The Ministry of Culture and Information has warned that it will take strict measures against trouble makers who try to cause problems during the Riyadh International Book Fair 2012. Several measures have already been put in place to prevent non-Hai'a religious activists from causing any chaos based on religious or social considerations. Dr. Nasser Al-Hejailan, an official supervising the event, said: “The Ministry has set up a phone number and email to receive complaints and remarks regarding the fair. Committees will study the remarks and take them into consideration.” Dr. Al-Hejailan warned that only Hai'a members are allowed to deal with any religious remarks found in the fair and that non-Hai'a members will be held accountable. “We're in cooperation with the Hai'a to make sure the fair is a success,” he said. The remarks come just days before the 10-day book fair, which will be launched on Tuesday under the patronage of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The event is open to both men and women. The guest of honor will be the King of Sweden. Over 600 publishing houses from 25 countries are participating in the fair. Every publishing house has been selected on criteria such as the number of its published works and the fields of knowledge it deals with. Al-Hejailan promised that self-published Saudi writers would be able to display their works. “We have special pavilions for Saudi writers who couldn't find a publishing house to publish their works. They can display their works in these pavilions.” He revealed that the Ministry of Culture and Information has given SR1 million to 10 Saudi writers over the past two years and will also give motivational awards to support the Saudi book industry. He also revealed that a virtual website will be launched on the first day to enable Internet users to browse and buy the books online. This is being launched to prevent overcrowding that previous fairs witnessed. He also said a joint study by the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Chair of Housing Studies at King Saud University in Riyadh will measure the level of readership among Saudi people. “The study will show us the real causes behind the low-level readership of the Saudi society. It will also show the type of books Saudis read,” he said.
