Monday, 30 July 2007
Ministry recommends citizenship for foreign mothers of Saudi children
By Sabria S. Jawhar
OFFICIALS at the Ministry of Social Affairs have submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Interior that, if passed, guarantees citizenship or at least permanent residency to foreign mothers of Saudi children, an official said.
"We have submitted the proposal. We are waiting for the Ministry's (of Interior) answer as it is the only concerned authority in this matter," said Nora Aal-Al-Sheikh, director of the supervision office at the Ministry of Social Affairs in Makkah region. She said that with the increasing number of divorce cases in general and among Saudi and non-Saudi couples in particular, foreign mothers of Saudi children should be granted citizenship in order to keep their rights as well as the family ties intact.
This citizenship, she explained, could be with specific limitations in order to prevent misusing or passing it on to those who are not entitled from the mother's side.
They could also be given a permanent Iqama (residency permission) as a temporary solution, she added.
Hadyah, an Arab national who didn't want her full name or nationality published, is only one example of many women who have been victims to misuse of custody and absence of a multilateral or bilateral treaty among Arab states dealing with the enforcement of custody agreements or judgments. She was married to a Saudi man who was 23 years her senior.
The marriage was not a fruit of love or agreement. On the contrary, it was mainly motivated by her impoverished condition and his desire to wed.
"I had to support my family and help them to survive and he was the only one who offered that sort of help with the condition of my becoming his wife," she said.
Unlike most of such kind of marriages that take place outside Saudi Arabia, Hadyah's marriage was legally registered and all of her rights as a wife were kept intact.
At the beginning of the marriage, he was so kind and generous with her as well as with her family.
But the appearance of happiness did not last long as after having two babies, he grew tired of the continuous travel to her country and decided to bring her, along with their children back to the Kingdom.
Hadyah's journey of suffering began here. His behavior, she explained, dramatically changed especially in the presence of his first wife and her children.
"He started to look down on me and treat me like a maid," she said. "Sometimes, he humiliates me by talking about my family's background as if he picked me up from the street."
Having been told that in Saudi Arabia custody disputes favor the Saudi parent and often rules in favor of men, Hadyah decided to maintain her marital status intact as her main concern was to retain the custody of her children and not be forced to leave the country if divorced.
The disagreement between her and her husband reached such a level and he decided to go forth with divorcing her and keep their children under the custody of his first wife.
Since visitation rights under these circumstances are not implemented unless the Saudi parent with custody rights voluntarily puts in the effort to make arrangements, it took Hady ah nine years to see her children again.
This reunion only occurred when she obtained an Umrah visa to enter the Kingdom accompanied with her new husband.
Al-Sheikh said that such kinds of problems are common among such marriages.
Actually, she added, her administration faces such kind of custody problems even among Saudi couples when the father abuses his rights.
Usually, she added, when couples face a crises in their marriage and decide on divorce, the main issue that results in a breakdown of communication between them is with regard to the guardianship and custody of their children.
In most of the cases, she explained, the husband insists on keeping the children and deporting the mother back to her home country without any respect to her feelings as a mother. The woman, she added, finds it difficult to find someone who is ready to sponsor her due to the regulations of the Ministry of Labor that tend to limit the number of visas given to non-Saudis.
The divorce also makes it difficult for a non-Saudi woman to live in Saudi Arabia without having a fixed financial income that allows her to support herself as well as her children in case she is granted custody.
Khalid Abu Rashid, A Saudi lawyer, said that the court does not differentiate between Saudi and non-Saudi mothers when it comes to custody.
"The ruling is usually in favor of the parent who can provide the best environment for the children whether the mother or the father regardless of their nationality," Abu Rashid said.
However, he said, due to the very limited job opportunities for non-Saudi women and means of financial support, they cannot provide their children with a suitable environment.
Based on this, most of the judges rule in favor of the father who, in most cases, is capable of supporting the children financially.
In the absence of the enforcement of the law of alimony in Saudi Arabia, Nora suggested taking the alimony out of the husband's salary automatically every month. She said that there should be a system that keeps the mother with her children after divorce and grants them a good monthly income.
Those children, she added, will be part of the fabric of the Saudi society, thus should be granted a healthy family environment in which they grow up as good citizens.
"Depriving children from their mother's care will create negative emotional states among them to an extent that would increase violence and certainly reflect negatively on the society," she said.
"The system should be developed in a way that serves the society to which it was initially introduced.
Showing posts with label Invistigative Reports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Invistigative Reports. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Khamis Girl Pardoned
Khamis Girl Pardoned
Friday, 13 April 2007
The Saudi Gazette
KHAMIS MUSHAYT
The eight-year saga of a woman who had been jailed for murder in Khamis Mushayt came to a happy ending on Thursday when the family of the victim agreed to spare her life after vigorous mediation efforts.
Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz and Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the Emir of Asir Region, were at the forefront of the mediators to talk the victim’s family into sparing the life of the woman, known as Samira.
Hussein Bin Said Bin Mushait, the chief of the Shahrani tribe, called the elders of the tribes dwelling in the southern region to his home early on Thursday morning, as is the norm in tribal common law, and embarked on helping the family of the victim and that of Samira’s.
The victim’s family agreed to spare her life on the condition that 50 of her family would swear that they had not been involved in her crime, among other things, as a precondition to sign the document of final concession.
However, the family of the victim later decided to go one better: They spared Samira’s tribe the burden to take the oath, but said that only the immediate families of Samira and her husband should swear that they never participated in the murder or knew about it at the time.
Early birds
The tribal delegations began to flock to Bin Mushait’s house early on Thursday morning, coming from all over the southern region. First to arriver were the elders and dignitaries of the tribes. They were later shown in the so-called “round table of right,” a tribal tradition used to discuss and settle all kinds of disputes.
Said Bin Ahmed Al-Shahrani, director of the Scientific Institute in Khamis Mushait, started with a brief speech in which he asked Samira’s family for forgiveness and tolerance.
Then, Bin Mushait responded with his own speech.
“All hopes and aspirations are aimed at forgiveness for the daughter of the Murait family,” he said. “The dignitaries and elders of the (Asir) region have made their utmost efforts to bring about a pardon for her, and it was meant to happen on the hands of a man of honor and generosity – Crown Prince Sultan. His efforts were not in vain with the follow-up of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal.”
Dhafer Bin Khulais, a member of the victim’s tribe, responded with a speech on behalf of his tribe, in which he announced the tribe’s pardon to Samira.
“We are honored and grateful to God today for his blessing, as we are happy to announce to you that we have pardoned the killer (Samira) of our late brother, Khaled Bin Mohammed Al Khulais.”
He then heaped praise on Crown Prince Sultan for his efforts to bring the two families together.
“You are a man of honor and a glorious pedigree, a prince of hearts in times of plight, and we shall not forget your effort. You have helped us find forgiveness and closure in our hearts.”
He said that the tribe had many reasons before to refuse granting pardon to Samira, mainly fear that this will cause sedition.
In their own speeches, a number of tribal dignitaries thanked Samira’s family for their generous gesture and Crown Prince Sultan and Prince Khaled Al-Faisal for their efforts to bring about closure to what had been a lengthy and protracted case.
Sleepless Samira
In cell block 3 of the prison, Samira had been too nervous to get any sleep for the two days prior to the fateful – and fruitful – tribal meeting on Thursday.
A psychologist was called in from Abha Hospital on Wednesday night to keep her company and comfort her with some medication.
Samira, dubbed the Khamis Girl, had been behind bars in the Abha Jail for more than eight years after she had been convicted of the murder of Khaled Al Khulais when she was in her late teens.
Samira has a high school education, is married, and has nine brothers and two sisters.
Even though there had been a lot of speculation about her motives, evidence seemed to back up her story that she killed the victim in defense of her honor.
Samira confessed in an official affidavit that she had killed Al Khulais and dumped his corpse in a garbage container, after cutting the body to pieces and wrapping it in a blanket.
She told investigators that the victim had been stalking her even after she got married, and when she got fed up with his advances, she lured him and murdered him after he refused to back off in response to her pleas.
The victim’s family said they would not bury the body until she was executed. They claimed that Samira could not have acted alone, but used the aid of accomplices from her own family, something which she and her family vehemently denied.
Controversy
Samira’s story has generated substantial controversy in the Kingdom and abroad. She had been sentenced to death after having been convicted of the murder of Khaled Al Khulais. Many Western commentators were critical of the ruling, and some human rights groups called it a violation of human rights.
Even a Web site was dedicated to her, with more than 4,500 members calling for her pardon, which added to the considerable sympathy among Saudis towards her. Site moderators say that the site has received more than a million hits from 75 countries, and 61 international law groups were involved in the site.
Amid the controversy, some people involved in the legal system in the Kingdom called for a written criminal law, basing their opinions on the vagueness with which the western media handled Samira’s case and the misinformed opinions generated there.
Some judiciary groups said they went to great lengths to shed light on the human element in the case.
“We’ve gone out of our way to talk the victim’s family into foregoing their right, but they refused,” said Thurayya Al-Shaikh, a member of the Saudi National Society for Human Rights. “Dignitaries have also failed, and now, I don’t think anyone can stop the court’s decision unless the victim’s family agrees.”
Friday, 13 April 2007
The Saudi Gazette
KHAMIS MUSHAYT
The eight-year saga of a woman who had been jailed for murder in Khamis Mushayt came to a happy ending on Thursday when the family of the victim agreed to spare her life after vigorous mediation efforts.
Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz and Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the Emir of Asir Region, were at the forefront of the mediators to talk the victim’s family into sparing the life of the woman, known as Samira.
Hussein Bin Said Bin Mushait, the chief of the Shahrani tribe, called the elders of the tribes dwelling in the southern region to his home early on Thursday morning, as is the norm in tribal common law, and embarked on helping the family of the victim and that of Samira’s.
The victim’s family agreed to spare her life on the condition that 50 of her family would swear that they had not been involved in her crime, among other things, as a precondition to sign the document of final concession.
However, the family of the victim later decided to go one better: They spared Samira’s tribe the burden to take the oath, but said that only the immediate families of Samira and her husband should swear that they never participated in the murder or knew about it at the time.
Early birds
The tribal delegations began to flock to Bin Mushait’s house early on Thursday morning, coming from all over the southern region. First to arriver were the elders and dignitaries of the tribes. They were later shown in the so-called “round table of right,” a tribal tradition used to discuss and settle all kinds of disputes.
