Amidst a distinguished elite presence, the College of Media and Communication at Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University honored His Excellency Sheikh Jamil Ibrahim Al-Hujailan today, Wednesday, through a major celebration that included a number of events, including a documentary film, a historical recording, and an enrichment symposium.
The ceremony, which was honored in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman and His Excellency the Minister of Information, Mr. Salman Al-Dosari, came under the patronage and presence of the Rector of the University, Prof. Ahmed bin Salem Al-Amiri, in the conference hall of the King Abdullah City for Women at the University, where His Excellency began the celebration with a speech in which he said: “I extend on my own behalf and on behalf of all the employees of Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, my sincere congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Highness, His Trustworthy Crown Prince and Prime Minister—may God protect them—and to the loyal Saudi people on the occasion of the Kingdom’s victory in hosting Expo 2030, which confirms sovereignty and leadership. For our dear country, it embodies the unprecedented journey of transformation to create a more prosperous and sustainable future and proves that our ambition does not know the impossible, and our ambition has no limits under wise leadership and an inspiring vision that seeks to make our country a successful and pioneering model regionally and globally.”
His Excellency said: “We are pleased to honor H.E. Sheikh Jameel bin Ibrahim Al-Hujailan after a long journey of effort and hard work, honesty and sincerity, giving, and loyalty in service to our religion and then to our king and our country, which culminated, with the grace of God—glory be to Him—with a record full of many giving, accomplishments, and achievements inside and outside our dear country, which has made a clear mark in establishing immortal works on the paths of comprehensive development renaissance and has contributed to giving the media system a clear vision of a unique approach of excellence and creativity.”
His Excellency explained that this generous gesture from the College of Media and Communication, represented by His Highness its Dean, Prof. Saad bin Saud Al Saud, clearly embodies the College’s keenness, within its national initiatives, to immortalize prominent figures and appreciate national symbols, and sincerely expresses our sincere thanks and deep appreciation for His Excellency’s sincere efforts that he made during his extensive work journey, to be an inspiring model for university students, the nation’s youth, and future children in leading the helm of development, carrying the banner of development, and actively participating in building a future that achieves the vision upon which our nation’s renaissance and leadership were built.
As for the honorary symposium, in which the former Minister of Culture and Information, Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja, and the editor-in-chief of Al-Jazeera newspaper, Mr. Khaled Al-Malik, participated, it touched on the value and status of H.E. the Sheikh among the Excellencies the Ministers of Information who succeeded him in holding the ministerial portfolio for information, then reviewed the mission of the Minister of Information and what it entails; from the risks and nature of ministerial work to a party concerned with light, presence, opinion, and freedom to present and direct concerns.
The symposium also dealt with the context of the diplomatic and political corps and the efforts and contributions of His Excellency in the political and diplomatic field; through memory talk about His Excellency Sheikh Al-Hujailan being Minister of Information at that time, and throughout his political and diplomatic career, Professor Al-Malik addressed what related to that era when he was carrying out his journalistic duties through Al-Jazeera newspaper as editor. Then editor-in-chief, touching on the efforts of His Excellency the Sheikh regarding organizing media and journalistic work when he was Minister of Information and how he dealt with journalists and media professionals.
Then His Excellency Sheikh Al-Hujailan improvised a speech in which he said: “In the early sixties, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was subject to fierce campaigns, and we did not have the means to confront these attacks, to deter them, until instructions came from King Faisal—may God rest his soul—for us to be less calm and patient. His Excellency added that in the year 1963 AD, when I was Minister of Information, the first difficulty I faced was to advance this institution under these difficult circumstances. I also had to adhere to the directives of King Faisal—may God rest his soul—in the Kingdom’s approach.” His Excellency noted that "when I was my country’s ambassador to Kuwait, I thought I would follow the same steps as my dear colleagues; I began as an ambassador in one of the embassies and end up in a foreign embassy until I retired." His Excellency emphasized on the Kingdom’s victory in organizing Expo., saying "When I learned that the Kingdom was chosen to be the host of Expo 2030, I closed my eyes and said, oh my God, where were we? Where have we gone? " His Excellency also expressed his thanks to Imam University and the College of Media and Communication, saying that this generous gesture came as a surprise to what he had expected and fulfilled what was expected. I hope God will grant success to the College of Media in its journey, and I thank everyone who participated in preparing this generous ceremony.
At the conclusion of the honoring celebration, which was attended by a huge and prominent cultural, media, and diplomatic presence, His Excellency Sheikh Al-Hujailan received the honoring shield from Their Highnesses and Excellencies and then memorial photos were taken on this occasion.