Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — A member of the Shoura Council has proposed that the name of the tribe and the place of birth should not be included in the Saudi IDs and that the ID card should only furnish essential information, Al-Hayat daily reported.

These calls aim to reduce discrimination, the member said. It is not known whether the proposal would be studied by the council or not.

Dr. Faisal Al-Fadel, who made the proposal, recommended that Human Rights Commission should coordinate with relevant authorities to review regulations pertaining to the registration of name and information in IDs and formulate regulations in a way that enhances national cohesion, and curtails racism and discrimination based on tribal affiliations.

"The Civil Status regulations need to be reviewed, especially the parts related to registration of family names and personal information. Some people abuse this information to discriminate against others," he said.

He said Civil Affairs should keep information such as the family name and other important personal information confidential and not display them on IDs.

The first Article of Human Rights Commission Mandate stresses that the rights of people should protected and enhanced in line with international human rights and that everyone should be given their rights confirmed by the Shariah.

The commission's mandate also states that the commission should review the regulations currently in effect and suggest necessary amendments, as long as such amendments enhance the protection of human rights.

"If we look at the IDs in UK, we will see that it does not show any information that can be used to discriminate against the person holding the ID," he explained.