Said Bin Ahmed Al-Shahrani, director of the Scientific Institute in Khamis Mushait, started with a brief speech in which he asked Samira’s family for forgiveness and tolerance.
Then, Bin Mushait responded with his own speech.
“All hopes and aspirations are aimed at forgiveness for the daughter of the Murait family,” he said. “The dignitaries and elders of the (Asir) region have made their utmost efforts to bring about a pardon for her, and it was meant to happen on the hands of a man of honor and generosity – Crown Prince Sultan. His efforts were not in vain with the follow-up of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal.”
Dhafer Bin Khulais, a member of the victim’s tribe, responded with a speech on behalf of his tribe, in which he announced the tribe’s pardon to Samira.
“We are honored and grateful to God today for his blessing, as we are happy to announce to you that we have pardoned the killer (Samira) of our late brother, Khaled Bin Mohammed Al Khulais.”
He then heaped praise on Crown Prince Sultan for his efforts to bring the two families together.
“You are a man of honor and a glorious pedigree, a prince of hearts in times of plight, and we shall not forget your effort. You have helped us find forgiveness and closure in our hearts.”
He said that the tribe had many reasons before to refuse granting pardon to Samira, mainly fear that this will cause sedition.
In their own speeches, a number of tribal dignitaries thanked Samira’s family for their generous gesture and Crown Prince Sultan and Prince Khaled Al-Faisal for their efforts to bring about closure to what had been a lengthy and protracted case.
Sleepless Samira
In cell block 3 of the prison, Samira had been too nervous to get any sleep for the two days prior to the fateful – and fruitful – tribal meeting on Thursday.
A psychologist was called in from Abha Hospital on Wednesday night to keep her company and comfort her with some medication.
Samira, dubbed the Khamis Girl, had been behind bars in the Abha Jail for more than eight years after she had been convicted of the murder of Khaled Al Khulais when she was in her late teens.
Samira has a high school education, is married, and has nine brothers and two sisters.
Even though there had been a lot of speculation about her motives, evidence seemed to back up her story that she killed the victim in defense of her honor.
Samira confessed in an official affidavit that she had killed Al Khulais and dumped his corpse in a garbage container, after cutting the body to pieces and wrapping it in a blanket.
She told investigators that the victim had been stalking her even after she got married, and when she got fed up with his advances, she lured him and murdered him after he refused to back off in response to her pleas.
The victim’s family said they would not bury the body until she was executed. They claimed that Samira could not have acted alone, but used the aid of accomplices from her own family, something which she and her family vehemently denied.
Controversy
Samira’s story has generated substantial controversy in the Kingdom and abroad. She had been sentenced to death after having been convicted of the murder of Khaled Al Khulais. Many Western commentators were critical of the ruling, and some human rights groups called it a violation of human rights.
Even a Web site was dedicated to her, with more than 4,500 members calling for her pardon, which added to the considerable sympathy among Saudis towards her. Site moderators say that the site has received more than a million hits from 75 countries, and 61 international law groups were involved in the site.
Amid the controversy, some people involved in the legal system in the Kingdom called for a written criminal law, basing their opinions on the vagueness with which the western media handled Samira’s case and the misinformed opinions generated there.
Some judiciary groups said they went to great lengths to shed light on the human element in the case.
“We’ve gone out of our way to talk the victim’s family into foregoing their right, but they refused,” said Thurayya Al-Shaikh, a member of the Saudi National Society for Human Rights. “Dignitaries have also failed, and now, I don’t think anyone can stop the court’s decision unless the victim’s family agrees.”
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Al-Qaeda Methods Seen in Attack
Wednesday, 28 February 2007
Shooting of French Nationals could Affect Tourism
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
THE slaying of four French nationals near Madina shared similar characteristics of an Al-Qaeda attack, a security source said Tuesday.
But Ministry of Interior officials said it’s too early to determine whether the attacks were terror-related.
“I noticed Al-Qaeda-covered style in this operation,” said a Saudi security official, who asked not to identified.
He said that people must keep in mind that there are still sleeper cells waiting for a signal to start operations. He said, “what is better than a quiet and isolated place like that near Madina to hide and hunt down foreigners,” he added.
Saudi officials have always maintained that terrorism has not been completely defeated in the Kingdom. Yet, unlike the neighboring countries, the security situation is still under control.
“We have security all over the country and our work is still going on whether there are threats or not,” said the security official.
Abdullah Al-Sultan, a political analyst, did not comment on whether the attack has Al-Qaeda characteristics, but he also did not rule out the possibility of sleeper cells. He said terrorists usually change their tactics to make it more difficult for law authorities to foil their attacks.
“The more progress security men achieve, the more new tactics those groups (terrorists) come up with,” Al-Sultan said.
On Monday, four Frenchmen were fatally shot near the historic site of Madain Saleh in the northwest region of the Kingdom.
The men were resting on the side of a road about 10 miles north of Madina when gunmen fired at their car, instantly killing two of them. The other two men died later after they were rushed to a hospital. Women and children also were with the group but they were unhurt.
A Ministry of Interior source said that the group was 17 kilometers from the main road when the men were shot. He said that the victims decided to take that road by themselves, but it is not clear whether they were going for Umrah or simply traveling to another ancient site.
The ministry source did not comment on whether the incident would affect tourism that has been recently opened to non-Muslims. He said that 48 hours is not enough to judge, especially when there is no clear connection to terrorism.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” the source said, “Anything that we might say now is only a speculation.”
But Al-Sultan said that tourism is not yet a business in Saudi Arabia so he ruled out any possibility of targeting it by itself. He said if it is proved to be a terrorist attack, then the sent message is that “Al-Qaeda does exist and their attacks can be effective.”
The security official said the attack should be seen as a wake-up call for paying more attention to the tourist sites.
“If we want to promote tourism as a business we have to follow the international standards of taking care of them,” he said.” Tourist places should be guarded and checkpoints should be placed on the roads that take to them.”
Mohammad Al-Jehani, a resident of Madina, expressed concern over the business of tourism, adding that people of Al-Ola, where most of the historic sites are open for tourists, were expecting a good market in the near future.
“This attack might bring us back to the time when we used not to see a single tourist for weeks,” he said.
The Supreme Commission of Tourism refused to comment on the possible effect of such an attack of their recently introduced project to promote tourism.
Al-Sultan urged Westerners not to help terrorists to achieve their goals by leaving their jobs in the Kingdom or become intimidated by such incidents.
“Help us to fight them and put down their plans by integrating and being part of this welcoming society,” he said.
Saudi Arabia has recently started a project to promote tourism to Saudis, Arab visitors and special niche markets that are looking at the cultural heritage aspect of Saudi Arabia. Following Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, many Saudis have started traveling regionally and not going on long-distance flights.
Shooting of French Nationals could Affect Tourism
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
THE slaying of four French nationals near Madina shared similar characteristics of an Al-Qaeda attack, a security source said Tuesday.
But Ministry of Interior officials said it’s too early to determine whether the attacks were terror-related.
“I noticed Al-Qaeda-covered style in this operation,” said a Saudi security official, who asked not to identified.
He said that people must keep in mind that there are still sleeper cells waiting for a signal to start operations. He said, “what is better than a quiet and isolated place like that near Madina to hide and hunt down foreigners,” he added.
Saudi officials have always maintained that terrorism has not been completely defeated in the Kingdom. Yet, unlike the neighboring countries, the security situation is still under control.
“We have security all over the country and our work is still going on whether there are threats or not,” said the security official.
Abdullah Al-Sultan, a political analyst, did not comment on whether the attack has Al-Qaeda characteristics, but he also did not rule out the possibility of sleeper cells. He said terrorists usually change their tactics to make it more difficult for law authorities to foil their attacks.
“The more progress security men achieve, the more new tactics those groups (terrorists) come up with,” Al-Sultan said.
On Monday, four Frenchmen were fatally shot near the historic site of Madain Saleh in the northwest region of the Kingdom.
The men were resting on the side of a road about 10 miles north of Madina when gunmen fired at their car, instantly killing two of them. The other two men died later after they were rushed to a hospital. Women and children also were with the group but they were unhurt.
A Ministry of Interior source said that the group was 17 kilometers from the main road when the men were shot. He said that the victims decided to take that road by themselves, but it is not clear whether they were going for Umrah or simply traveling to another ancient site.
The ministry source did not comment on whether the incident would affect tourism that has been recently opened to non-Muslims. He said that 48 hours is not enough to judge, especially when there is no clear connection to terrorism.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” the source said, “Anything that we might say now is only a speculation.”
But Al-Sultan said that tourism is not yet a business in Saudi Arabia so he ruled out any possibility of targeting it by itself. He said if it is proved to be a terrorist attack, then the sent message is that “Al-Qaeda does exist and their attacks can be effective.”
The security official said the attack should be seen as a wake-up call for paying more attention to the tourist sites.
“If we want to promote tourism as a business we have to follow the international standards of taking care of them,” he said.” Tourist places should be guarded and checkpoints should be placed on the roads that take to them.”
Mohammad Al-Jehani, a resident of Madina, expressed concern over the business of tourism, adding that people of Al-Ola, where most of the historic sites are open for tourists, were expecting a good market in the near future.
“This attack might bring us back to the time when we used not to see a single tourist for weeks,” he said.
The Supreme Commission of Tourism refused to comment on the possible effect of such an attack of their recently introduced project to promote tourism.
Al-Sultan urged Westerners not to help terrorists to achieve their goals by leaving their jobs in the Kingdom or become intimidated by such incidents.
“Help us to fight them and put down their plans by integrating and being part of this welcoming society,” he said.
Saudi Arabia has recently started a project to promote tourism to Saudis, Arab visitors and special niche markets that are looking at the cultural heritage aspect of Saudi Arabia. Following Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, many Saudis have started traveling regionally and not going on long-distance flights.
Monday, January 1, 2007
BORN AND BRED, BUT NOT SAUDI
By Sabri S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
Fardous Omar is the daughter of Malian immigrants but knows nothing of her homeland except its name. She is 27-years-old and was born and raised in Saudi Arabia.
I never felt any loyalty to any country except Saudi Arabia, she says, It is the only country I know because I have never been abroad, even to Mali.
