By SIRAJ WAHAB | ARAB NEWS
WHEN you hear of competitive forums, people generally tend to think that it will be all about business. That however is not the case here in Riyadh. There are loads of cultural and networking activities running alongside the forum at the Four Seasons Hotel in the iconic Kingdom Tower.
An art exhibition is attracting huge interest from forum delegates. On display are works by Saudi and Middle Eastern artists who have won international recognition. On Monday evening, the film, “Journey to Mecca” was screened in the main hall. It was spectacular and superb. As we discussed in this space on Monday, the film is produced by Jake Eberts, who delivered a keynote before the screening. “Journey to Mecca” tells the amazing story of Ibn Battuta, the greatest explorer of the Muslim world, following his first pilgrimage between 1325 and 1326 from Tangier to Makkah. His perilous journey resonates with adventure while presenting an unforgettable picture of Muslim civilization during the 14th century, culminating with Ibn Battuta's first Haj. So it is not all business at the forum.
* * *
The first big session on Monday was on global risks. Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency Gov. Mohammad Al-Jasser talked about inflation and food security. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke about the challenge of collaboration, the challenge of the European crisis and the challenge of security. Aircraft Technical Publishers Chairman and CEO Caroline Daniels said that to avoid crises like what the world just faced, there is a need to reinforce a sense of trust and safety within the world through mutual cooperation. However, the most interesting and alarming presentation was given by Carlos Moreira, a world class visionary, entrepreneur, founder and chairman of WISeKey.
“The Internet,” Moreira said, “is a 20-year-old infrastructure that was not designed to carry the load, security issues or usage of the system today. In the coming years it is imperative that we promote a new system that provides security for users around the world.”
He asserted that online security has become a big issue. There is so much personal information out there in cyberspace and protecting that information is the biggest challenge. He explained that Wikileaks was just one thing that was widely mentioned in the media. Government transactions, national ID cards and financial services are all built on an infrastructure that is simply not trustworthy. The World Wide Web is not safe, he said. Why? Because, it is very easy for any unsophisticated hacker to get into any infrastructure by buying software online for just $300. He wondered what will happen in the next 10 years? “We are not only adding more people to the Internet — Facebook is a great example of that — we are also adding new devices. There will be 50 billion devices that will be interconnecting through the Internet.”
Moreira felt everybody should be concerned about privacy. Over seven billion people are going to have mobile phones in the years to come. “Those seven billion people will be added to the current infrastructure and that is going to increase the complexity of the problem we are facing now.” So what is the solution? “It is simple,” he said. “We should treat the Internet the same way as we treat a product. We have international organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) that handle dispute resolution of products and services. We don't have an international organization that is an equivalent of the WTO and does the same thing with data — the most important, ubiquitous product of the 21st century.” Well, Internet should not be treated as a technology playground. What Moreira revealed was quite scary.
* * *
One unique aspect of the forum is that Islamic solutions are often being proposed to overcome issues facing the world in general. During one Q&A session, a woman delegate said the concept of zakat should be explained to the Western world to overcome the difficulties people are facing in these troubled economic times. “Let the rich give part of their money to the poor and that will solve so many problems,” she said while referring to Tony Blair’s suggestion that we need to exchange ideas to overcome the problems faced by our societies. It was SAMA Gov. Al-Jasser who responded by saying the payment of zakat is a very critical element of our religion and tradition. “It cleanses the wealth of people and stabilizes society. It goes without saying that anyone who acts morally will benefit society and the nation.” He continued, “The payment of alms similarly is an important act.” Al-Jasser remarked that the attitudes supporting “giving” are prevalent in all societies, although giving may take different names, shapes and forms. What is essential is that the payment of zakat is done in a consistent way and that other types of philanthropic activities take place in society for the greater good of humanity. He concluded, “There are a lot of people who want to do good and we have to provide them with the right channels.”
* * *
One of the most interesting panel discussions was on the power of social media. The person who was of most interest to the audience was Google Ideas Director Jared Cohen, who shared his thoughts on the social media revolution. He took exception to what he prefers to call “new media,” being described as social media. He provided statistics, such as in the last 10 years the number of people with access to mobile phones has risen from 907 million to over 5 billion. With Internet it is the same story. The number of people online has risen in the last 10 years from 361 million to more than 2 billion. He claimed that even when people know that there are privacy issues, individuals still can't resist the temptation to play with new gadgets and new technology. He insisted that this is “human nature” and “every generation has its technology.” Another delegate, a journalist, pointed out that thanks to social media, it is easier for the mistakes of journalists to be caught. “Which is not a bad thing,” she said. "That makes us more responsible and better." Another delegate said the popularity of Facebook and Twitter indicates that people no longer trust journalists to give them information. "They would rather rely on their friends to pass on that information." The panelists on the social media session felt that children need to be taught to exercise discretion while on the social networking sites. They need to be told what they can share and what they cannot.
* * *
Visitors to the GCF might be welcomed with a smile, a cup of coffee and some unexpected efficiency. One attendee arrived at Riyadh's King Khaled Airport to discover when hiring a car that his Saudi license had expired. “Stuck in the airport on a Thursday lunchtime with no license was a potential nightmare,” he said.
He went to the arrivals terminal police station where he was greeted with huge smiles all round and a chorus of “mafi mushkillahs”. He said that after handing over his documents that he suspected he might be the object of some insider constabulary humor as he was seated and asked if he would care for a coffee.
“Less than five minutes later, quite literally, the coffee arrived together with the license on the side plate,” he said. “Amazing is an understatement. The guys were chuckling at my dropped-jaw expression.”
Gone it seems are the queues and Byzantine bureaucracy of the paper license at least and a very satisfying demonstration of decent technology humanely and efficiently handled.
* * *
The 918 Spyder, Porsche’s first hybrid vehicle on show in the coffee lounge at the forum is one of the world’s most exotic cars. Powered both by a 500 hp V8 engine and two electric motors, it is proof, as one admirer noted, that Green can be Mean. It has been the object of long and wishful looks by those old enough know better. As one Arab News’ roving ear overheard a conversation between two “mature” admirers at the event who fitted the profile.
“That,” said one, “is the most beautiful objet d’art let alone car.” After a moment’s reflection the other reflected wryly: “If I drove that, I would die one of two ways; either I would drive too fast or my wife would kill me.”