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Saudi Arabia Appoints its First Female Spokesperson at US Embassy

Fatima Baeshen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Fatima Baeshen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Appoints its First Female Spokesperson at US Embassy

Fatima Baeshen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Fatima Baeshen (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Khalid bin Salman issued an order to assign Fatima Baeshen the embassy's spokeswoman, making her the first female spokesperson for a government institution.

Baeshen is a businesswoman, who has earned her master’s degree with a focus on Islamic finance from the University of Chicago, and has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Baeshen was a director at the Washington based think tank Arabia Foundation. She spent several years working in Riyadh’s Saudi Ministry of Labor and the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning before returning to the United States in 2017.

She has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development.

Baeshen was raised in the US and spent most of her childhood in Mississippi.

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Muslim Pilgrims ‘Stone the Devil’ as Hajj Nears End in Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mina near the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP)
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mina near the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP)
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Muslim Pilgrims ‘Stone the Devil’ as Hajj Nears End in Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mina near the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP)
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mina near the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP)

Pilgrims were performing the last major ritual of the Hajj -- the "stoning of the devil" -- on Friday, as Muslims around the globe celebrated the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

From before daybreak, the 1.6 million-plus pilgrims began throwing seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolizing the devil in the Mina valley, on the outskirts of the holy city of Makkah.

Droves of pilgrims had already set out from their accommodation in the sprawling tent city in Mina before dawn, taking advantage of the cool temperatures.

The ritual commemorates Abraham's stoning of the devil at the three spots where it is said Satan tried to dissuade him from obeying God's order to sacrifice his son.

"Our experience in Mina was easy and simple. We entered and within five minutes we had completed the stoning of the devil at the 'Jamarat'," said 34-year-old Wael Ahmed Abdel Kader, from Egypt, after carrying out the ritual at dawn.

Howakita, a pilgrim from Guinea, said the prospect of celebrating Eid in Makkah filled her with joy.

"When I threw the stones, I felt at ease. I was truly proud," she said.

A day earlier, pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat, praying and reciting Quranic verses at the 70-meter (230-foot) rocky rise near Makkah, where the Prophet Mohammed gave his last sermon.

Many climbed the mount despite the searing heat, though numbers had thinned by midday following official warnings for pilgrims to stay inside between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.

This year's Hajj saw authorities implementing a range of heat mitigation efforts alongside a wide-ranging crackdown on illicit pilgrims.