Even though Fardous parents lived in Saudi Arabia for 45 years, and she has spent her entire life here, she and her 22 brothers and sisters are not Saudi citizens. Neither are more than a quarter of the 23.4 million people living in Saudi Arabia.
Without citizenship, immigrants to Saudi Arabia face a number of hurdles: they lack access to higher education, government funded health care and their career movement is restricted among other concerns.
Until 1984, explains a Civil Status official who asked not to be named, it was much easier for a foreigner to get Saudi citizenship. At that time, being born in Saudi Arabia was enough to get Saudi citizenship whether the mother was Saudi or not. The same thing applied to those who were born to Saudi mothers outside of Saudi Arabia.
And getting Saudi citizenship is difficult. With its exploding population, the government is reluctant to grant new citizenship, sources say, and provide the social benefits such as free schooling and health care that come with it. Between 1996 and 2000, the last period official statistics were available, less than 23,000 became naturalized Saudis.
Since the Saudi population has dramatically increased, says the Civil Status official, only those whose mothers are Saudis and were born in Saudi Arabia are given the citizenship.
However, this does not always guarantee citizenship. he continued, because if the applicant is not integrated with Saudi society, or is still limiting his network to his own people and wearing his own traditional clothes, his application might get a denied.
Being a psychiatric specialist was While growing up, Fardous biggest dream in life was to study at King Abdul Aziz University become a psychiatric specialist. But even though she finished high school with high grades, her dream was destroyed to end up as a divorced mother.
She rapidly took her transcript file to KAAU admissions office in Jeddah and was hit with an obstacle she had never thought about at the office of admission and registration. According to Fardous, the employee there smiled at her and said: You re not Saudi. Don t you know that non-Saudis are not accepted. Don t you know that? Fardous said
Because private universities here can cost upwards of SR40,000, and Fardous grew up in a 22-member, low-income family, there was no opportunity to continue her studies.
However, she did not easily give up. She married a young Saudi who promised to help her with her citizenship. With that in hand she would be able to resume her studies at a public university. Unfortunately, a week into her marriage, Fardous found out that the man she thought was religious and kind was someone she now accuses of being a liar and a drug addict. After a few years, they divorced.
He offered me nothing but a child and an uncertain, dark future as a divorced, non-Saudi mother, she says.
With no one to take care of her or her child, Fardous left Jeddah and returned home to Madina. Her father had died, her family had few resources and there was no place to turn to for help.
Saudi Arabia doesn t offer any sort of welfare to immigrants, explains Zuhair Jawii, a Civil Status official in Jeddah. If a mother is Saudi and they are in a bad need, they can write about their situation. Then a committee is assigned to study the social and economic facts. If it is proved that they are needy, welfare is given.
While new modifications regarding Saudi citizenship have been adopted, they do not deal with second generation immigrants such as Fardous.
Now I lost any hope of a better life, all that I am concerned about is my younger sisters and brothers
Talking about her only child, Fardous said, Unlike his aunts and uncles, Yazun, my son, has a better opportunity of good education since his father is Saudi, she added.
And in a country where immigrants struggle for educational access primary and secondary schools only allot 15 percent of their seats in each grade to them and have no place in government universities or training institutes, many are totally lost and uncertain about their futures and careers in Saudi Arabia.
Discussing the recently presented Saudi citizenship regulations, an official in Alsh Shura Council said, The government is aware of such a spectrum of [people in] the society and we are sympathetic with their situation. But there are no new regulations related to their cases, an official with the Shoura Council said before adding that a committee has been formed to submit recommendations about the problem to the government.
Some argue that immigrants represent an important economic valve in the Kingdom and that harnessing their potential would reap benefits.
They constitute a representative spectrum of the composing of the Saudi society, says Asaad Jawhar, Professor of Petroleum Economics at KAAU.
Ignoring 25% percent of the society will leave a big gap in any considered plan unless they are carefully dealt with. With their loyalty to the society where they were born and raised, they represent an important economic valve. .
For Fardous, she appears to have let go of her dreams but still looks to the future.
I lost any hope of a better life, she says. Now, all that I am concerned about is my younger sisters and brothers. And unlike his aunts and uncles, my son Yazun has a better opportunity for a good education since his father was Saudi.
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
Fardous Omar is the daughter of Malian immigrants but knows nothing of her homeland except its name. She is 27-years-old and was born and raised in Saudi Arabia.
I never felt any loyalty to any country except Saudi Arabia, she says, It is the only country I know because I have never been abroad, even to Mali.
Even though Fardous parents lived in Saudi Arabia for 45 years, and she has spent her entire life here, she and her 22 brothers and sisters are not Saudi citizens. Neither are more than a quarter of the 23.4 million people living in Saudi Arabia.
Without citizenship, immigrants to Saudi Arabia face a number of hurdles: they lack access to higher education, government funded health care and their career movement is restricted among other concerns.
Until 1984, explains a Civil Status official who asked not to be named, it was much easier for a foreigner to get Saudi citizenship. At that time, being born in Saudi Arabia was enough to get Saudi citizenship whether the mother was Saudi or not. The same thing applied to those who were born to Saudi mothers outside of Saudi Arabia.
And getting Saudi citizenship is difficult. With its exploding population, the government is reluctant to grant new citizenship, sources say, and provide the social benefits such as free schooling and health care that come with it. Between 1996 and 2000, the last period official statistics were available, less than 23,000 became naturalized Saudis.
Since the Saudi population has dramatically increased, says the Civil Status official, only those whose mothers are Saudis and were born in Saudi Arabia are given the citizenship.
However, this does not always guarantee citizenship. he continued, because if the applicant is not integrated with Saudi society, or is still limiting his network to his own people and wearing his own traditional clothes, his application might get a denied.
Being a psychiatric specialist was While growing up, Fardous biggest dream in life was to study at King Abdul Aziz University become a psychiatric specialist. But even though she finished high school with high grades, her dream was destroyed to end up as a divorced mother.
She rapidly took her transcript file to KAAU admissions office in Jeddah and was hit with an obstacle she had never thought about at the office of admission and registration. According to Fardous, the employee there smiled at her and said: You re not Saudi. Don t you know that non-Saudis are not accepted. Don t you know that? Fardous said
At that time, Fardous recounts, I heard the sound of my dreams colliding withI looked at the faces around me in a failed trial to find a confirmation that I was dreaming.
the rock of reality.
Because private universities here can cost upwards of SR40,000, and Fardous grew up in a 22-member, low-income family, there was no opportunity to continue her studies.
However, she did not easily give up. She married a young Saudi who promised to help her with her citizenship. With that in hand she would be able to resume her studies at a public university. Unfortunately, a week into her marriage, Fardous found out that the man she thought was religious and kind was someone she now accuses of being a liar and a drug addict. After a few years, they divorced.
He offered me nothing but a child and an uncertain, dark future as a divorced, non-Saudi mother, she says.
With no one to take care of her or her child, Fardous left Jeddah and returned home to Madina. Her father had died, her family had few resources and there was no place to turn to for help.
Saudi Arabia doesn t offer any sort of welfare to immigrants, explains Zuhair Jawii, a Civil Status official in Jeddah. If a mother is Saudi and they are in a bad need, they can write about their situation. Then a committee is assigned to study the social and economic facts. If it is proved that they are needy, welfare is given.
While new modifications regarding Saudi citizenship have been adopted, they do not deal with second generation immigrants such as Fardous.
Now I lost any hope of a better life, all that I am concerned about is my younger sisters and brothers
Talking about her only child, Fardous said, Unlike his aunts and uncles, Yazun, my son, has a better opportunity of good education since his father is Saudi, she added.
And in a country where immigrants struggle for educational access primary and secondary schools only allot 15 percent of their seats in each grade to them and have no place in government universities or training institutes, many are totally lost and uncertain about their futures and careers in Saudi Arabia.
Discussing the recently presented Saudi citizenship regulations, an official in Alsh Shura Council said, The government is aware of such a spectrum of [people in] the society and we are sympathetic with their situation. But there are no new regulations related to their cases, an official with the Shoura Council said before adding that a committee has been formed to submit recommendations about the problem to the government.
Some argue that immigrants represent an important economic valve in the Kingdom and that harnessing their potential would reap benefits.
They constitute a representative spectrum of the composing of the Saudi society, says Asaad Jawhar, Professor of Petroleum Economics at KAAU.
Ignoring 25% percent of the society will leave a big gap in any considered plan unless they are carefully dealt with. With their loyalty to the society where they were born and raised, they represent an important economic valve. .
For Fardous, she appears to have let go of her dreams but still looks to the future.
I lost any hope of a better life, she says. Now, all that I am concerned about is my younger sisters and brothers. And unlike his aunts and uncles, my son Yazun has a better opportunity for a good education since his father was Saudi.
AWAITING SHOWTIME
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
This is a good news, bad news kind of story. Think of it as yes, it s yours, BUT
A Saudi company recently received government permission to establish six cinema halls in the Eastern Province. That s the good news for people who like to watch movies. But government approval doesn t necessarily mean that cinemas will suddenly pop up throughout the Kingdom.
A senior official at a Saudi firm, who asked that he and his company not to be identified so future projects will not be jeopardized, said his company received permission from the Eastern Province emirate to establish six cinema halls in a grand mall that is still under construction and that would be the largest in the region. He described his company as one that deals with entertainment based on Saudi society s needs and hopes but also in a way that keeps within Islamic regulations, customs and traditions.
The project started at a grand mall that would satisfy the needs of all family members including children. As part of the project, he added, a space for six cinema halls was included in the blueprint of the building.
We got permission but we were told that if we face any difficulty with the religious [authority], we have to deal with it personally, he said, But because we had some bad experience and we don t have a system upon which we can get into debate with them. We cancelled that part of the project.
He said, however, that the building is constructed in a way that gives them space to establish cinema halls in case the prevailing attitude toward theaters changes.
If anything has changed, we will be the first to introduce cinemas, he said.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice refused to comment. They also declined to discuss whether cinemas in Saudi Arabia will be allowed in the future as globalization continues to impact Middle East countries.
The dilemma faced by the company wanting to build movie theaters illustrates the authority the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice wields on local matters, especially from region to region.
The Commission has always been a pillar of the Kingdom since its foundation. The main role of its personnel is to prowl the streets and shopping malls calling Muslim men to prayer. It also makes sure that the regulations of Islam are not violated.
