A Close Look at the Budget

Monday, 25 December 2006
By Sabria S Jawahar

The Saudi Gazette

Last Monday Saudi Arabia released its national budget for 2007. It’s the largest in the Kingdom’s history, with projected revenues at SR400 billion ($106 billion) and expenditures at SR380 billion ($101 billion). A closer look, though, at the budget reveals that it was focused on the following areas; reducing the public debt, development and improvement of the citizens standard of living. It also emphasized the importance of building and developing the country’s infrastructure. In general, the budget can be rightly characterized as the second economic boom in the Saudi history.
Education, vocational training and human resources received the biggest portion of this year’s budget, which highlights the leadership’s desire for building capacities and securing a better future for the new generation.
“We are keen on meeting the requirements needed for raising the educational capabilities of teachers and improving their performance by introducing modern educational methods,” said King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz when he unveiled the budget during his weekly Cabinet meeting.
The King also issued directives to increase the capacity of educational institutions adding that these institutions would focus on specializations required by the labor market and here is where the great role of implementation comes.
The labor market, as the King stated, is the key word towards a successful education system and a good output. It should be tackled in context and factors other than those temporarily needed should also be taken into consideration. The labor market should not also be studied in isolation from the world’s trends simply because supply and demand are not a unilateral factor. The spending on education should not be limited to schools and opening of new facilities according to today’s or even tomorrow’s needs. Studying and analyzing the international market should be continuous and parallel to the educational development.
More graduates should be sent abroad not only to come back with new fields of knowledge but also to break the traditional cycle of education that has been producing poor-quality students since the 1970s. The Kingdom vitally needs new blood pumped into its education system.
Students have the right to be exposed to different cultures and educational backgrounds within the borders of their country. Employing qualified teachers and attracting scientists from all over the world is the fastest and best solution for any devastated education system. When it comes to education, quality should be our first concern and Saudization should come second. A huge budget such as that of Saudi Arabia should be closely watched, especially as it is directed towards building capacities and infrastructure. But building projects are subject to corruption if an oversight committee is not formed or activated if it does exist.
The committee should be responsible for following up the way the budget is spent and should be given access to all records and financial files of all ministries. It should be given the power to question and investigate officials at all levels. The same committee should determine and estimate both the time frame and budget required for each project included in the national budget. Some readers might think that the role of such a committee will overlap that of the Shoura Council committees, especially since they are entitled to discuss the performance of all ministries at the end of each year. This is not true. The Shoura committees depend on the reports submitted to them by the ministries themselves and have no right to investigate or penalize.
Those committees are also too weak even to solve problems. For example, what have those committees done concerning the unprecedented numbers of medical errors that took place in our hospitals? Are they happy with the level of health services that the Ministry of Health is offering? If yes, then a big question should be posed about the quality and competence of those committees.
What about education? Are the Shoura Council’s committees satisfied with its output? Do they believe that it is compatible with the international standards? Can our graduates work and survive outside our borders?
If such an accountability committee is not quickly established and its members carefully chosen, the impact of such a budget will not be seen on the citizens’ daily life or on the country’s development. Instead, we will also continue to see officials who are keen to save as much money as possible in their ministries’ savings not because of the lack of need but in order to pass it on to the following year’s budget as a surplus. This is not done, as one might think, to serve or save the national treasury. On the contrary, it is done to guarantee them longer office-terms. Others will spend as much as possible, not on the development of the country’s infrastructure, but on fake projects that don’t go beyond attractive archives files for those dead-before-born projects. Finally, hopes and lives are attached to this coming budget following the great depression that struck the market. People look at the budget as a way of salvation, so let’s not let them down.

MARRIED TO A SAUDI?

By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

SHE is a Saudi citizen. Her papers are proper and perfectly legal. Every body, including the prison administration, knows for sure that she is innocent. And yet, she cannot leave prison.

Let's call her Dina (not her real name), a two-year-old Saudi girl who is in prison for no reason other than the fact that her parents were not legally allowed to get married according to the Kingdom's laws governing the marriage of Saudi men to non-Saudi women.

Four years ago, Dina's mother Aisha (also not her real name), was engaged to a Saudi man who was ready to pay the dowry Aisha's family had asked for. As with all young women her age, Aisha was excited to marry a man who will share with her father the responsibility of taking care of her as well as her family.
Hearts beat fast as the wedding party waited for the Sheikh who was supposed to write the marriage contract. The witnesses were there, the father and the brothers were all excited and nervous at the same time. The Sheikh arrived, the dowry was paid and the marriage was completed.
"It has been four years since we got married," Aisha told the Saudi Gazette during a visit in her cell at Jeddah's Briman Prison.
She said that because her husband cannot be legally permitted to marry, he did not document the marriage contract in the court as it was required. The couple lived together for almost four years, and Aisha got pregnant and gave birth to their first child.
"My husband was not living with us all the time," Aisha said. "Because he rarely showed up the neighbors doubted him and us and informed the police that something wrong was happening in our house."
The police came and arrested her as well as her family. They deported those who were not there legally to their country of origin and released those who paid bail while keeping Aisha in prison for more than two months without taking her to court or even explaining what she was charged with, the young woman said.
"Simply, I do not know - what is my crime?" she asked.
Officials at the prison administration said that she was arrested for having an undeclared marriage charge, a violation of Saudi law.
The Kingdom's marriage procedures demand that a Saudi must seek permission from two civil authorities - the emir of the region where the marriage will take place and then from the Interior Ministry - before he being allowed to marry someone of a different nationality.
To receive approval from the Interior Ministry, the non-Saudi in the marriage has to have been born in Saudi Arabia. To prove that the wife was born in Saudi Arabia, a birth certificate and a medical report must also be included in the application.
In addition, the man must provide information about his financial status, a letter of confirmation from his employer, a copy of his fiancee's Iqama, as well as her father's Iqama and passport.
Aisha told The Saudi Gazette that she did not know that her marriage was illegal. In addition, she trusted the judgment of her husband because he works for the government and knows the regulations, she said.
According to the head of the Interior Ministry's special rights department, Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al-Muhana, the regulations on the marriage of Saudis to non-Saudis are designed to protect the interests of both the parties as well as the Kingdom and its citizens. He said that if a Saudi man married a non-Saudi woman without first obtaining the permission of the Ministry, he would be taken to court and his wife would not be allowed to get into the country. But if she is already in the country, he added, she will be deported.
However, separate regulations cover children. For example, Al-Muhana explained, if the children were born outside the Kingdom, say in the mother's home country, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be asked to deal with the situation after making sure that the available documents proving the relationship of the children to the father are authentic. Then they send the documents to the Ministry of Interior.
'If there is any doubt about the authenticity of that relationship from the husband's or the wife's side, the papers transferred to the specialized authority and a DNA test is demanded from both sides,' Al-Muhana said.
In Islam, there are three conditions for a marriage contract. First, both parties should be free of anything that might prevent the marriage from being valid, such as being close relatives who are permanently forbidden to marry, whether this relationship is through blood ties or through breastfeeding (radaa'), or where the man is a non-Muslim and the woman is a Muslim, and so on.
Second, there should be an offer or proposal (ijaab) from the wali or the person who is acting in his place. Finally, there should be an expression of acceptance (qabool) on the part of the groom, or whoever is acting in his place, saying "I accept," or similar words.
As per the conditions of a proper marriage contract, both the bride and groom should be clearly identified, whether by stating their names or describing themselves.
Both the bride and groom should be pleased with one another. The one who does the contract on the woman’s behalf should be her wali (guardian). The marriage contract must be witnessed. Finally it is also important that the marriage be announced.
The Saudi Gazette talked to a Sheikh, who preferred to be referred to as Abu Mohammad, who said that based on what he was told of Aisha's story, the marriage contract is valid from an Islamic point of view because it meets all the conditions. However, Abu Mohammad wondered whether they announced the marriage or not. He also added that each country has its own regulations that govern marriage and the citizens have to abide by them even if they do not like them.
"Obeying the ruler's regulations is part of Islam that should not be ignored or violated just for the sake of personal desire," the Sheikh said. "Those regulations are introduced to guarantee both the wife’s and the children's rights."
Aisha said she has not heard from her husband since she was arrested and does not know if he has been arrested too or he is moving around scot-free.
"All I want is to be taken to court to face my destiny or deported back home to raise this girl outside the prison bars," she said.

Is It a Safe Environment?

