Alumnus chosen for Saudi ministry position

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz appointed IU alumnus Bandar bin Mohammed As’ad Hajjar as the new Minister of Hajj.

About 2.5 million people make the Hajj, or annual pilgrimage, to Mecca each year. Hajjar will oversee services to Muslims making the pilgrimage.

He is the first IU alumnus to hold a Saudi ministry appointment this high, according to the press release.

“He has a tremendous responsibility for what is one of the most important and high profile positions in Islam,” said Feisal Istrabadi, director of the Center for the Study of the Middle East. “It’s a very important position to be appointed to.”

Hajjar received a master’s degree in economics at IU in 1980. He also received his doctorate in economics from Loughborough University in the U.K.

Before this appointment, Hajjar worked as the chairman of the National Society for Human Rights and the deputy speaker of the Shura Council, the advisory body to the Saudi king.

“What’s interesting is if you look at (Hajjar’s) background, he’s western-educated,” Istrabadi said. “He also has a background in human rights work in Saudi Arabia. He seems to have a more liberal outlook.”

Istrabadi said King Abdullah’s decision to appoint Hajjar to a ministry position reflects his role as the most liberal king in a generation.

“It could be a sign of a step towards liberalization,” Istrabadi said.