A 35-year-old Saudi man, who asked for anonymity, said Commission s influence varies from one region to another based on people s level of acceptance of its ways.
When television was introduced for the first time in Saudi society it caused riots for religious reasons but it survived due to the government s support for educating people about local and international news.
Commercial movie theaters have abandoned Saudi Arabia, although wealthy merchants and princes have private cinema collections and entire film libraries in some cases. Films, too, are shown at the various embassies for European or American constituencies. Nobody can tell exactly whether the elimination of cinemas was due to a government policy or the influence of the Commission.
Jeddah, perhaps the most cosmopolitan city in Saudi Arabia, had during the late 1960s and early 70s cinemas that presented uncensored Egyptian, American, Turkish and Indian movies.
I still remember those days when my friends and I used to go to a cinema in Al-Balad (old city), said Abdullah Ahmad, a 45-year-old Saudi. It was owned by one of Jeddah s merchants.
Ahmad said that those cinemas used to present movies weekly. It was open for families and singles but on different days so they don t mix. Some wealthy people, he added, rent home cinemas for private parties, such as Sabe a (a party held after the passage of a week from the marriage party or the seventh day of giving birth to baby).
During the late 70s an abrupt change occurred for several religious reasons. Cinemas were closed and female singers were prohibited from appearing on television.
Dr. Hassan Al-Nemi, a professor of modern literature at King Abdul Aziz University and a member of Jeddah Literary Club, said that there was cinemas all over Jeddah until 1979.
There were cinemas in several hotels, including one that was called the Half Moon Hotel in Obhor, he said.
He said different internal and external factors contributed in the abandonment of cinemas. The social transformation following the 1979 Grand Mosque event has made Saudi society more religiously sensitive to different issues. The Islamic movement in Iran that same year, as well as different outside factors have also added to the situation inside the Kingdom. He said that the Saudi society has put itself in a difficult spot that it is trying to get out now.
He said that both the government and society share the responsibility for the present situation as the government has always been the leader for any enlightening move, including that the movement leading to formal girls education.
If the government wants to pursue a leading role and create a quality transformation, it has to keep pushing and supporting the society, civil institutes to perform their role well, Nemi said. Theater and cinemas are very important vessels for society members represented by the family that doesn t know where to go all together for entertainment.
He said that with the increasing access to satellites, with channels broadcasting uncensored version of Western especially Hollywood films, Saudis seem to be more open and seeking more entertainment.
Youths, for instance, are starved for entertainment that is offered in neighboring Arab countries, although they want it in a way that doesn t offend the sensitivity of the Kingdom.
We don t mind having a heavily censored cinema that is similar to the Saudi television, said Emad Abed, a high school Saudi student. The most important thing to us is the setting and the feelings one might get when we go to a cinema abroad. It would also give us a sort of relieve instead of mangling with peers in shopping malls or setting in road sides.
Yet Emad doesn t want a family cinema where all members of the family enjoy watching movies simply because he doesn t want his male friends to see his sisters.
If they see my sisters, they will certainly tease me the next day at school, the thing that I can t handle, he said.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Banan, a professor of Islamic studies at Um Al-Qura University in Makkah, sees no need in having cinemas in the Kingdom, although he believes that there is no harm in cinemas if films are screened like those on the television.
But he said large gatherings in a dark and sensational atmosphere like that of cinemas abroad might lead to violation of Islamic regulations as illegal relationships might grow due to being affected by those factors.
We are a Muslim society, he said. Why should we follow the West in whatever they do, we know the coraruption they are living as a result of these things.
He said Islam was the first to introduce acting and theater as a way of illustration and clarification of wrong and right. God, he added, has set examples in the Holy Qur an for people. Educational theater is something that is wanted for spreading awareness and correcting misconceptions, he said, but the cinema in its present form is only a hideout for corruption.
He said that censoring films by a group of people might help in avoiding certain religious sensitive issues, but he wonders how long those people would last in that type of work.
After establishing cinema s halls in the country over a long period of time, freshly hired censors might not be as good as the previous ones. This, he added, would lead to the same result that the West is suffering now. The decision to abandon cinemas in the Kingdom is what we call in Islam preventing seduction factors, he said.
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
This is a good news, bad news kind of story. Think of it as yes, it s yours, BUT
A Saudi company recently received government permission to establish six cinema halls in the Eastern Province. That s the good news for people who like to watch movies. But government approval doesn t necessarily mean that cinemas will suddenly pop up throughout the Kingdom.
A senior official at a Saudi firm, who asked that he and his company not to be identified so future projects will not be jeopardized, said his company received permission from the Eastern Province emirate to establish six cinema halls in a grand mall that is still under construction and that would be the largest in the region. He described his company as one that deals with entertainment based on Saudi society s needs and hopes but also in a way that keeps within Islamic regulations, customs and traditions.
The project started at a grand mall that would satisfy the needs of all family members including children. As part of the project, he added, a space for six cinema halls was included in the blueprint of the building.
We got permission but we were told that if we face any difficulty with the religious [authority], we have to deal with it personally, he said, But because we had some bad experience and we don t have a system upon which we can get into debate with them. We cancelled that part of the project.
He said, however, that the building is constructed in a way that gives them space to establish cinema halls in case the prevailing attitude toward theaters changes.
If anything has changed, we will be the first to introduce cinemas, he said.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice refused to comment. They also declined to discuss whether cinemas in Saudi Arabia will be allowed in the future as globalization continues to impact Middle East countries.
The dilemma faced by the company wanting to build movie theaters illustrates the authority the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice wields on local matters, especially from region to region.
The Commission has always been a pillar of the Kingdom since its foundation. The main role of its personnel is to prowl the streets and shopping malls calling Muslim men to prayer. It also makes sure that the regulations of Islam are not violated.
A 35-year-old Saudi man, who asked for anonymity, said Commission s influence varies from one region to another based on people s level of acceptance of its ways.
When television was introduced for the first time in Saudi society it caused riots for religious reasons but it survived due to the government s support for educating people about local and international news.
Commercial movie theaters have abandoned Saudi Arabia, although wealthy merchants and princes have private cinema collections and entire film libraries in some cases. Films, too, are shown at the various embassies for European or American constituencies. Nobody can tell exactly whether the elimination of cinemas was due to a government policy or the influence of the Commission.
Jeddah, perhaps the most cosmopolitan city in Saudi Arabia, had during the late 1960s and early 70s cinemas that presented uncensored Egyptian, American, Turkish and Indian movies.
I still remember those days when my friends and I used to go to a cinema in Al-Balad (old city), said Abdullah Ahmad, a 45-year-old Saudi. It was owned by one of Jeddah s merchants.
Ahmad said that those cinemas used to present movies weekly. It was open for families and singles but on different days so they don t mix. Some wealthy people, he added, rent home cinemas for private parties, such as Sabe a (a party held after the passage of a week from the marriage party or the seventh day of giving birth to baby).
During the late 70s an abrupt change occurred for several religious reasons. Cinemas were closed and female singers were prohibited from appearing on television.
Dr. Hassan Al-Nemi, a professor of modern literature at King Abdul Aziz University and a member of Jeddah Literary Club, said that there was cinemas all over Jeddah until 1979.
There were cinemas in several hotels, including one that was called the Half Moon Hotel in Obhor, he said.
He said different internal and external factors contributed in the abandonment of cinemas. The social transformation following the 1979 Grand Mosque event has made Saudi society more religiously sensitive to different issues. The Islamic movement in Iran that same year, as well as different outside factors have also added to the situation inside the Kingdom. He said that the Saudi society has put itself in a difficult spot that it is trying to get out now.
He said that both the government and society share the responsibility for the present situation as the government has always been the leader for any enlightening move, including that the movement leading to formal girls education.
If the government wants to pursue a leading role and create a quality transformation, it has to keep pushing and supporting the society, civil institutes to perform their role well, Nemi said. Theater and cinemas are very important vessels for society members represented by the family that doesn t know where to go all together for entertainment.
He said that with the increasing access to satellites, with channels broadcasting uncensored version of Western especially Hollywood films, Saudis seem to be more open and seeking more entertainment.
Youths, for instance, are starved for entertainment that is offered in neighboring Arab countries, although they want it in a way that doesn t offend the sensitivity of the Kingdom.
We don t mind having a heavily censored cinema that is similar to the Saudi television, said Emad Abed, a high school Saudi student. The most important thing to us is the setting and the feelings one might get when we go to a cinema abroad. It would also give us a sort of relieve instead of mangling with peers in shopping malls or setting in road sides.
Yet Emad doesn t want a family cinema where all members of the family enjoy watching movies simply because he doesn t want his male friends to see his sisters.
If they see my sisters, they will certainly tease me the next day at school, the thing that I can t handle, he said.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Banan, a professor of Islamic studies at Um Al-Qura University in Makkah, sees no need in having cinemas in the Kingdom, although he believes that there is no harm in cinemas if films are screened like those on the television.
But he said large gatherings in a dark and sensational atmosphere like that of cinemas abroad might lead to violation of Islamic regulations as illegal relationships might grow due to being affected by those factors.
We are a Muslim society, he said. Why should we follow the West in whatever they do, we know the coraruption they are living as a result of these things.
He said Islam was the first to introduce acting and theater as a way of illustration and clarification of wrong and right. God, he added, has set examples in the Holy Qur an for people. Educational theater is something that is wanted for spreading awareness and correcting misconceptions, he said, but the cinema in its present form is only a hideout for corruption.
He said that censoring films by a group of people might help in avoiding certain religious sensitive issues, but he wonders how long those people would last in that type of work.
After establishing cinema s halls in the country over a long period of time, freshly hired censors might not be as good as the previous ones. This, he added, would lead to the same result that the West is suffering now. The decision to abandon cinemas in the Kingdom is what we call in Islam preventing seduction factors, he said.
killer SAUDI WOMAN AWAITS FREEDOM OR DEATH sentence
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
ABHA - Her complexion is as white as snow. When she smiles there is innocence, but when she
talks there is self-confidence and determination.
She is called Amal, although that is not the real name of this 26-year-old Saudi convicted of the murdering of Khalid Muhammad. Although marked for execution, she is with faith and hope.