Monday, 18 December 2006
By Sabria S Jawahar

The Saudi Gazette

Saudi officials say that the government has intensified its efforts to increase public awareness and encourage individual and group initiatives to protect the environment. However, what strikes me almost daily is the extreme carelessness in protecting our environment along our shores and in big cities.
It has taken the government considerable time to contain the damage along our shores in the Arabian Gulf as a result of the second Gulf War.
The deputy director of the Saudi Presidency of Meteorology and Environment announced this week the ministry’s intention to launch a program to repair environmental damage on the Saudi shorelines along the Arabian Gulf using the $1300 million compensation endorsed by the United Nations following a study on the impact of the war on the environment.
He said spending that money on the treatment of the existing pollution comes on the top of the presidency’s list of priorities.
Despite my excitement with the announcement, I have several questions concerning what have been done since the war began. What role did the national environment committee, established in 1999, play to increase the awareness of people in the region concerning the sources of pollution and how to avoid them?
If generating more public awareness about the environment was among the committee’s general aims, what changes have taken place concerning the environmental conservation policies? We still see practices that cause a lot of damage to the environment and natural resources.
What is worse is that this is all done at the sight of authorities whether the presidency of meteorology and environment or municipality. Moreover, municipalities in big industrial cities like Jeddah are still looking for excuses to get away with allowing diseases to spread as a result of pollution.
When I asked a friend of mine, who specializes in environmental sciences, about the degree of environmental safety in Jeddah, he said, “ If I open my mouth with one word no one will ever live in this artificially beautiful city. Besides, I will lose my job.”
That remark left me no wonder about those unknown diseases appearing recently in Jeddah’s hospitals.
According to the World Bank, Saudi Arabia will have to invest substantial capital in the environmental sector in coming years in order to become more sustainable; the Bank has estimated that the Arab world will need to invest $100 billion in its environmental sector over the next 10 years to protect the environment.
But not even one-fifth of that money has been invested in essential environmental projects. However, what matters is whether officials in the GCC countries are aware of the extent of danger people in the region are exposed due to reluctance in implementing protection measures.
In a Saudi study which published this month, it was confirmed that breast cancer is the most common cancer among Saudi women.
The same study also showed that women in the Eastern Province registered the highest number of reported cases. They comprised of 22 percent of the registered cases according to the national record of cancer at the Ministry of Health. This brings us back to the reasons behind the delay in treating environmental damage along the Gulf shorelines.
An official at a leading company in Saudi Arabia told me that his company stopped buying a certain brand of bottled water after it failed to pass the company’s quality test. He said it was found highly polluted. The official refused to mention the brand of the water, yet he said it comes from an area close to areas exposed to battle during the second Gulf War.
Yet nothing was officially announced about that water, which means that thousands, if not millions, of people were using it in a daily basis. So where was the national environmental committee when they were supposed to supervise factory that produced that water?
To be fair no one denies that in recent years Saudi Arabia has been increasing its efforts to protect the country from various environmental hazards while attempting to balance these concerns with the country’s heavy dependence on hydrocarbon production and export. But officials still must know that environmental protection issues are not limited to production, processing and transportation of oil and natural gas.
Other issues should be included, such as water and sewage infrastructure that has not been kept up with the country’s rapidly growing population in recent decades.
Strategic solutions for cities like Jeddah that have experienced serious problems with pollution by sewage leakage should be found. Time in solving those problems should be highly considered as essential simply because with the passage of each moment some one gets affected by pollution

The Art of Dialogue

Monday, 04 December 2006
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

Last week another round of the national dialogue concluded with a list of general recommendations that were of no difference from those that came out of the previous forums. It added little value to the event, especially with the absence of implementing authorities. However, two things about this dialogue stood out. First, the participation of high-level representatives from the Ministry of Education, which was related to the theme of the dialogue.
Second, the collective agreement among the participants to give copies of the recommendations, work papers, discussions, audio and videotapes of the three-day event to the Ministry of Education. That has also added more value to the recommendations in the hope that one day they will be taken into consideration and fully examined and implemented.
I point this out because past national dialogues on specific topics lacked participation of ministry officials who could address and implement solutions.
This year’s national dialogue emphasized the importance of education as the best tool for uplifting the nation and its development process. Education should be considered a tool through which nations mold their youth in a way that goes along with their beliefs as well as the changing world around them.
Schools should not foster isolation where students leave only with superficial knowledge that does not help them to survive elsewhere. It also should not be a cookie-cutter factory that molds minds to be identical.
Education should be the means that leads the student through life and experience toward a better understanding of himself. It should always end with positive changes in man and society. The molding process of the youth’s intellectual excellence should be equally joined with spiritual qualities and values in order to achieve the required balance between the soul and the body.
Yet a deep look at our education reveals that it does not provide the desirable atmosphere for the student to know the truth by developing a critical thinking. It lacks in the basic information to develop good and proper attitudes toward family and society. It does not focus on the importance of students’ contributions as members of their society.
Our students, unfortunately, are taught how to realize their full academic potential but not to promote good citizenship. Values such as responsible freedom, integrity, human dignity, responsibility and acceptance of authority and differences are almost absent from our textbooks.
Principles of dialogue, which are essential instrument to fostering relationship and promoting understanding among the different segments of society, are nothing but a distant dream in our schools.
Sometimes it seems to be absent from the minds of educators that when we teach our students how to truly communicate and use the art of dialogue, we are increasing their expected performance and understanding. Peace and harmony are also a result of dialogue and mutual understanding. The spirit of hostility that appears each time a dialogue or even a debate takes place among us even if only in the newspapers, tells a lot about the philosophy and background upon which our education was built. The lack of freedom of expression inside our classrooms has also contributed to bringing up a generation that is hostile to whatever is different.
The principles of dialogue should be taught at school. Consequently, educators should acknowledge that for a true dialogue to occur it needs to take place within a protective environment of mutually accepted rights and responsibilities. Dialogue, , according to the Center for Organizational Energy, should be rooted in two fundamental values: respect for the person and trust in the process itself. Each person has the right to define himself and articulate his beliefs without being labeled by others. At the same time, people should be taught how to seriously question their assumptions about others and to evaluate their own attitudes, values and positions on issues within the context of their religion and tradition.
We should learn to deal with each other from a position of mutual trust, based on an expectation that others come to the dialogue in a spirit of honesty and sincerity. Finally, we have to learn the difference between a dialogue and a debate where we listen to each other to find flaws and disagree.

http://www.kacnd.org/eng/

Must the Net Be Censored?

Monday, 27 November 2006
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

When people gave up using the media as a tool because business or government controlled it, they shifted to the Internet that is free from such constraints. Since then, the Internet has become a loudspeaker for people to express their opinions without any fear or hesitation. It reaches more people than any other medium and has become a true example of democratic communication.
When the Internet was introduced here, Saudis hoped their society would be open to the world.
Internet became a window, which would make their voices heard across the world. However, the purposes for which it has come to be used varies from scientific and communicative to defamation and spreading racist propaganda and religious hatred.
It is also used by extremists to incite hatred and spread their so-called news of victories. Some governments frequently visit extremists’ websites to collect intelligence.
Everyone agrees that freedom of speech is a basic right for every human being. But what we must consider when we talk about the Internet is what happens if this “freedom of speech” is harming other people? Should free speech be stopped at a certain level so that it doesn’t unjustly affect others?
The debate about the merits of the Internet will always continue. It is not limited to Saudi Arabia or the Arab world. Even in the West people wonder whether some voices should be heard wand others censored. And if they should be censored, where should the line be drawn?
Using the Internet for posting racist or hateful comments should not push us to promote the idea of censorship and give it undeserved legitimacy. Freedom of speech stimulates creativity, social evolution, and makes for good government. But when we promote freedom of speech in a developing nation we must keep in mind the fact that malicious rumors can cause violence and sufferering. It can destroy the future of any person or family.
In Saudi Arabia, for instance, the government censors websites that are perceived as harmful to Islam, national security and social values. Yet nothing is done concerning those sites that harm the fabric of the society by defaming people either for personal reasons or hidden agendas.
This makes us wonder why if they have the ability to track those who post or spread information that endanger the nation’s security, why ever indeed don’t they do the same with those who use the religion as an excuse to defame people and label them as infidel?
Internet users in Saudi Arabia, for instance, are familier with some websites where a group of people with hidden agendas post false information about anyone who does not agree with them or with their ideology. Moreover, they turn people against others without any proof. They use those sites as a force to hire and fire officials by defaming them.
Sometimes they go so far as to call for the killing or physical harassment of someone in the name of religion. They forget even the simplest teachings of Islam. Isn’t it the same Islam that they are promoting that says “O you who believe! If a Fasiq (liar-evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what have you done.” Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:6.
Where is the government when it comes to those people who endanger others’ lives and incite violence? Aren’t those people as dangerous to the country’s security as those who promote terrorism?
Those who use Internet sites to spread sectarian division in Saudi society should be held accountable. It would stand against every legal mind and every human rights activist in the country. But isn’t the price of freedom less than the damage being done?
The time has come for directives and national laws to be enacted that make the Internet a better medium for learning and communication.
Moderators should stop those flamers from using technology to destroy others. Defaming and inflammatory comments should be withdrawn without a question at least till people know and appreciate what freedom of speech means.

