Saudi businessman congratulates Trump in full-page advert, stirs mixed reactions

To console or congratulate others through newspaper advertisements is a common practice in Arab societies, especially in Saudi Arabia. Ad sales agents eagerly await major events, such as national days or royal appointments, to help them meet, if not exceed, their revenue targets. 
But when a Saudi businessman recently published a full page advert in a local newspaper to congratulate US President Donald Trump on his inauguration, it certainly proved unexpected, with many Saudis resorting to social media to express their surprise and mixed emotions. 
Businessman Muslat Abu Theneen Al-Sobaie took out the unusual advertisement on the last page of Al-Jazira, one of the most popular local Saudi newspapers. 
Speaking to Arab News, Al-Sobaie confirmed that he was just expressing his own point of view when he said in the ad: “I congratulate Your Excellency on the occasion of assuming the leadership of the US and wish you and the friendly American people every success and prosperity during your term.”
Al-Sobaie also told Arab News that the ad marked an appreciation and personal admiration for Trump, specifically “his positions and promises he vowed to address Iranian terrorist expansion in the Arab region and his promises to build an international consensus to fight terrorism.”
The Saudi businessman said that “the promises made by President Trump toward the afflicted Syrian people were what made me rush (to congratulate him). The whole world ignored the injustice inflicted on the Syrian people and it also ignored the Iranian expansion in the Arab region in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. We hope that President Trump keeps his promises and puts an end to this (Iranian) expansion in order to deter the mullahs of Iran from implementing their plan to destroy the Arab world.”
Al-Sobaie underlined that he did not take out the advertisement for the fame, but that he merely wanted to greet the president and congratulate him on taking office.
He stressed that if he wanted fame, he would have gone to the international media, but said he only wanted to convey his personal point of view and in a Saudi newspaper.
After the ad was published, many turned to social media to comment, with some tweets mocking the advertisement, given it was in an Arabic-speaking newspaper that is not circulated in the US. 
Some social media said they considered Al-Subaie to be showing off. But Al-Subaie refuted these claims, saying that if he wanted to boast or brag with such ad, there are many other ways that could help him reach that goal.

http://www.arabnews.com/