I have unlimited faith in Allah s justice and I hope that the victim s family will forgive me for what I did and consider that for the sake of God, said Amal, who agreed to an exclusive interview with the Saudi Gazette on the condition her real name is not used.
Amal is victimized by a society that does not forgive a woman for any mistake even in cases where she is a victim of old traditions that have nothing to do with religion.
In the days before her scheduled execution, the Saudi government delayed it in an attempt to give more time for those who want to mediate with the recipients of the blood money to show her mercy and forgiveness.
Amal now is locked behind several walls that looked for a while deserted as a haunted house and as cold as a winter night. But inside it s as warm as a house full of love. The cells are roomy and decorated with wall-hangings, colorful bedding and nice carpeting.
A police officer looked happy to see another person trying to shed light on Amal s story.
May God listen to our prayers and free her , the police officer said. She is one of the best girls, of good morals, decent and religious.
Other prisoners agree, noting their love for her and eagerness to be in her company.
Fair, tall and attractive, Amal offered her visitor a cup of Arabic coffee with candies stuffed in a decorated basket in the office of Na ila Ali Aseeri, director of the female prison in Abha.
With her big hazel eyes, Amal looked cautious trying to determine the identity of her visitor when Aseeri told her about the objective of the visit. Initially, she looked confused and reluctant to give the interview but was encouraged by Aseeri, who said, The distance you have crossed is appreciated by us.
However, she refused to give details about her story, noting that details are in the government files.
Amal was only 20 years old when a young man, who is a neighbor of her in-laws, broke into her house in the absence of her husband and attacked her. She carried her husband s hunting gun and shot him dead with three bullets to the head.
I begged him to leave me alone and get out of my house but he insisted, so I killed him to defend my home and honor, she said.
As a strong-willed woman who has been raised up on the mountains of Aseer where women share with their husbands the rigors of life, Amal cut the corpse into pieces and burned it. Then she wrapped it in a blanket and threw it in the garbage believing that the story will end at that point.
But the victim s family missed him and called the police.
On Friday 26/11/1420 H, 1999, we missed our brother at the time at which he usually comes home and informed the police. They told us that they found an unidentified body thrown in a trash can and that they are keeping it at Abha s general hospital, according to the family s statement. To our surprise, when we saw the body we found out that it was our brother s( Khalid Muhammad Qlais), may he rest in peace.
According to the statement, the medical report said the victim was struck by a sharp weapon on the head and nose. It also shows that his hands muscles were cut , his abdomen was ripped, one of his legs was cut off and his body was burned to cover the marks of torture.
Amal admitted to committing the crime in court. She claimed full responsibility. She justified the homicide by defending her honor. The victim s family refused all efforts by hundreds of chiefs of Aseer s tribes who tried to mediate and free the woman. The family said that the way their son was killed was too awful for them to forgive, adding that they believe that other male members of Amal s family were involved because a weak woman can never do that alone.
Islamic penal laws hold that a harsh punishment serves as a deterrent to serious crimes that harm individual victims, or threaten to destabilize the foundation of society.
According to Islamic law: ...If anyone kills a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all people. And if anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people (Qur an 5:32).
In Islam only intentional murder and Fasad fil-ardh ( spreading mischief in the land ) can be punishable by death. The Qur an legislates the death penalty for murder, although forgiveness and compassion are strongly encouraged. The murder victim s family is given a choice to either insist on the death penalty, or to pardon the perpetrator and accept monetary compensation for their loss.
Amal s case has attracted strong media and public reaction with more than 3,000 visitors logging in to the website created to support her case under the name http://www.freethegirl.com/. People in the region exchange SMS s that call for saving her life as a victim of some social wrong perceptions about women and honor.
A source close to the case, who asked not to be named, said according to the investigation, Amal said the man was threatening her with revealing their previous relationship before she got married as he kept photos and cassette tapes of her talking to him. He kept blackmailing her and she pretended to submit to his desire until she dragged him to her house where she killed him, the source said.
Abdullah Al-Shehri, a citizen of Aseer, said Saudi society always puts the responsibility on women for any relationship while they forget that two people are involved.
If we were a more tolerant society for such things she would have not been forced to kill him, he said. But because she knew for sure that she would have carried the shame alone if their previous relationship was revealed as he threatened her, she was pushed to stop him any way.
Major Saud Sultan Al-Otaibi, director of Abha s prison, said that he was among those who tried to mediate with the victim s family to pardon the woman, but they insisted on the death penalty.
What do people expect from a good woman to do when she finds a stranger in her home, he said. Being in someone s house during husband s absence is a crime by itself that deserves killing regardless of the circumstances of the story.
He described Amal as one of the best women in Kahmis Mushayt, the area where she lives. He said she belongs to a good family and a well-known tribe. He said that her file is clean since she entered the prison. Aseeri also confirmed the good conduct and behavior of Amal. She said Amal has become one of the prison staff as she helps them to deal with newcomers and calm them down until they integrate with the rest. She also makes Dawa (Preaching) to non- Muslim female prisoners. She memorized the Holy Qur an and most of the Prophet s sayings (Hadith).
She is loved by everyone and she takes good care of her friends not only in her cell but also in other cells, Aseeri said. I am quite sure that if she is forgiven she would be an active and good member of the society because she learned her lesson and now she is ready to help other women in the society to learn from her experience.
Amal said that the staff helped her at a difficult time as they treated her as person a who committed a mistake and was ready to learn from it.
I have never been treated as a criminal, she said. The staff contained me and gave me the family love that I miss.
Amal has nine brothers and two sisters. She got married two years before the murder when she was 18 years old. Her father died only months after her imprisonment. She said the last time she saw him was when he visited her in the prison to give her support and filled her with hope and faith.
He got tired while he was talking to me behind the prison s door and died the same day at night, she said with tears.
He wanted to see her free and as happy as her sisters. Remembering her father, Amal said, I have never imagined that I would be a killer one day and if time go back I would have called the police and reported him instead of committing a crime.
Amal s biggest dream now is to be given another chance to live like all women her age and to have children that she could raise as a Muslim mother. What happened to me has broken my dreams and I wish all girls learn from my story and fear God in both private and public, she said.
Amal s family visits her regularly and many businessmen expressed their readiness to pay the blood money to the victim s family. Some of them said they are ready to carry out all the demands of the claimants blood money no matter how much it costs.
Their aim is to help this poor girl to get a new life, said Aseeri.
Whether Amal would be pardoned or not is a matter that the coming days would reveal. Now she is serving her sixth year in prison teaching religion, leading prayers and taking care of Qaboos, a son of one of the prisoner s, the child that she has never given birth to but whom she calls Son.
The Saudi Gazette
ABHA - Her complexion is as white as snow. When she smiles there is innocence, but when she
talks there is self-confidence and determination.
She is called Amal, although that is not the real name of this 26-year-old Saudi convicted of the murdering of Khalid Muhammad. Although marked for execution, she is with faith and hope.
I have unlimited faith in Allah s justice and I hope that the victim s family will forgive me for what I did and consider that for the sake of God, said Amal, who agreed to an exclusive interview with the Saudi Gazette on the condition her real name is not used.
Amal is victimized by a society that does not forgive a woman for any mistake even in cases where she is a victim of old traditions that have nothing to do with religion.
In the days before her scheduled execution, the Saudi government delayed it in an attempt to give more time for those who want to mediate with the recipients of the blood money to show her mercy and forgiveness.
Amal now is locked behind several walls that looked for a while deserted as a haunted house and as cold as a winter night. But inside it s as warm as a house full of love. The cells are roomy and decorated with wall-hangings, colorful bedding and nice carpeting.
A police officer looked happy to see another person trying to shed light on Amal s story.
May God listen to our prayers and free her , the police officer said. She is one of the best girls, of good morals, decent and religious.
Other prisoners agree, noting their love for her and eagerness to be in her company.
Fair, tall and attractive, Amal offered her visitor a cup of Arabic coffee with candies stuffed in a decorated basket in the office of Na ila Ali Aseeri, director of the female prison in Abha.
With her big hazel eyes, Amal looked cautious trying to determine the identity of her visitor when Aseeri told her about the objective of the visit. Initially, she looked confused and reluctant to give the interview but was encouraged by Aseeri, who said, The distance you have crossed is appreciated by us.
However, she refused to give details about her story, noting that details are in the government files.
Amal was only 20 years old when a young man, who is a neighbor of her in-laws, broke into her house in the absence of her husband and attacked her. She carried her husband s hunting gun and shot him dead with three bullets to the head.
I begged him to leave me alone and get out of my house but he insisted, so I killed him to defend my home and honor, she said.
As a strong-willed woman who has been raised up on the mountains of Aseer where women share with their husbands the rigors of life, Amal cut the corpse into pieces and burned it. Then she wrapped it in a blanket and threw it in the garbage believing that the story will end at that point.
But the victim s family missed him and called the police.
On Friday 26/11/1420 H, 1999, we missed our brother at the time at which he usually comes home and informed the police. They told us that they found an unidentified body thrown in a trash can and that they are keeping it at Abha s general hospital, according to the family s statement. To our surprise, when we saw the body we found out that it was our brother s( Khalid Muhammad Qlais), may he rest in peace.
According to the statement, the medical report said the victim was struck by a sharp weapon on the head and nose. It also shows that his hands muscles were cut , his abdomen was ripped, one of his legs was cut off and his body was burned to cover the marks of torture.
Amal admitted to committing the crime in court. She claimed full responsibility. She justified the homicide by defending her honor. The victim s family refused all efforts by hundreds of chiefs of Aseer s tribes who tried to mediate and free the woman. The family said that the way their son was killed was too awful for them to forgive, adding that they believe that other male members of Amal s family were involved because a weak woman can never do that alone.
Islamic penal laws hold that a harsh punishment serves as a deterrent to serious crimes that harm individual victims, or threaten to destabilize the foundation of society.
According to Islamic law: ...If anyone kills a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all people. And if anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people (Qur an 5:32).
In Islam only intentional murder and Fasad fil-ardh ( spreading mischief in the land ) can be punishable by death. The Qur an legislates the death penalty for murder, although forgiveness and compassion are strongly encouraged. The murder victim s family is given a choice to either insist on the death penalty, or to pardon the perpetrator and accept monetary compensation for their loss.
Amal s case has attracted strong media and public reaction with more than 3,000 visitors logging in to the website created to support her case under the name http://www.freethegirl.com/. People in the region exchange SMS s that call for saving her life as a victim of some social wrong perceptions about women and honor.