Market Crash and Inaction of Officials

Tuesday, 07 November 2006
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

WHAT is happening in the Saudi stock market these days is a real crisis that should have attracted the full attention of all authorities concerned. But unfortunately, we have witnessed nothing but an absolute killing silence. I am not an economist and I have never been interested in the economy. However, I am confused whether we are facing a crisis of money or expertise. A quick review of the general performance of the Saudi economy that depends mainly on oil prices shows that there is no logical explanation for the sharp decline in the stock market. Oil prices are relatively good compared to what experts had expected two years ago. It now ranges between $56 and $60.
At the same time, the country is executing several mega-projects attracting billions of riyals from both local and foreign investors. This shows that the problem has nothing to do with money. The Saudi market is full of liquidity and its performance is characterized as the best as compared to the previous years. So, could it be a crisis of expertise?
If we assume that the problem lies in the shortage of planning minds, I believe that we have a huge number of graduates in all fields from the most prestigious universities all over the world. But, unfortunately, it seems to me that we are not tapping their talents because of bureaucratic hurdles. This may not be a convincing reason for the market crisis as only experts should be working on preparing and executing the country’s monetary policies.
It is obvious though that we suffer a lack of determination to have comprehensive short-and long-term strategic plans that cover both macro and micro aspects of the economy. We don’t know, for instance, where the Saudi stock market will be in the coming five years. Are we going to see a market that truly reflects the strong performance of the national economy? Will we see the middle class prospering due to government subsidy or more people joining the poverty club?
The extreme silence on the part of all authorities concerned – whether the Saudi Arabian Monterey Agency (SAMA), the Ministry of Finance, the Capital Market Authority or the Shoura Council - will only aggravate the already escalating crisis of confidence in a way similar to the crash that began earlier this year and the ‘Black Thursday’ that hit the US market.
We are not expecting officials to react the way the South Eastern countries reacted during the 2002 crisis. But we are calling for the immediate creation of a legal and financial system to save the biggest Arab market and the whole region from the darkness of poverty and its consequences such as depression and violence. Is it logical to keep silent when the market suffers a 16 percent loss in less than a week? For the officials, it seems, the loss of at least SR130 billion in six days means nothing!
It goes without saying that international markets get stabilized only when they are backed up by a strong legal and financial system that acts to end any possible violation or manipulation. So how can we imagine a bourse as big as that of Saudi Arabia, ranked as the tenth internationally, to survive without a legal system to protect all of its components?
This is a true call to the members of the Shoura Council to play their expected role as representative of the public opinion and a mirror to the society’s problems. Last February’s justifications of overdue correction in markets are not acceptable any more.
Stop hiding behind your doors and talk to the poor citizens who are in a state of great shock losing not only what they own but even what they don’t as most of the invested money came as loans from banks.
I know that you are extremely busy discussing the feasibility of a bilateral commercial agreement for aviation with Burkina Faso and the impact of that on the Saudi economy. I agree and fully support your belief that hunting in Burkina Faso is the best way to meet any possible shortage of meat supply during the coming summer. But the future of more than three million citizens is almost equally important. I also know that Burkina Faso is a beautiful country located somewhere in Africa but I have never known that hunting there will bring confidence to the Saudi stock market. Congratulations, Shoura members, the Minister of finance, officials at SAMA and CMA for your great concern and efforts to facilitate the entry in to the poverty club and make it free to all Saudis.
Finally each story has its dark and bright side. The recent sharp decline has its own bright side after the Shoura Council has successfully brought the children of the Saudi mother from a non-Saudi to an equal footing with their Saudi counterparts. Now they can invest in the Stock market.

A Life for a Pair of Gloves

Monday, 30 October 2006
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

WHEN officials at the Ministry of Health announced their strategic plans to increase the percentage of Saudization in the health sector in general and nursing in particular, I was among those who were excited over the whole idea. Actually, I was carried away by the notion that we have finally come to a solution for the poor communication resulting from the language barrier between doctors and nurses on the one hand and patients on the other. At that time, I did not think that Saudization in the health sector might come at the expense of efficiency and quality. But since my mother was diagnosed as a renal patient eight months ago, I have become a regular visitor to several private and government hospitals both in Jeddah and Madinah. Since then, I have had the chance to closely watch the deficiencies in our health sector that might have led to most of the fatal medical errors that our hospitals were witnessing recently.
This is not to underestimate those professional Saudi doctors and nurses whom I am certainly proud of or to limit the medical errors to a particular nationality. Negligence has no face or nationality.
However, I noticed that some of the wrong practices were limited to Saudi female staff only. For instance, who can trust a nurse with long colored nails, a thing that I have never seen among other nationalities? Some of the Saudi nurses were wearing accessories that are good for anywhere but a hospital. The problem is that those nurses are exposing not only themselves to infections but also the patients. Who would also trust a nurse who is busy with bluetooth communications with her colleagues or answering her loudly singing (no ringing) mobile in an emergency room?
However, when the time came and we had to decide whether my mother should go through hemo- or peritoneal dialysis, a professional doctor warned me about the risk of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, a leading cause of acute and chronic liver disease in hemodialysis patients. He said that patients on maintenance hemodialysis are known to have an elevated risk of acquiring HCV infection.
Yet I ruled out that possibility when I was told that patients usually go through a reliable diagnosis of HCV infection before starting their first session of dialysis to prevent the spread of the disease through dialysis units. Doctors at the dialysis units also assured me that they use separate machines for those diagnosed as HCV positive and as HCV negative. Those facts prompted me to choose hemodialysis for my mother simply because with all of those precautionary measures one can hardly believe that the infection can spread among patients.
In my watchful presence, my mother’s sessions went very well, but last week I was shocked when a Saudi nurse was taking care of her. She was too careless even to change her blood-stained gloves. When I asked her to do so, she gave me a stare that was full of anger, and said they don’t have enough gloves!
But when I insisted she left arrogantly leaving my mother to the care of another nurse. The foreign nurse showed more professionalism, though she was not aware of the argument between me and her colleague. And certainly she used more than five pairs of gloves, changing them whenever she needed to touch the extensions that were connecting my mother to the dialysis machine.
The laziness and wrong practice as shown by the pevious nurse could have led to a disaster especially with the lack of supervision and on-the-job guidance. Since then, I have been wondering whether a human being’s life is equal to a pair of gloves? To me it was obvious that supervisors at that vital unit were so lax to allow their staff to carry mobiles and wear accessories exposing both sides to infections.
It was also clear that when a negative person is infected by HCV in a dialysis Unit, hospital authorities don’t hold an investigation, but just circulate notes. When the responsible authorities are so callous, what better service can the public expect from a careless and arrogant nurse? Incidents such as these should be the focus of attention and investigations by the Health Ministry officials. Nobody should play with peoples’ lives. It’s true that officials are well-ensconced themselves in luxurious offices but who knows where they will be tomorrow.

Trivial Issues Affecting Saudi Women

Monday, 16 October 2006
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

Sometimes officials overlook certain practices in Saudi society, not because they are “trivial or individual cases” as they claim, but because they cannot or do not want to look at the bigger picture. They fail to see what local customs and practices affecting women have on society and the Kingdom’s economy.
Yesterday, for instance, Okaz, the Arabic-language daily newspaper, published a report of a Saudi female doctor who fled the Kingdom with her non-Saudi husband because her uncles refused to accept the marriage despite its religious and legal validity. The non-Saudi husband has the same nationality as his wife’s mother.
This makes me wonder: Where was that refusal when the doctor’s father married her non-Saudi mother? Why didn’t the father’s brothers refuse or interfere? Was it because the doctor’s father was the strong side of the relationship according to their perception? Or are Saudi men entitled to marry women from all nationalities while the precious Saudi woman should not be touched by a man who is inferior to a Saudi?
You might also wonder why would a couple leave the country if their marriage was legal? The answer is that two months ago the media reported a similar case where a couple was divorced not because they wanted to but because the wife’s brothers believed the husband’s blood was inferior to theirs. The case was submitted to the Ministry of Justice, but a decision has not been finalized. The divorce was issued much faster by the court in Jouf.
It seems to me that our female doctor learned the lesson of the couple that was forced to divorce and realized that the court might not give her the justice she is seeking. So she decided to protect her marriage and flee.
In both cases, the women’s choices were not respected nor taken into consideration either by their male relatives or by the court, which was complicit in abusing them by enforcing rules that have nothing to do with Islam.
Islam gave the woman her due right to choose and to ask a male guardian to get her married to whomever she accepted as long as he is a good Muslim. Color, nationality or social class are not considered an issue in Islam
Recent statistics show that Saudi females comprise of 58 percent of the registered students at establishments of higher education in the Kingdom.
This means that more than 50 percent of the country’s education budget is allocated to women.
If the average age for a women to obtain her doctorate degree is 30 and above, this means that more than half of the post-graduate students fall in the category of “spinster” according to the Saudi standard.
This leaves the woman two choices. She either stays unmarried, which will decrease the birth rate and the population growth in the country during the coming years, or she gets married to a non-Saudi, which is highly preferred by most of the highly educated women.
By marrying a Saudi while above the age of 30, a woman risks marrying a much older man who may be already married with children or a man who is less educated and may be dependent on her for income.
Many educated women over the age of 30 prefer non-Saudis because they respect their profession and more than likely will treat her as a partner.
But what did Saudi officials think would happen to the 50 percent of the education budget if the majority of educated women were faced by the same situation like that of our doctor and flee the country?
Did they think once about creating a system that governs such small but important details in our daily life?
Regulations that govern the guardianship and the extent of the male relatives interference in women’s affairs must be reviewed not just for the sake of the society’s fiber and structure, but for the sake of the country’s economy. We are not ready to lose these qualified women and the benefits they offer Saudi society simply because they followed their hearts and asked for their due right to have a partner other than a Saudi.
More than 35.7 percent of the Saudi women in the Kingdom have exceeded the age of marriage, according to the Saudi society standard of age 30.
Must the Saudi courts be so careless with its women by considering such trivial issues as race and nationality when it comes to marriage?

