. the dangers of remain- to Shiite Iran— to be repre-
Part of Khashoggi’s ap- the United States, where Tamimi had planned to in- ing silent in the face of the sented in governments.
proach was to include po- Khashoggi had a condo terview Khashoggi about assassination of democ- Khashoggi was to marry his
litical Islamists in what he since 2008, said the Saudi the project on his show on racy,” Tamimi told the AP. Turkish fiancée on Oct. 3.
saw as democracy build- writer had the contacts Thursday, airing from Istan- “The Muslim Brothers and He visited the Saudi con-
ing. That — along with his and resources to make his bul. Instead, the show was Islamists were the biggest sulate several days before
sharp criticisms of the king- plans work. held with an empty chair victims of the foiled Arab he disappeared, and they
dom’s crackdowns on crit- “He had the wisdom of a with Khashoggi’s picture spring.” asked him to return on Oct.
ics, its war in Yemen and 60-year-old. He had the on it as guests discussed Tamimi said he and 2 to pick up his divorce pa-
its policy on Iran — put him energy and a creativity of the case. Khashoggi had set up a pers, necessary to legalize
at odds with the rulers of a 20-something,” he said, “Democracy is currently similar pro-democracy his new marriage in Turkey,
Saudi Arabia, which deep- asking to remain anony- being slaughtered every- project together in 1992 Tamimi said.q
ly opposes Islamists like the mous out of respect for
Muslim Brotherhood, see- Khashoggi’s family.
ing them as a threat. Khashoggi had incorpo-
The Saudi journalist, whose rated his democracy ad-
60th birthday is this week- vocacy group, DAWN, in
end, had also person- January in Delaware, said
al plans. He bought an Khaled Saffuri, another
apartment in Istanbul and friend. The group was still
planned to marry the day in the planning stages, and
after he disappeared. He Khashoggi was working on
planned to commute be- it quietly, likely concerned
tween Istanbul and his it could cause trouble for
home in Virginia. associates, including activ-
Khashoggi entered the ists in the Gulf, Saffuri said.
Saudi consulate in Istan- The project was expected
bul on Oct.2 and has yet to reach out to journalists
to emerge. Turkish officials and lobby for change, rep-
believe he was killed in side resenting both Islamists and
the building by a death liberals, said another friend,