A source close to the case, who asked not to be named, said according to the investigation, Amal said the man was threatening her with revealing their previous relationship before she got married as he kept photos and cassette tapes of her talking to him. He kept blackmailing her and she pretended to submit to his desire until she dragged him to her house where she killed him, the source said.
Abdullah Al-Shehri, a citizen of Aseer, said Saudi society always puts the responsibility on women for any relationship while they forget that two people are involved.
If we were a more tolerant society for such things she would have not been forced to kill him, he said. But because she knew for sure that she would have carried the shame alone if their previous relationship was revealed as he threatened her, she was pushed to stop him any way.
Major Saud Sultan Al-Otaibi, director of Abha s prison, said that he was among those who tried to mediate with the victim s family to pardon the woman, but they insisted on the death penalty.
What do people expect from a good woman to do when she finds a stranger in her home, he said. Being in someone s house during husband s absence is a crime by itself that deserves killing regardless of the circumstances of the story.
He described Amal as one of the best women in Kahmis Mushayt, the area where she lives. He said she belongs to a good family and a well-known tribe. He said that her file is clean since she entered the prison. Aseeri also confirmed the good conduct and behavior of Amal. She said Amal has become one of the prison staff as she helps them to deal with newcomers and calm them down until they integrate with the rest. She also makes Dawa (Preaching) to non- Muslim female prisoners. She memorized the Holy Qur an and most of the Prophet s sayings (Hadith).
She is loved by everyone and she takes good care of her friends not only in her cell but also in other cells, Aseeri said. I am quite sure that if she is forgiven she would be an active and good member of the society because she learned her lesson and now she is ready to help other women in the society to learn from her experience.
Amal said that the staff helped her at a difficult time as they treated her as person a who committed a mistake and was ready to learn from it.
I have never been treated as a criminal, she said. The staff contained me and gave me the family love that I miss.
Amal has nine brothers and two sisters. She got married two years before the murder when she was 18 years old. Her father died only months after her imprisonment. She said the last time she saw him was when he visited her in the prison to give her support and filled her with hope and faith.
He got tired while he was talking to me behind the prison s door and died the same day at night, she said with tears.
He wanted to see her free and as happy as her sisters. Remembering her father, Amal said, I have never imagined that I would be a killer one day and if time go back I would have called the police and reported him instead of committing a crime.
Amal s biggest dream now is to be given another chance to live like all women her age and to have children that she could raise as a Muslim mother. What happened to me has broken my dreams and I wish all girls learn from my story and fear God in both private and public, she said.
Amal s family visits her regularly and many businessmen expressed their readiness to pay the blood money to the victim s family. Some of them said they are ready to carry out all the demands of the claimants blood money no matter how much it costs.
Their aim is to help this poor girl to get a new life, said Aseeri.
Whether Amal would be pardoned or not is a matter that the coming days would reveal. Now she is serving her sixth year in prison teaching religion, leading prayers and taking care of Qaboos, a son of one of the prisoner s, the child that she has never given birth to but whom she calls Son.
I killed to save my daughter’
A story from Abha’s prison
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi gazette
ABHA
FROM generation to generation, women inherit the difficulties of just being a woman. However, sometimes, society and circumstances combine to compound the difficulties to lethal effect.
L. Aseeri, a 40-year-old Saudi woman, perhaps personifies such a plight.
She is behind bars in Abha women s prison, convicted of deliberately killing her husband.
Sometimes she regrets killing her husband, but most of the time she doesn t.
She killed just to protect her only 5-year-old daughter, she told The Saudi Gazette.
He wanted to rape his own daughter, she claimed, I tried to stop him many times but he kept threatening me of doing that more and more.
But do threats justify murder?
When I killed him, she replied, I knew that he was able to do that and was about to.
Wasn t there any other recourse?
Her husband was a psychologically sick person and a drug addict, Aseeri said. He had sexually assaulted two of his daughters from his second wife when they were children, she alleged, but he could get away with it because of their mother s silence.
I didn t want my daughter to go through that in front of my eyes. Aseeri said.
She said she did try to seek help that she had told her brothers about it. But they refused to believe that a father could ever hurt his own daughter in such a manner. They told her to shut up and not bring shame to the family.
What about going to the police?
Asseri said she had thought of it but gave up for want of evidence of any rape attempt. She feared that the police would have brought her back to her husband s house not protect her or her daughter after that.
Besides, she went on, the police station was far away from her home and she could not go there alone, not without a male relative.
They will not allow me in to file my case without a Mehram (a male guard), and my male relatives don t believe me, she pleaded, though women in Saudi Arabia do have the right to report a case without a Mehram.
If you were in my position what would have you done?
Though actual rape in this case did not evidently take place, recent international studies by rape case experts suggest that some women avoid reporting sexual abuse or assault because of fear or distrust of authority.
In Saudi Arabia, women victims of sexual assault are made to undergo a forensic examination in order to gather evidence supporting their rape claim. This medical examination is essential to the progress of the case through the legal system.
However, the forensic investigation, while required by law, is rarely conducted in a way as to gather complete and compelling evidence of sexual assault as it is concentrated mainly on determining the state of the victim s hymen.
Legal experts believe that in cases of sexual abuse, other considerations should be given, using the court s general and special powers so to effect a fair hearing.
These include the special measures that allow evidence to be given in private under certain circumstances and the consideration of psychological and social factors.
Saudi lawyer Khalid Abu Rashed, deputy chief of the International Organization of Justice in Paris, said that from a humane point of view he sympathizes with Aseeri and understands a mother s feelings when caught in the situation she claims she was in.
However, he added, from a legal point of view such honor crimes should not be let go or looked at differently from any other crime.
Otherwise everyone will kill whosoever he wants to and then claim it was an honor killing, he said. In Islamic Shariah, the killer has to be killed no matter why he did it, except if the death happened during a proven defensive position.
He said Aseeri should have gone to the police and reported the case or even her husband s attempt to rape her daughter. They could have helped her and protected her daughter.
Killing should never be a solution for any problem no matter how big or how complicated it is, Abu Rashed said.
If Aseeri had reported the case and it was proven that the husband had raped his other two daughters, he would have been sent to death by the Islamic court, he said. The crime of rape, no matter what the relationship is between the rapist and the victim, is considered as a capital crime and punishable by death.
In Saudi Arabia, the criminal case panel of the Appellate Court usually consists of five judges who review sentences of death, stoning, amputation or Qisas (retaliatory punishment) in verdict other than death. For other cases, the panel consists of three judges.
Sentences of death, stoning, amputation, or Qisas in cases other than death that have been passed by the Appellate Court are not considered final unless they are affirmed by the Permanent Panel of the Supreme Judicial Council.
These facts make me sure that Aseeri s case was carefully studied and the judgment was passed accordingly, Abu Rashed said.
A psychologist, who asked not to be named, said violence in general and killing in particular are not part of women s nature.
Women usually kill when they have no other option, a fact that judicial systems all over the world rarely acknowledge, he said, This woman seemed to be really desperate and confused when she killed her husband.
He said women in rural areas like Mahail Aseer where Aseeri lived, are usually suppressed by men, and the concept of honor among them is so flawed that it causes confusion in the society.
In such areas women are totally dependent on men and only marriage can save a girl from the practices of her brothers, he said.
So, he deduced, Aseeri would never have taken the risk and killed her husband unless she was really forced to do so.
However, he emphasized that the circumstances of the crime must have been studied well for the court to issue the death penalty.
As for psychological evaluation of the accused, he said: I heard that usually psychiatrics see the prisoners as soon as they are jailed. But I don t know exactly what kind of tests they do and whether their psychological assessment of the prisoner s condition at the time of the killing is included as part of the case.
Omar Al Zobaidi, a media person, said the Saudi judicial system should be codified in a way that makes the psychologist, sociologist and psychiatrist part of the judicial system.
Such cases should not be handled by Islamic scholars only, he said, No one can deny the importance of the psychological factors in such a story.
He also stressed the importance of advising the convicted person of his rights including that of hiring a lawyer to whom he can talk to even before the investigation or the court hearing.
Saudi Arabia is embarking on extensive development of its penal system that is based on clearly defined scientific criteria and governed by statutory rules derived from the Islamic Shariah, so as to safeguarded and respect the rights of convicted persons.
However, several questions have been raised recently concerning the interpretation of the Islamic judicial regulations by some judges and whether other psychological and social circumstances should be taken into consideration in court especially when dealing with women s issues.
The Third National Dialogue that was devoted to women s issues and held in Madina earlier this year, called for the establishment of a national organization to deal with family and women s issues and to coordinate between governmental and civil institutions.
It also called for the establishment of domestic courts and for expanding women s sections within existing courts. Also, it recommended the establishment of a committee of experts in Shariah and social studies so as to separate traditions and customs from religious laws and ensure that only religious laws remain in effect.
Yet, according to several participants in the dialogue, nothing has been seen on the ground and the recommendations were added to a long list of demands that are waiting for regulations and procedures of implementation.
Today Aseeri s daughter is in the care of her elder sister. Aseeri said her sister was also a victim of the man she had killed.
But Aseeri s daughter is insisting on the death penalty for her father s second wife.
And she has support.
His children from his first wife have refused to pardon me as they are the owner of the blood, though they know what kind of a father they had and that I am telling the truth, Aseeri said.
getotherservices()
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi gazette
ABHA
FROM generation to generation, women inherit the difficulties of just being a woman. However, sometimes, society and circumstances combine to compound the difficulties to lethal effect.
L. Aseeri, a 40-year-old Saudi woman, perhaps personifies such a plight.
She is behind bars in Abha women s prison, convicted of deliberately killing her husband.
Sometimes she regrets killing her husband, but most of the time she doesn t.
She killed just to protect her only 5-year-old daughter, she told The Saudi Gazette.
He wanted to rape his own daughter, she claimed, I tried to stop him many times but he kept threatening me of doing that more and more.
But do threats justify murder?
When I killed him, she replied, I knew that he was able to do that and was about to.
Wasn t there any other recourse?
Her husband was a psychologically sick person and a drug addict, Aseeri said. He had sexually assaulted two of his daughters from his second wife when they were children, she alleged, but he could get away with it because of their mother s silence.