To Veil or Not to Veil

Monday, 09 October 2006
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

ONCE again and not long after Pope Benedict XVI aroused Islamic anger with some ill-advised comments about Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), which strengthens the argument of those who say that the West is hostile to Muslims, we have come across another inflammatory statement. This time we hear it from the United Kingdom, home to more than 1.65 million Muslims. Britain’s former foreign secretary Jack Straw, now responsible for arranging government business, said the veil makes it harder for Muslims to integrate and that he preferred talking to constituents face to face. He often asks Muslim women to remove their veils.
To be honest, the statement by itself might not be of great concern if it came from an ignorant or illiterate common man, but what surprised me was that it came from Straw, who has an influence over public opinion in the West. Straw also was supported by Communities Minister Phil Woolas, whose responsibilities include community cohesion, race and faith.
The claims that the veil makes it harder for Muslim women to integrate and Straw often asks Muslim women to remove their veils, fly in the face of Britain’s continuing calls for respect of all religious symbols. It is a natural right for all believers to be tolerant to maintain a culture respecting interfaith dialogue and religious co-existence.
However, it is not my intention here to get into the possible consequences of such statements on integration and coexistence. Simply because we all know that such statements would be perceived as discrimination against Muslims. Besides, this topic has been tackled by several objective writers in both the Islamic and non-Islamic world.
My argument will be limited to the expected role of senior Muslim scholars all over the world and the media in both the West and the East in tackling such contemporary issues.
But before discussing their role, it is essential to know that in Islam there are two verses that succinctly and candidly talk about Hijab or the veil. Yet Muslim jurists have interpreted them differently. This highlights the effect of cultural background when it comes to the concept of veil in Islam. Some schools, for instance, consider covering the face as obligatory while other schools do not. However, they all consider covering rest of the body a must. Also, most scholars of eminence believe that a Muslim woman must wear “scarf” and cover her head for identity and sobriety.
The crux of the matter, though, remains that we have to differentiate between the teachings of the sacred texts of Islam and its practice, which more often are culture and country specific. Islam is practiced slightly differently in various Muslim countries.
Muslim women in Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon and Egypt don’t cover their faces, while women in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan do cover. Even those who cover use different colors and vary in the extent to which they cover the hair, the face, or the rest of the body. Those facts together should be made clear to Muslims all over the world, especially in the West, to help them cope and integrate with the culture of a country, which they have chosen as home.
In other words, Muslim scholars should help those living in the West to understand Islam’s view of veiling and make it clear whether it is obligatory or not. In most of the Islamic countries, like Saudi Arabia, non-Muslims are asked to respect the religion and culture. This should work both ways. In other words, Muslims who choose to live in the West should not make themselves distinguished and expose themselves to isolation by sticking to issues of discord between the different schools of Islam.
The media has also a great role in educating people in the West about the teachings of Islam when it comes to covering the hair and the rest of the body. So a Muslim woman should not be forced to take off her scarf because it is obligatory in Islam. Muslim women should also not insist on covering her face in a society that is not familiar with veiling in public places, which might create fear among the people.
The Western media must acknowledge that covering of private parts was obligatory in ancient Greek and Roman culture and was religiously obligatory in the society of the Jews and the Christians as well. Viewing Muslim women in Hijab as alien will not serve the cause of peace and integration.

Muslims are not Fascists

Monday, 14 August 2006
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

AN overwhelming majority of peace lovers – both in the Muslim and non-Muslim world – has strongly criticized US President George W. Bush’s remarks, linking Islam to fascism. Bush said that a foiled plot to blow up US-bound passenger planes from Britain showed that Washington was “at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation.”
Although the link that Bush drew between the plan and what he referred to as “Islamic fascists,” sparked an instant outcry from some Muslims, the rest are silent. But they are the ones that President Bush and his advisors have to fear. Those silent groups keep their views concealed and swallow their anger, but never forget such remarks.
The reaction to Bush’s remarks, however, will take years and decades to emerge. People of the region are burning with fury and I believe that when the time comes and they put one to one, they will certainly react. At that time, peace and negotiation will be meaningless words.
By using that rhetoric, President Bush has lost the last chance of making America perceived as a model country for peace and democracy. He has lost all those advocates of democracy in the region who would be ashamed of carrying that flag simply because it has become associated with the US and Israeli brutal practices.
Many Arabs and Muslims consider President Bush’s remarks as a fuel to the ongoing war against Islam. They believe this war was started in 2001 following the September 11 attacks and shortly before the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. It started when Bush called his war on terrorism “a crusade.”
Though the White House apologized for using that loaded term, nothing has been said on behalf of the president this time. This raises many questions: Is the White House ashamed of justifying its president’s recurrent mistakes? Or are they busy teaching him lessons in semantics to avoid such mistakes next time when his handlers and speechwriters are not around?
Yet the irony is that at a time when Bush is linking Islam to fascism, there are internal American voices that link his administration to the same term.
Laurence Britt in his “Fascism Anyone?”, compared the regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet and identified 14 characteristics common to those fascist regimes.
The Project for the Old American Century collected news articles dating from the start of the Bush presidency and divided them into topics relating to each of the 14 points of fascism.
The project website said: “There is no little red book or manifesto of fascism; it cannot be gathered from one systematic treatise but must be culled from various sources that express thought and opinion as much as political philosophy.”
In conclusion, Bush had no right to talk about fascism or even to make such a comment in such a difficult time when the whole world is seeking peace by all means.
It seems that he does not realize that by making such reckless and inflammatory comments he is not only harming Muslims overseas, but also the Muslim community in his own country. Besides, he is creating unnecessary enemies at a time when he needs all support and efforts to win his so-called war against terrorism.
However, the most important thing that he has to learn is the fact that fascism is a system of government characterized by one-party dictatorship that forcibly suppresses opposition.
Taken that into consideration, Bush should stop unreasonably linking fascism or terrorism with Muslims or Islam.
He has to stop harming those Muslim countries and communities that cooperate and assist his government in finding the real terrorists. By saying what he said, President Bush is basically turning his war against terrorism into a factory that produces terrorists on a very large scale. Muslims all over the world should also demand an official apology or take tough measures to stop such anti-Muslim campaigns.
* Note: for further reading please visit: http://www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm

What is Next?

Monday, 07 August 2006
By Sabria S Jawahar
The Saudi Gazette

EACH time an Arab or an Islamic country is targeted, the rest of the Ummah explodes, condemns and curses both American and Israeli foreign policies. However, during such critical times, business flourishes at coffee shops all over the Arab world simply because people like to discuss politics over a cup of coffee and a puff of Shisha. For instance, people in Cairo, Damascus or even Jeddah are talking about a conspiracy and suspicious goals in the region. The heat of rage, however, can be felt equally in all of those Arab and Islamic cities regardless of the differences among their climates.
But, as history has proved, those waves of rage and anger usually subside as soon as the assault is stopped, no matter how great the loses.
In other words, when the attackers have done enough and accomplished their goals, the generous Arab runs and exerts every possible effort to raise funds to rebuild what has been destroyed, as if it has become their duty to clean up after the United States and Israel make a mess.
It is always the Arabic who pay the bill for each war in the region though they have never asked for compensation for the destruction of their countries or for the killing of the innocent people. And no wonder – Arabs are the best at healing the wounds of their beloved but, unfortunately, they don’t know how to erase the psychological effect of aggression on children. They can never give life to their dead parents.
I do not want to undermine these efforts to help our brothers and sisters in the Islamic world. What I mean, basically, is to ask what have Arabs done since 1949 and all the crisis years that have followed? Have they learned how to tackle crises? Have they learned how to build a strong and convincing lobby in each country where they have interests that need to be served?
Yesterday, I was shocked when I read in a local newspaper a report about the extent of the Israel lobby’s pressure on India. The report talked about the ban by India’s Ministry of Information on taking video and news feeds from Arab TV channels under pressure form Israel.
“It seems the ban is a move to ensure that Indians do not get to see the atrocities that are presently being committed by Israel in Lebanon and the occupied territories,” the report said.
That reminded me of the academic essay of Professors John J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen M. Walt of Harvard University entitled “The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy.” The paper, published in March 2006, discusses the influence of the Israeli lobby on American foreign policy.
It has been characterized by critics as a great and brave step by those professors who proved to the Western world that revealing the truth might harm your career as well as your social life but never kills you. In that paper, the authors argued that a wide-ranging coalition including neoconservatives, Christian Zionists, leading journalists and, of course, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, exerts a “stranglehold” on Washington’s Middle East policy and public debate on the issue. They cited examples that varied from the different American administrations and media outlets.
Mearsheimer and Walt disclosed the Israeli ability to use its power to pass any agenda or project that supposedly serves its well-being. The paper also shows Israeli influence can reach the highest level even in the strongest and most independent country. They know how to shut people up.
The bottom line of this article, however, is to remind Arabs and Muslims that Israel, as a country, is nothing but a spot on the map of Middle East.
Nevertheless, what has made Israel what it is now is its effective lobbies that work like an octopus everywhere and at all levels, from politics to society. Thus, I believe it is time for Arab and Muslim countries to stop spending their money on false, self-promoting media campaigns.
They have to move and start investing in the Western media. They also have to invest their money in vital fields in a way that gives them control over the world’s economy.
Taking into consideration the current Arab position, they have to acknowledge that the war cannot be won by military confrontations. Only by influencing strong countries can they get what they want, including military support. Once again, let’s learn from Israel’s way of doing business.
Arab leaders should also know that diplomacy cannot be discussed during parties where someone can always hear you. It is run by money and discussed in private.
They have to teach the world that if “anti-Semitism” is the secret word for gaining support and violating international accords, then Arabs are also Semites and killing their children is anti-Semitism.
Finally, if Lebanon is not enough of a lesson for them, then let them dig their graves with their own hands. Because they are going to be the next.

A Vision of the a˜New Middle East

Monday, 31 July 2006
By Sabria S Jawahar
The Saudi Gazette

SINCE US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that the time has come for a new Mideast, political analysts have been competing in an attempt to draw a picture of what it might look like. Yet, there were few differences in the conclusions that analysts from both the West and East have reached. It seems that there is an agreement on the fact that this “new Middle East” will be nothing but small pieces of weak Arab countries. Those countries are supposed to be completely dependent on the United States, especially with the increasing violent confrontations and political turmoil in the region from sectarian wars.
That vision about the new Middle East, however, did not come out of vacuum. Actually when Ms. Rice was talking about “birth pangs” of a new Middle East, she was announcing the launching of the American-Israeli project: “A clean break: A new strategy for securing the realm.”
This project is not a top secret any more. It is well-known to all those who are interested in the American foreign policy in the region.
My vision, however, of the new Middle East is completely different from that of Ms. Rice. And I anticipate a strong likelihood that the US and Israel will become increasingly isolated. At the same time, Arab countries will be united under the umbrella of fighting one brutal enemy. It seems to me that the policy makers in the US were misguided by the designers of that project, all of whom misread the map of the region and the nature of its people. Arabs unite during times of crises.
I can see a Middle East that has lost its fairytale magic and fantasy. A Middle East that is facing the fact that it is in “a make or break situation.” I see a new generation of Arab youths for whom life and death have become inconsequential following the loss of houses, schools and hospitals.
I also see a new generation that perceives the West as a monster and a shedder of blood. The spark of anger can easily be seen glittering into the eyes of the children who witnessed their loved ones being killed in cold blood by the Israeli army, under the cover of the Bush administration.
When I look intensely at that picture of the region’s future, I wonder: Do Americans and Israelis expect those children to stretch a hand of peace again after seeing the decapitated hands of their parents, relatives and friends lying on the ground?
I also wonder about the day when Palestinian and Lebanese children pay back the gift of their Israeli counterparts. To me, Lebanese children will never forget the picture of the Israeli children writing their messages of “peace” on the artillery shells that were prepared to kill more Lebanese and destroy their houses.
Despite this gloomy picture, I completely agree with Ms. Rice. These are “the birth pangs” and a new Middle East will be born soon. But unfortunately, this Middle East will be completely different from the one that she and her administration have in mind.
It is true that it will be born out of the pain and in an atmosphere where the coldness of death and oppression being the only things around. But the pain and suffering will form the main force that will wake up the sleeping giant. A new generation will be born under the rain of the Israeli fire. That generation, thanks to the United States, will be more creative and less dependent on the West and its alleged protection. It will use its limited resources to destroy and confront the most advanced tanks and fighting planes that America supplies to Israel.
The best thing about this generation, Ms. Rice, will be its ability to survive and to kill in cold blood, thanks to the American lessons of democracy and civilization. The models that have been shown in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and finally Lebanon will teach Arab youths that they have no choice but to fight. Now, after having this alternative scenario, do you still want to create a “new Middle East”?
When people choose war, governments will never be able to stop them. Patience cannot last forever.
Note: for more information about “a clean Break” visit http://www.iasps.org/strat1.htm

Voice of Wisdom

Tuesday, 18 July 2006
By Sabria S Jawahar
The Saudi Gazette

THERE is nothing on earth more difficult than being in a hospital waiting area among people who are in pain while following the news of a furious war. The people’s reactions to the scenes of the Israeli war against Lebanon on televisions across the waiting area in a private hospital confused me. It was not clear whether those tearful eyes and concealed sighs were out of physical pain or psychological anguish.
The scenes of destruction, blood and body parts all over the places were too much for someone who is already suffering from severe pain and looking for a relief in a hospital. Sometimes it seems to me that the death scenes were more like a painkiller to those people.
They were gathering in the waiting area, watching the news and replacing their own pain with that of their brothers and sisters in Lebanon and Palestine. There was a complete unprecedented silence in that place.To me, it looked more like a graveyard in a middle of a winter night. Pale faces and concealed anger that had no channels to be released.
To my surprise, though, those people were looking for relief in the hands of a Lebanese doctor who was trying hard to hide his own pain and worries behind a wide smile.
Yet his eyes were red and tearful too. The polite doctor wore another smile to apologize for taking an urgent call from his young daughters in Lebanon asking a question that I wonder if he could answer. What to do? Where to hide?
In the other waiting area outside the hospital’s laboratory, another television was hung on the wall and another group of pale faces followed the news.
There I sat, waiting for the result of my medical test. To several people, that scene was nothing more than a day in a hospital waiting room. But to me, it was a sample of the reaction of people from different nationalities, backgrounds and ages about what is going on in the Mideast.
While I was sinking in my own thoughts, an old man who could hardly walk stood two meters away from me.
He hesitated about whether to keep standing, which would have been difficult for a man at his age, or to sit down on the seat next to me, which is unacceptable in the Saudi society.
I encouraged him and said, “come and have a seat uncle.” (It’s a title that Saudis use for all elderly out of respect.)After long minutes of cautious silence, my new neighbor opened his mouth with words that I could hardly hear but I realized spoke regret. He whispered, “Oh my God, I wish I were a bit younger or dead.”
I seized the moment to start a conversation with him. “What would you have done, uncle, if you were younger? Would you marry one of those beautiful girls?”
He looked at me in a way that made me wish I had never opened my mouth. He pointed at the television and at two young Saudi men who, for a while, seemed to be more like women than men. All the distinctive male’s features disappeared in their feminine appearance.
They were laughing and sharing the headset of what seemed to be an MP3 player, and seemed to be completely indifferent and unaware of the tense atmosphere around them as people were following the Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
The old man turned to me and said: “Those people are the ones who killed the Arabic and Islamic Ummah.”
“We were a strong Ummah that led the whole world during crises for a long time. But when the harvest season started and death took away our wise leaders one by one, only few were left to defend our dignity”, my new uncle said.
“Daughter, the real pain,” he continued, “is when you see that such children will be the leaders of our Ummah in the future.
The real pain is to know that a bunch of careless people are taking the region to the darkness of the unknown for nothing but personal interest.
Those people can see no farther than the tip of their nose. The Islamic Ummah is killed by its children. I wish it had died in its cradle, he added.
He noticed the confusion on my face, and replied: “You seem to be too young to be aware of the history of Israel in the region.
There is no doubt that it has always been a frantic wild monster that does not hesitate to attack its weak victim as soon as the chance comes. There was a sort of uncertainty about the extent of our solidarity and power. But when the veil was removed during the Gulf War, our weakness was uncovered. This fact has made that creature wilder and more aggressive. It has made him lurk for chance to attack us as it did.”
“At that time”, he elaborated, “we were too lazy to restrain the monster as we were comfortable with the luxurious life that was sold to us and made us nothing but a group of fat, lazy dullards. Our keenness to keep our maids and drivers, as well as our luxurious houses and cars, was much greater than our desire to keep our dignity and honor.
Now, when the scale of power is not equal and the monster has become stronger and we have become weaker, have we woken up and to claim our rights by force.
Listening to that man woke me up and brought me to reality. I realized that it is too late to face the flood by the force of power. Let’s face the truth and realize that holding false mottos of nationalism will lead to nothing but our destruction. Let’s use wisdom and learn our lesson, even if it is from our enemy.
Let’s learn the lesson from Israel and build a strong pressuring lobby that can convert the world’s leaders into sympathizers and supporters instead of denouncers. Why are we shy to point a finger of accusation at those to whom some Arab leaders refer to as “a third party in the peace process?”
Let’s hold them accountable for destroying a whole nation for the sake of their own interest. But let’s also keep in mind that this wont’ be done until we teach our children how to get angry and express their anger in a civilized way. Lets stop suppressing them even when their dignity is insulted.