I didn t want my daughter to go through that in front of my eyes. Aseeri said.
She said she did try to seek help that she had told her brothers about it. But they refused to believe that a father could ever hurt his own daughter in such a manner. They told her to shut up and not bring shame to the family.
What about going to the police?
Asseri said she had thought of it but gave up for want of evidence of any rape attempt. She feared that the police would have brought her back to her husband s house not protect her or her daughter after that.
Besides, she went on, the police station was far away from her home and she could not go there alone, not without a male relative.
They will not allow me in to file my case without a Mehram (a male guard), and my male relatives don t believe me, she pleaded, though women in Saudi Arabia do have the right to report a case without a Mehram.
If you were in my position what would have you done?
Though actual rape in this case did not evidently take place, recent international studies by rape case experts suggest that some women avoid reporting sexual abuse or assault because of fear or distrust of authority.
In Saudi Arabia, women victims of sexual assault are made to undergo a forensic examination in order to gather evidence supporting their rape claim. This medical examination is essential to the progress of the case through the legal system.
However, the forensic investigation, while required by law, is rarely conducted in a way as to gather complete and compelling evidence of sexual assault as it is concentrated mainly on determining the state of the victim s hymen.
Legal experts believe that in cases of sexual abuse, other considerations should be given, using the court s general and special powers so to effect a fair hearing.
These include the special measures that allow evidence to be given in private under certain circumstances and the consideration of psychological and social factors.
Saudi lawyer Khalid Abu Rashed, deputy chief of the International Organization of Justice in Paris, said that from a humane point of view he sympathizes with Aseeri and understands a mother s feelings when caught in the situation she claims she was in.
However, he added, from a legal point of view such honor crimes should not be let go or looked at differently from any other crime.
Otherwise everyone will kill whosoever he wants to and then claim it was an honor killing, he said. In Islamic Shariah, the killer has to be killed no matter why he did it, except if the death happened during a proven defensive position.
He said Aseeri should have gone to the police and reported the case or even her husband s attempt to rape her daughter. They could have helped her and protected her daughter.
Killing should never be a solution for any problem no matter how big or how complicated it is, Abu Rashed said.
If Aseeri had reported the case and it was proven that the husband had raped his other two daughters, he would have been sent to death by the Islamic court, he said. The crime of rape, no matter what the relationship is between the rapist and the victim, is considered as a capital crime and punishable by death.
In Saudi Arabia, the criminal case panel of the Appellate Court usually consists of five judges who review sentences of death, stoning, amputation or Qisas (retaliatory punishment) in verdict other than death. For other cases, the panel consists of three judges.
Sentences of death, stoning, amputation, or Qisas in cases other than death that have been passed by the Appellate Court are not considered final unless they are affirmed by the Permanent Panel of the Supreme Judicial Council.
These facts make me sure that Aseeri s case was carefully studied and the judgment was passed accordingly, Abu Rashed said.
A psychologist, who asked not to be named, said violence in general and killing in particular are not part of women s nature.
Women usually kill when they have no other option, a fact that judicial systems all over the world rarely acknowledge, he said, This woman seemed to be really desperate and confused when she killed her husband.
He said women in rural areas like Mahail Aseer where Aseeri lived, are usually suppressed by men, and the concept of honor among them is so flawed that it causes confusion in the society.
In such areas women are totally dependent on men and only marriage can save a girl from the practices of her brothers, he said.
So, he deduced, Aseeri would never have taken the risk and killed her husband unless she was really forced to do so.
However, he emphasized that the circumstances of the crime must have been studied well for the court to issue the death penalty.
As for psychological evaluation of the accused, he said: I heard that usually psychiatrics see the prisoners as soon as they are jailed. But I don t know exactly what kind of tests they do and whether their psychological assessment of the prisoner s condition at the time of the killing is included as part of the case.
Omar Al Zobaidi, a media person, said the Saudi judicial system should be codified in a way that makes the psychologist, sociologist and psychiatrist part of the judicial system.
Such cases should not be handled by Islamic scholars only, he said, No one can deny the importance of the psychological factors in such a story.
He also stressed the importance of advising the convicted person of his rights including that of hiring a lawyer to whom he can talk to even before the investigation or the court hearing.
Saudi Arabia is embarking on extensive development of its penal system that is based on clearly defined scientific criteria and governed by statutory rules derived from the Islamic Shariah, so as to safeguarded and respect the rights of convicted persons.
However, several questions have been raised recently concerning the interpretation of the Islamic judicial regulations by some judges and whether other psychological and social circumstances should be taken into consideration in court especially when dealing with women s issues.
The Third National Dialogue that was devoted to women s issues and held in Madina earlier this year, called for the establishment of a national organization to deal with family and women s issues and to coordinate between governmental and civil institutions.
It also called for the establishment of domestic courts and for expanding women s sections within existing courts. Also, it recommended the establishment of a committee of experts in Shariah and social studies so as to separate traditions and customs from religious laws and ensure that only religious laws remain in effect.
Yet, according to several participants in the dialogue, nothing has been seen on the ground and the recommendations were added to a long list of demands that are waiting for regulations and procedures of implementation.
Today Aseeri s daughter is in the care of her elder sister. Aseeri said her sister was also a victim of the man she had killed.
But Aseeri s daughter is insisting on the death penalty for her father s second wife.
And she has support.
His children from his first wife have refused to pardon me as they are the owner of the blood, though they know what kind of a father they had and that I am telling the truth, Aseeri said.
getotherservices()
A Christian On An Umra Visa
Tuesday, 06 June 2006
By Sabria s. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
SOFIA’S story (not her real name) is a sad one, and offers an alarming example and insight into how criminal gangs lure thousands of young women from poor countries into the underground sex trade - a trade that is a problem worldwide, including in countries where the constitution and laws are based largely on religious teachings prohibiting such things.
Although Sofia talks with a voice full of confidence as she explains the reasons she took the dark path of sin, exposing herself to significant physical risk and endangering her health, there was a deep look of sadness in her eyes that told the real story.
It revealed what she had to go through in order to carry out what she referred to as “a family duty.”
“I came from a very poor family,” Sofia told The Saudi Gazette during a visit to Briman Prison. “I have nine brothers and sisters who need to go to school. And above all to live.”
It all began in her poor farming village in Ethiopia with the promise of a good job as a housemaid in wealthy Saudi Arabia.
“In my village, people are so naïve, they believe that gold can be found thrown away all along the roads of Saudi Arabia,” Sofia said. “They are told that Saudis change their cars yearly and leave the old ones with their keys in the streets.”
One day, she recalled, an old Ethiopian woman, who seemed wealthy to Sofia, came to the village on a quest for beautiful, young girls in their twenties.
“It was odd because it was obvious that she was looking for something far beyond skilled or strong women,” Sofia explained. “Actually, she was looking for girls with special features.”
Unlike the other girls of her village, Sofia, who was 18 at the time, was confident that she would be picked, and said as she could easily see the look of admiration in the older woman’s eyes.
“While the rest of the girls were crossing their fingers, waiting to pass the old lady’s test, I was sure that she will pick me,” she said. “I am well-known in my village for my beauty.”
Sofia is five feet, nine-inches tall and has a naturally tanned and soft complexion. It would be easy to believe she is a model. So, as expected, Sofia passed the exam and was taken to Addis Ababa in preparation for her trip to Jeddah.
Yet as a non-Muslim, Sofia was faced with difficulty of obtaining a visa to work as a maid in Saudi Arabia because most Saudi families prefer Muslim maids. But she was told not to worry about the visa because everything had been taken care of by an agent.
In the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Sofia said she spent a week learning some verses of the Holy Qur’an as well as the basics of Islam in case she was asked, while she spent the rest of the month before her arrival in Jeddah learning how to take good care of her physical appearance, dealing with clients and the procedures she needed to take “precautions.”
Because Sofia was not being recruited to work as a maid, but one of the many thousands of prostitutes who are brought to the Kingdom every year.
“At that point of the journey I realized what I was heading to and what kind of a job I would have. Yet I accepted it in order to make a better life for my family and myself,” she said.
Sofia was forced to sign a paper that she was indebted to pay $10,000. The visa and her airline ticket came free. She was told that she would repay the loan in monthly installments after she began to work in Saudi Arabia.
Once in the Kingdom, where Sofia once thought her dreams would come true, she was met by a man who took her to an apartment in one of Jeddah’s middle class districts where she met the Ethiopian lady again and some other girls roughly her same age.
As the brothel “protocol” required, Sofia gave her word to her new employers that she would not reveal any information about the brothel or give the name of anyone involved if she was ever arrested. In that event, the employer also guaranteed to pay Sofia all of the money she might be owed once she left prison.
When asked, Sofia told The Saudi Gazette that she believed that she will be paid all the money she owed as soon as she is released.
All the girls who were arrested got their money when they were deported because they did not utter a word about their employer, she said.
As the Saudi government has cracked down on the prostitution, prostitutes, brothel owners and recruiters have gotten more creative. Sofia said in order not to be traced, they met clients at different apartments or locations far away from where they lived.
Brothel employees use different telephone numbers and never give an exact location or a name even to regular clients.
By Sabria s. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
SOFIA’S story (not her real name) is a sad one, and offers an alarming example and insight into how criminal gangs lure thousands of young women from poor countries into the underground sex trade - a trade that is a problem worldwide, including in countries where the constitution and laws are based largely on religious teachings prohibiting such things.
Although Sofia talks with a voice full of confidence as she explains the reasons she took the dark path of sin, exposing herself to significant physical risk and endangering her health, there was a deep look of sadness in her eyes that told the real story.
It revealed what she had to go through in order to carry out what she referred to as “a family duty.”
“I came from a very poor family,” Sofia told The Saudi Gazette during a visit to Briman Prison. “I have nine brothers and sisters who need to go to school. And above all to live.”
It all began in her poor farming village in Ethiopia with the promise of a good job as a housemaid in wealthy Saudi Arabia.
“In my village, people are so naïve, they believe that gold can be found thrown away all along the roads of Saudi Arabia,” Sofia said. “They are told that Saudis change their cars yearly and leave the old ones with their keys in the streets.”
One day, she recalled, an old Ethiopian woman, who seemed wealthy to Sofia, came to the village on a quest for beautiful, young girls in their twenties.