Need To Minimize Medical Errors

Monday, 10 July 2006
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

TO err is human, so goes the saying. But when these errors affect people’s lives, this calls for a serious rethinking. We all agree that doctors and nurses are human beings who may commit mistakes. But the rising number of the reported medical error cases raises several questions. Questions about our health care system and the regulations that govern the medical profession.
We are not maligning doctors and nurses nor asking them to do the impossible. We know that they cannot give life to the dead nor heal the hopeless cases. We also understand that being a doctor simply means doing the best to save lives and minimizing the pain. I am also quite sure that we have a number of doctors that we should all be proud of.
However, recently it has been noticed that the cases of medical errors are either going unnoticed or being overlooked. Even those cases that were reported were either thwarted by bureaucracy at the office of the medical errors committee at the Ministry of Health or killed in the courtroom.
This is not to claim that we are the only country in the world that witnesses medical errors. In the United States, medical errors are ranked as the eighth leading cause of death ahead of traffic accidents, breast cancer, and AIDS. Yet the existing accountability and mandatory reporting system are playing a great role in preventing the reccurrence of such errors. This has made the American health system one of the best in the world.
Even in some of our neighboring countries, such as Lebanon, medical mistakes are highly accountable. Doctors and hospitals there lose their licenses if carelessness is proved.
The compensation in the US system goes up to millions of dollars especially if the medical error is proved to be a result of carelessness or negligence on the part of health care professionals, while in Saudi Arabia it does not exceed SR100,000.
It is true that we don’t want to create panic among the medical professionals. But we have also to be careful not to turn people’s lives into a cheap trade where doctors and hospitals can get away with carelessness.
We don’t want our hospitals to turn into laboratories by asking those who commit mistakes to pay only a handful of riyals that is nothing compared to what they get, while the patients pay the highest price.
For instance, I wonder what would have been done in the US for a doctor, who removed a young woman’s ovary without checking the existence of the other one or without a written permission from her family. What is worse is that he did not even bother to inform her or her family members about his deed. When it was found out by another doctor, and a complaint was lodged, he carelessly said, “I thought you have the other one”.
During the investigation, however, he said that he saw an ovarian cyst and he thought it was a tumor. Have people’s lives become that cheap for such a careless doctor to carry out an operation based on a guess?
Following a year of complaints and regular rounds to the medical errors committee at the ministry of health, a verdict was issued in favor of the woman. However, it was not enough as it simply obliged the doctor to pay the patient a fine of SR30,000.
Was that money enough to compensate the young lady for living without the capability to have children for the rest of her life? Will that money pay for her life-long dependence on hormone injections?
Is it acceptable from a surgeon to forget a towel inside a patient’s tummy to cause his death and get away with it? What compensation will satisfy that patient’s family?
These are only examples of medical mistakes that were reported, but God knows how many were covered up and the institution washed its hands of any responsibility.
Dear Minister, your efforts to develop the heath sector is noticeable. Yet, there is still a lot to do. The concept of coverup pervades our medical establishments. To save peoples’ lives, which is your responsibility, a comprehensive whistleblower protection system must be in place soon. The medical errors committee should be of independent specialists. The public should be actually informed about the risk involved in any medical procedure. Now they are forced to sign papers under the excuse that they are only for routine. Crimes against humanity are committed and covered under those papers just because of people’s ignorance and dependence.

They are Human Beings As Well

Monday, 19 June 2006
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

UNLIKE any other country, more than one-third of the population in Saudi Arabia are foreign residents, who hold jobs that range from maids and drivers to doctors and engineers. Yet despite efforts by the government to have better work environments for them, few expatriates go home with good memories about their stay in the Kingdom.
Some go so far as to describe their stay as a nightmare – something that I had no answers to, only more questions, as to why someone would think so ill of my beloved country. I wondered why anyone would hate a place, where they spent a period that can sometimes reach half of their life. A place, where an expatriate earns a living to improve the situation of his family back home.
I had no real answers until three days ago, when I was on my way back home from work. That day, I stopped at the gate of the building where I live to say hello to Ahmad, our “Haris,” the doorman, who I had not seen for the last two days.
Ahmad knows what I do for a living and wanted to tell me something urgent.
It had nothing to do with rent or an electricity bill.
He asked me to wait and went to his room. He came back with his friend, a Haris at the building next to the one I live in.
I have seen Ahmad’s friend before, as he has often courteously helped Ahmad with my groceries.
But when I saw him that day, I did not immediately recognize him, until he spoke.
The man’s face was battered black and blue, and one of his eyes was buried deep under a swelling. He could barely peek at me with his other eye.
Ahmad, pointing at his friend’s face, asked me a question that shames me to this very day, as I write this column.
He asked me if I approved of having his friend – a brother away from his family in a foreign country, a Muslim brother – being beaten up like this. Struggling between mixed feelings of shame, anger and curiosity, I asked him what had happened. He told me one of the Saudi tenants had beaten him for no reason other than a problem that he had nothing to do with. He hit him for the shortage of water as if that poor man was the Minister of Water and Electricity.
“It was not my mistake,” Ahmad’s friend told me. “I always fill the building’s water tank at night so the residents find enough water in the morning before they go to work, but that night I was sick.”
At that moment I felt truly ashamed and I was lost for words. I was speechless and could barely utter a word, other than to say “sorry brother” for the behavior of Saudis.
I told him that Saudis are not proud of having such a monster amongst them.
After that I went up to my apartment, boiling with anger asking myself what had made the inherent dignity and humanity so cheap to us, that we thought we could enslave and humiliate them? How could we be so mean and cruel to these people, people who had crossed oceans to serve us and raise our children?
There is not a week that goes by in which we do not read a story about a domestic worker, especially a woman, who has committed suicide or jumped out of a window. What makes a person, who came willingly to this country, want to end his/her life? What living conditions force these poor and mostly silent people go through, as they live amongst us, to choose to leave our country in wooden caskets?
I have never seen a civilized country, where maids are locked behind doors and kept working for more than 12-hours a day, seven days a week.
We need to give them more humane working conditions, where they have a proper day off and come and go freely to see their friends and relatives, and even celebrate holidays like we do. They are human beings, who have feelings, and yes, they get sick too.
Even nurses and female doctors, who offer us relief from our pains, are often punished with the locked doors of dormitory-style housing, which, if anything, are more like big prisons.
Why do we dare to impose our own values on others? Why do we always think badly of people, who are simply different from us?
It is high time that we reviewed the rules that govern the living conditions of this portion of the society and impose rules that guarantee them dignity and freedom.
We need to encourage them to address the authorities and complain when their rights are violated, without the fear of reprisal or losing their jobs.
I think that we have to at least start an awareness campaign that covers all civil institutions, including schools, and teach our people how foreign and domestic workers should be treated.
Saudis need to wake up and realize that foreigners are just as human as they are.

More Proof Of Care And Wisdom

Monday, 12 June 2006
By Sabria S.Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

SAUDI ARABIA has always been proud of both its sovereignty and Islamic values, upon which the Kingdom built its constitution. It has never allowed outside pressure to influence its stand on internal or external matters. But that changed on September 11. Religious institutions in the Kingdom have come under scrutiny from the international media, with accusations of hate mongering and intolerance flying.
Among these institutes is the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, also known by the English speaking media as “the religious police.” The commission has become a symbol of intolerance and is considered a breeding ground for extremism by the foreign media and some elements of Saudi society. Their methods and philosophy have been highly criticized, and some people have gone so far as to they should not be interfering in people’s privacy.
With the openness that technology has offered to the closed Saudi society, the behavior of the new generation has changed. Saudi youth live lifestyles closer to those of their counterparts in the West. Saudis are also bolder in claiming more freedom to practice, what they perceive as their right to be wild, like youth all over the world. But those newly adopted values and style of living have been faced with rejection by some religious institutes, taking the form of a never ending story of clashes between these youth and the religious police - great material for the hungry international media.
But this should not be understood as a condemnation of the religious police’s social role of keeping Saudi society’s sense of Islamic values in perspective away from sin. As a matter of fact, some Saudis are blindly supportive of the commission. But there are others who think that the commission has gone too far - not in what values the commission seeks to protect or preach, but rather the manner in which the commission goes about carrying its business.
The increasing cases of overzealous enforcement of moral codes by some members of the religious police have drawn attention to the importance of introducing rehabilitation programs to help commission members cope with changes in society around them and set a good example, when it comes to preaching and protecting the religion they are promoting.
Aware of these facts, the Saudi leadership issued a decree announced by Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior, and carried by the state media late on Wednesday, saying suspects apprehended by the commission must now be handed over to regular police and then questioned and tried in a court of law - Islamic law.
The commission, founded in 1979, has come under fire for playing policeman and prosecutor, even though their original mandate does provide them with this kind of jurisdiction.
The decree issued Wednesday underlined that last point on jurisdiction saying the commission’s role will end with the arrest.
This move was underestimated by some Westerners, simply because most of them are not aware of the tragedy that some of the religious police’s raids have ended with.
Here is a story of a man and a woman, not married, arrested in Makkah two days ago by the religious police after an hour long car chase.
The fear of arrest pushed the man to speed through streets and roads bustling with pedestrians, in some cases school children, just to avoid being apprehended by the religious police. That chase ended with a crash and both the man and woman ended up in the commission’s car.
Why was the man so scared about being arrested by the religious police? Did he really need to risk his life trying to run from them for possibly having his girl friend in the car? If they were more tolerant and understanding, what would that man have done?
There are other more dramatic stories, which end with the death of either the couple being chased or innocent pedestrians, which definitely can explain the wisdom behind announcing the restriction of the commission’s role to arrest only. Deep inside, I wish more restrictions were put to limit the circumstances upon which their arrests can be made, as opposed to the current practice of simply arresting people for looking suspicious.
Regardless, I am proud of this government, one that appears to be sincere and cares for the stability of its society. To me, it shows real commitment towards introducing gradual reforms in a manner that allows Saudi society to bond amongst its different fractions and keeps the social fiber intact in a manner that does not step over the provisions of Islamic values.

The Other Half Of The Reform Equation

Monday, 29 May 2006
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

THE concepts of reform and democracy are gradually being introduced to the people of Saudi Arabia, who are in two minds about accepting what they see as coming about from foreign meddling, and the belief that American or European ideas are not suited to Arab and Islamic culture. Saudis have been hesitant as was evident in last year’s municipality elections - the opportunity ever given to Saudis to vote - hailed as a historic first step toward broader democracy.
Many voters I spoke to, did not think of voting as a right, but saw it as a privilege. To me, this was unjustified and affected the level of participation and hence the credibility of the results.
Turnout among the Saudi men above 21 years of age, who were allowed to vote was low throughout the country and the results left much the silent majority unrepresented.
The election, nonetheless, sparked intense debate between traditional rivals in Saudi society, the conservatives and liberals.
But the debate faltered when religious clerics endorsed conservative candidates through widely circulated mobile phone text messages in what was then known as the “Golden Bloc” - totally violating elections regulation.
As a result, conservatives won elections in most regions, including the most liberal Western region.
That victory, whether or not it is credible, highlights the importance of promoting the concept of reform as an aspect of democracy and a first step towards integrating the will of the people in governance, something that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, has been calling for in his reform chart submitted to the 2002 Arab summit in Beirut.
Since the approval of that chart, several measures have been taken to move forward on the path of reform in the Kingdom.
But observers characterized the process as slow and shy because the thrust of the measures has so far been economic and partially political, with relatively no awareness amongst society regarding the importance of what is being done or should be done.
Reform was introduced quietly and without drum banging to raise awareness and prepare the public. Reform has so far touched softly on the affairs of women and failed to introduce regulations that protect their full citizenship rights.
Reform has not yet found ways to help bring women into the mainstream decision-making process of Saudi society, where they have little or no say.
In the 2005 elections, women were not allowed to vote or run, although the election law did not explicitly ban their participation. They were deemed to be unprepared to voice their opinion at such a critical juncture in the evolution of Saudi society. I believe that if Saudi women were aware of their fundamental right to universal suffrage, they would have bothered the election committee officials, as well as the Ministry of Interior with their telephone calls and e-mails, seeking their right to vote or contest. Unfortunately, they were too weak to organize themselves and take a stand.
They accepted their exclusion - with vague promises of participation during elections in 2007 - as a fact of life.
Women in the Kingdom, moreover, still suffer from discrimination at the workplace, at home, and at the judicial courts, yet they are doing nothing about it simply because they generally do not know the advantages of participating in political life and of being in a decision-making position.
As of now, they appear to be content with accepting their perceived indifference and/or helplessness.
Saudi women are also excluded from membership in the consultative Shoura Council.
This is another right that they should strongly ask for as there can be no democratic parliament without women’s participation.
I also believe that Saudi men have to be taught the merits of reform and women in particular have to be taught how to take advantage of the newly introduced laws, as well as the existing ones.
For instance, the new labor law, which expands the fields of professions in which women are eligible for work, has not been fully used due to the lack of awareness.
As an observer I foresee more speedy reform if more political participation is given, especially to women.
Awareness and exposure to the advantages of reform should be given more attention.
The government will never be able to push reform further unless the public appreciate and demand it. The idea that public opinion is the real parameter for the assessment of the extent and direction of needs, as well as that of success, should be emphasized.
Saudis have to learn that society is built on the balance of a four variable equation, with men versus women on one side, and the Government versus civil societies on the other.

Fight Back Mr. Minister

Monday, 22 May 2006
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

THE power of extremist groups over Saudi society extends far beyond what many people know. They act invisibly in a way that makes one believe that they form the majority and represent the mainstream’s point of view, when in fact they are only an outspoken but influential minority. Recent events have shown me how influential they are in slowing down the reform process in the Kingdom. Whether or not reform was initiated by the leadership makes no difference in their case, as extremist influence goes all the way up to the decision making level.
They have the ability to hinder and stop any progressive move no matter how critical or important it is for the country. Their strong and immediate influence can immediately be touched upon whenever women’s issues are brought up to the table of discussion.
One recent example is Cabinet Decree number 120, Article 8, issued by the Ministry of Labor, which provides that women should replace men as lingerie salespeople, effective June 22.
The decree was resisted by both extremists and businessmen, but for different reasons, none of which are good for women. Businessmen claimed they needed more time for training and for preparing the places for women - as if one year was not enough for that!
For extremists, even the very strict Islamic regulations that were imposed by the ministry and were supposed to govern the circumstances under which women will work did not succeed in addressing their fears and help pass the law.
They waged a war against the Minister of Labor through their websites labeling him and accusing him of being westernized and having a hidden agenda to corrupt Saudi society by getting women to mix with men at the work place.
Once again and as usual, they won the battle and the decree has been put on hold for an undefined period of time, with the usual excuse - the government wants more time to prepare for the move.
Taking into consideration the facts the decision was taken last June and that it was a result of 20-year of studies, logic would have it that all scenarios and their alternatives were deeply studied by the ministry, including of course, the time needed for preparation.
So, what were businessmen doing over the course of the past year if not preparing? Did they take the decree seriously when it was first issued? Has the ministry of labor lost its credibility with so many of its decree being changed across short spans of time? I do not believe for a second that businessmen did not have time to prepare, as they claim. To me it seems to be a matter of fear and pressure. As for a very important ministry, like that of labor, which has a direct impact on people’s daily lives, all aspects of such a decree should have been studied carefully before spreading hopes among poor people.
They should not underestimate the rising level of depression amongst female orphans and widows, when such a window of hope is closed.
It is time for the Minister of Labor to assume responsibility and go to the public explaining the advantages of such plans for the future of the public’s daughters, as well as the country. The minister needs to address people’s fears and educate them on the value of these projects. He knows for sure who his enemies are and that openness and transparency are his best weapons in this war between reform and extremism. He also knows extremists want women banned from the public sphere and as such stand before any related decree, using religion as their excuse.
Please Mr. Minister go out and talk to them. Show them the pros and cons. Tell them to fear God and think of the fruits our society can gain out of this decree, whether that be at level of developing our economy or increasing our level of security. They have to know that employment is the key to security if they care.
Ask them which is better for a woman? To beg and be forced to embrace a path of darkness or to make an honest living within the provisions of their religion? Tell them to look at the big picture and think of the country’s economy. An economy that has more dramatic challenges ahead of it as the Kingdom ascends to the World Trade Organization.
Tell them how many women are at home today living in squalid shame, because they do not have money in their pockets? Show them how many foreign residents there are in the country holding such jobs, while our children suffer in poverty.
Please Mr. Minister, how long can you hide and change your mind 100 times a day. You know this falling back on women’s issue cannot help build a healthy society or economy. On the contrary, it can only lead us further down the dark path of extremism.