“It was odd because it was obvious that she was looking for something far beyond skilled or strong women,” Sofia explained. “Actually, she was looking for girls with special features.”
Unlike the other girls of her village, Sofia, who was 18 at the time, was confident that she would be picked, and said as she could easily see the look of admiration in the older woman’s eyes.
“While the rest of the girls were crossing their fingers, waiting to pass the old lady’s test, I was sure that she will pick me,” she said. “I am well-known in my village for my beauty.”
Sofia is five feet, nine-inches tall and has a naturally tanned and soft complexion. It would be easy to believe she is a model. So, as expected, Sofia passed the exam and was taken to Addis Ababa in preparation for her trip to Jeddah.
Yet as a non-Muslim, Sofia was faced with difficulty of obtaining a visa to work as a maid in Saudi Arabia because most Saudi families prefer Muslim maids. But she was told not to worry about the visa because everything had been taken care of by an agent.
In the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Sofia said she spent a week learning some verses of the Holy Qur’an as well as the basics of Islam in case she was asked, while she spent the rest of the month before her arrival in Jeddah learning how to take good care of her physical appearance, dealing with clients and the procedures she needed to take “precautions.”
Because Sofia was not being recruited to work as a maid, but one of the many thousands of prostitutes who are brought to the Kingdom every year.
“At that point of the journey I realized what I was heading to and what kind of a job I would have. Yet I accepted it in order to make a better life for my family and myself,” she said.
Sofia was forced to sign a paper that she was indebted to pay $10,000. The visa and her airline ticket came free. She was told that she would repay the loan in monthly installments after she began to work in Saudi Arabia.
Once in the Kingdom, where Sofia once thought her dreams would come true, she was met by a man who took her to an apartment in one of Jeddah’s middle class districts where she met the Ethiopian lady again and some other girls roughly her same age.
As the brothel “protocol” required, Sofia gave her word to her new employers that she would not reveal any information about the brothel or give the name of anyone involved if she was ever arrested. In that event, the employer also guaranteed to pay Sofia all of the money she might be owed once she left prison.
When asked, Sofia told The Saudi Gazette that she believed that she will be paid all the money she owed as soon as she is released.
All the girls who were arrested got their money when they were deported because they did not utter a word about their employer, she said.
As the Saudi government has cracked down on the prostitution, prostitutes, brothel owners and recruiters have gotten more creative. Sofia said in order not to be traced, they met clients at different apartments or locations far away from where they lived.
Brothel employees use different telephone numbers and never give an exact location or a name even to regular clients.
Crying for Justice
Monday, 14 August 2006
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
WHEN the Saudi government modified its criminal justice system two years ago, it emphasized its continuing eagerness to carry out justice in a way that resolves criminal cases with absolute certainty in the light of evidence presented. It also emphasized its commitment to comply with the laws and regulations that protect human rights in the light of Shariah.
However, there are still some complaints from the families of those convicted, complaints largely about the laxity and negligence of some officials rather than the system itself.
Hussain Johar, a Burmese national who lives in Makkah, said his family escaped from their homeland to Saudi Arabia looking for justice and security that they lacked back home.
“We escaped from our home due to the persecution of Burmese by the military junta, something that is well-known not only to the Saudi government but also to the world,” he said.
Johar said his family is a respectful business family from Burma that has been working and living in Saudi Arabia for quite a long time. To him, life was almost perfect till Monday, Jul. 3, 2006, when he paid a visit to his nephew, Nezam Kamal Uddin, a computer technician in Jeddah.
That day, while Johar was checking the Internet his nephew closed the doors of the shop where he worked and five men came in. Four of them, he said, were in plain clothes, while the fifth wore a Saudi Telecom uniform. The men entered the shop, he explained, and asked him whether he worked there. They took his Iqama and approached his nephew to ask about an Internet-telephone they found in the shop.
“After about an hour-long search, my nephew was hand-cuffed and taken away to undisclosed location along with the Internet-telephone set that they found,” he said.
Johar was shocked because to the best of his knowledge, his nephew did not engage in any illegal activities. On the contrary, he was well known for being a good technician with customers from everywhere, including many government workers.
“If possessing an Internet calling device is not authorized in the Kingdom, the department concerned should have asked the sole agent instead of detaining workers like my nephew [Nezam],” he said.
The telephone set however, he added, was sold legally in the Kingdom and is frequently advertised in the Al-Wasaila weekly.
But that was not Johar’s main complaint. Actually, he was complaining about the legal procedures his nephew had gone through, starting with the arrest and then his detention. For instance, he said, even though he was Nezam’s guardian, he was not notified about the allegations during or after the arrest. The next afternoon, Johar said, he rushed to the police station to find out the truth to follow the required procedures. There, he saw Nezam in the investigation room but he was denied any access to him.
When the investigation was over, Johar explained, a police officer asked him to go and bring a sponsor to get his nephew released. As a relative and a legal resident, Hussein offered his official papers to sponsor Nezam, but the police refused and asked for a Saudi sponsor. When Johar came back with a Saudi guarantor, the same officer then asked for someone who works for the government and owns a registered company.
By the time Johar found someone who matched those requirements, his nephew had already been taken to prison. The authorities told him that the case has not been finalized, therefore Nezam could not be released. Officers at the police station, he said, did not give any further details. Moreover, they mistreated and humiliated him, Johar alleged.
“They did not even tell me which court they took him to,” he said.
Since then Nezam has been in detention and the family has not been notified about the charges nor given any details about the case. According to Johar, Nezam has not been given access to a lawyer. He also noted a sort of blackout around the case, something that made him believe the whole case was fabricated from the beginning.
He appealed to The Saudi Gazette to tell his nephew’s story and raise the following questions: how could they carry out legal procedures, such as an investigation and court hearings, without the knowledge and presence of the suspect’s lawyer or even a family member who might cross-examine?
“How come there was no chance to justify the case in the police station or court?” he asked. “If concerned families are not allowed to meet detainees in locked police stations or in court, how can they deal with their cases?”
Johar said he asked for help from the Saudi Human Rights Association, but they told him the case was transferred to the Emirate of Makkah region and that the association can do nothing until he is sent back to the prison.
Between his confusion and shock, Johar said his family’s ultimate goal is to get the justice a person is entitled to regardless of color or race. He said he does not want to lose his faith in justice here in the cradle of Islam.
“It is my humble request to kindly help obtain fair justice in order to release my nephew and use the media to help overcome this misbehavior and maltreatment,” he said. The police could not be reached for comment.
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
WHEN the Saudi government modified its criminal justice system two years ago, it emphasized its continuing eagerness to carry out justice in a way that resolves criminal cases with absolute certainty in the light of evidence presented. It also emphasized its commitment to comply with the laws and regulations that protect human rights in the light of Shariah.
However, there are still some complaints from the families of those convicted, complaints largely about the laxity and negligence of some officials rather than the system itself.
Hussain Johar, a Burmese national who lives in Makkah, said his family escaped from their homeland to Saudi Arabia looking for justice and security that they lacked back home.
“We escaped from our home due to the persecution of Burmese by the military junta, something that is well-known not only to the Saudi government but also to the world,” he said.
Johar said his family is a respectful business family from Burma that has been working and living in Saudi Arabia for quite a long time. To him, life was almost perfect till Monday, Jul. 3, 2006, when he paid a visit to his nephew, Nezam Kamal Uddin, a computer technician in Jeddah.
That day, while Johar was checking the Internet his nephew closed the doors of the shop where he worked and five men came in. Four of them, he said, were in plain clothes, while the fifth wore a Saudi Telecom uniform. The men entered the shop, he explained, and asked him whether he worked there. They took his Iqama and approached his nephew to ask about an Internet-telephone they found in the shop.
“After about an hour-long search, my nephew was hand-cuffed and taken away to undisclosed location along with the Internet-telephone set that they found,” he said.
Johar was shocked because to the best of his knowledge, his nephew did not engage in any illegal activities. On the contrary, he was well known for being a good technician with customers from everywhere, including many government workers.
“If possessing an Internet calling device is not authorized in the Kingdom, the department concerned should have asked the sole agent instead of detaining workers like my nephew [Nezam],” he said.
The telephone set however, he added, was sold legally in the Kingdom and is frequently advertised in the Al-Wasaila weekly.
But that was not Johar’s main complaint. Actually, he was complaining about the legal procedures his nephew had gone through, starting with the arrest and then his detention. For instance, he said, even though he was Nezam’s guardian, he was not notified about the allegations during or after the arrest. The next afternoon, Johar said, he rushed to the police station to find out the truth to follow the required procedures. There, he saw Nezam in the investigation room but he was denied any access to him.
When the investigation was over, Johar explained, a police officer asked him to go and bring a sponsor to get his nephew released. As a relative and a legal resident, Hussein offered his official papers to sponsor Nezam, but the police refused and asked for a Saudi sponsor. When Johar came back with a Saudi guarantor, the same officer then asked for someone who works for the government and owns a registered company.
By the time Johar found someone who matched those requirements, his nephew had already been taken to prison. The authorities told him that the case has not been finalized, therefore Nezam could not be released. Officers at the police station, he said, did not give any further details. Moreover, they mistreated and humiliated him, Johar alleged.
“They did not even tell me which court they took him to,” he said.
Since then Nezam has been in detention and the family has not been notified about the charges nor given any details about the case. According to Johar, Nezam has not been given access to a lawyer. He also noted a sort of blackout around the case, something that made him believe the whole case was fabricated from the beginning.
He appealed to The Saudi Gazette to tell his nephew’s story and raise the following questions: how could they carry out legal procedures, such as an investigation and court hearings, without the knowledge and presence of the suspect’s lawyer or even a family member who might cross-examine?
“How come there was no chance to justify the case in the police station or court?” he asked. “If concerned families are not allowed to meet detainees in locked police stations or in court, how can they deal with their cases?”
Johar said he asked for help from the Saudi Human Rights Association, but they told him the case was transferred to the Emirate of Makkah region and that the association can do nothing until he is sent back to the prison.
Between his confusion and shock, Johar said his family’s ultimate goal is to get the justice a person is entitled to regardless of color or race. He said he does not want to lose his faith in justice here in the cradle of Islam.
“It is my humble request to kindly help obtain fair justice in order to release my nephew and use the media to help overcome this misbehavior and maltreatment,” he said. The police could not be reached for comment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)