The Saudi N-Bomb

Monday, 15 May 2006
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

DURING the past five years Saudi Arabia witnessed some shocking developments, which called for an immediate need for strategic planning. The Kingdom has an edge over most of the developed countries on two counts: its huge oil and natural gas reserves and its young population (60 percent of its citizens are below 20 years of age).
The Saudis have done well to tap its natural resource, which is oil. But what have they done to harness the potential of its young generation, which is like a nuclear bomb waiting to be used? Are they planning for the future of the youth so that they don’t fall prey to the demons who poison their minds and turn them into human-bombs.
We talk big about the importance of vocational training and developing the skills of critical thinking among our youth. But little has been done - either on the government level or the social level - to implement these ideas. Families still feel that summer vacations are for relaxation. They don’t plan for almost one fourth of their children’s lives wasted in watching television at night and sleeping during the day.
Even the holiday travels are spent on sight-seeing. No benefit is derived from these leisure trips to understand and study the other cultures, or project the true values of their own culture.
Every year we look forward to the summer vacation in the hope that the local institutes would offer something new to our youth. But the same old story is repeated again and again. All they offer is a bunch of boring programs that lack creativity, forcing the youths to leave the program mid-way and kill time at home.
There is a huge generation gap visible in our society. We don’t have any idea about their ways of thinking or what do they want, simply because when they come to us we close the doors and play the role of a guardian. How do we expect to know what they are thinking about? Or how do they perceive the world around them unless we start a dialogue with them?
It is time for the Saudi community and the government to think strategically where do we want to see our children in the future. Officials at the decision making level should stop being selfish and think about the broad picture of the country after 10 to 15 years from now.
What is the output expected from our education system? Well, it should match the progress in the world.
What values do we need to instill in our youth? Do we want scientists or terrorists? Do we want a lazy or an energetic generation? How long it would take us to get rid of being a receptive community that lacks identity? Will we be soon seeing the day when Saudis export good values and science as our predecessors did?
Let’s learn form history and give the driving wheel to the new generation. Let’s think seriously about the importance of establishing social studies centers, before it is too late, and things get out of control.

Have We Done Enough?

Monday, 08 May 2006

By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
EVERY morning the Saudi media surprise us with horrifying stories of child abuse. Yet the authorities concerned are either reluctant to take action or too indifferent to the sufferings of the innocent.
Despite the growing number of child abuse cases, we still find officials trying to convince the public that these are individual incidents. When will these officials admit that child abuse has reached an alarming level?
It is time for us to admit that we are not a heavenly society. We have our own weaknesses like any other society in the world where sins and violations are committed. It is not a shame to talk about these shortcomings. The shame is to hide and act with arrogance
It is true that we are a Muslim society that is based on the Islamic regulations that highly value human rights. But how many of us, as individuals, are practicing Islam the way it was at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him)?
It is also true that Islam is a religion for each place and time. But we have to admit that there are certain issues in Islam that have been left open for people’s judgment in a way that goes along with the changes and requirements of time. Yet our religious authority is still reluctant with regard to this.
How many imams have talked about child abuse in their Friday sermons? There is no doubt that child abuse is a worldwide problem.
But, unlike the rest of the world, Saudis don’t like to talk about the problem and so too often ignore it. In the United States, for instance, the problem receives attention from authorities and organizations for children’s rights.
The problem in Saudi Arabia is real, horrifying and hushed up. What makes the situation worse, however, is the lack of reliable statistics due to social and legal considerations, among them is the fear of being harassed by the authorities or families concerned.
Only a few schools in Saudi Arabia have specialist social workers who can identify the cases of physical abuse among students. Even those, who find out suspected cases of abuse by chance, are reluctant to report them because they have to go through bureaucratic procedures that make the matter more complicated and delay corrective measures.
Children are not taught at school their right to be protected. Most of the victims keep silent thinking that there is nothing to be done about it or that their families have the right to torture them. It is unrealistic to think that it is possible to completely stop such violations in any society. But at least let’s take the legal steps to minimize it or not to make children a subject of abuse under the cover of law.
Children have the right to be heard in all matters relating to them, directly or through a representative especially in judicial proceedings. Their views have to be weighed and taken into consideration in accordance with their age and maturity, as Islam stated.
Judges should not blindly favor the father over the mother in cases of custody just because of social consideration even when it is proved that he is not qualified. The situation in the courtroom should be seriously reviewed and the law should be codified to prevent more cases of abuse that might lead to a child’s death, as we have witnessed in some of the reported cases. Hot lines should be established and publicized at schools so that the children know whom to contact in such cases.
The police should be given the authority to interfere and bring the abused child under government protection. Parents should realize that they would be held accountable in case of such abuse.
Adequate procedures and mechanism should be established to receive complaints. Measures should be taken to ensure that the abused child is not victimized in legal proceedings.
Finally, I believe that with those repeated cases of abuse we should reconsider the regulations governing the establishment of non-governmental organizations (NGO).
NGOs have always been the backbone of a civilized society as it gets all sections of the society involved in the protection process and enhances the concept of shared responsibility.

Whom to blame?

Monday, 01 May 2006
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

LATE last year, Saudis were all shocked and frustrated when the US Department of States report for the year 2005 classified Saudi Arabia, among other GCC countries like Kuwait, UAE and Qatar, at “rank 3,” indicating their failure to meet the international standard of human rights.
Regardless of my reservation about the credibility of the report and the way the information was gathered and analyzed, the questions that come to my mind and confuse me are: why did our status drop from rank 2 to rank 3? What have we done to change that situation?
The other question is: where are the extremely hard efforts exerted by the ministries of interior and that of foreign affairs to fight all kinds of human rights violation?
It has been only when I visited Briman prison in Jeddah last week that I found out what seemed to be reasonable answers to my questions. But those answers made me more confused as they generated many more questions.
Everyday the Saudi newspapers carry stories about raids that targeted illegal workers as well as hidden brothels in what gives an indication that the situation is getting worse. However, there is still no official statistics about the total number of those who are arrested or involved in such illegal activities.
Anyway, during that visit to the over-crowded prison in Briman, I appreciated some of the individual efforts by the administration to make a good environment in that aging building. It is considered to be the biggest prison in the region because it receives thousands of prisoners everyday from different government agencies, like passports offices and immigration department. Those who are involved in immoral acts are also sent here.
During my short and well-monitored tour among the prison’s different cells and the individual interviews at the director’s office, I noticed certain common things among the prisoners’ stories, especially those related to immoral issues like prostitution and drugs.
Those observations of mine have made me wonder why do not we take advantage of those stories by studying and analyzing them? Why do not we put the results of those studies in the form of regulations that can be distributed among our government’s establishments inside and outside the country to prevent recurrence of such practices? Why do not we trace those methods of trafficking to reach the criminals and bring them to justice?
I believe that some of those stories might be twisted due to the pressure of being imprisoned and talking to the media. Yet I noticed similarity in their details. For instance, there was similarity in the way prostitutes were smuggled into the country and the way brothels were running.
The most obvious thing, however, was that prostitutes were all brought into the country either on an Umrah or a housemaid visa. Most of them were also brought to the country in cahoots with special agents who, in most of the cases, choose them from rural areas and take advantage of their poverty, promising them beds of roses.
If we assume that those stories are even 10 percent close to the truth, another set of questions pops up: what is the reason behind the reluctance in the implementation of the iris scan system in the Saudi embassies abroad and the country’s entry points? If it has been implemented, which I doubt, why the result has not been seen nor announced yet? Whose interest does this reluctance serve? What is going on in our embassies overseas?
Who is to be blamed for the trafficking and smuggling of those poor girls? How can such a trade flourish and find its customers in such a holy land? Has the time come for us to review the regulations on issuing Umrah visas?
In conclusion, no offense is meant by raising these questions. Just some loud thoughts by an ignorant reporter. Till I hear answers from you, send me flowers to Briman.