News vs. Advertisement

Though Molouk Y. Ba-Isa’s report on the new Geant Hypermarket in Dhahran (April 11) was headlined “Customers Resent Family-Only Policy,” only a couple of paragraphs of the long story dealt with the resentment; the rest, about 90 percent, was devoted to propaganda by the store’s CEO so much so that, at the end of the report, I looked for the phrase “This is an advertisement.” In fact, a few days earlier, an advertisement in Arab News had told us the same thing — the best prices in town, 55,000 items on the shelves, more than 500 items on discount at any one time and so on. When a news story repeats the same thing, we wonder: What is the difference between an advertisement and a report?

Journalists should not take sides. The reporter could have served the interests of Arab readers better if she had verified the authenticity of the claims in the advertisement. She could have visited the location and interviewed dissatisfied customers. Results of such investigation are the real news that readers expect from their paper’s reporters. “More than 500 items on discount at any time” is the claim. What about the others? Are they not overpriced? Or, at least, can the reporter tell us if they are the best prices in town? There was an advertisement on the same day offering shoppers less prices and more incentive.

Filing reports without verifying facts demonstrates a lack of journalistic morality. Please keep the news free from wasta, however GEANT the subject may be.

Molouk Y. Ba-Isa clarifies:

Contrary to Mr. Basha’s assertions, I personally visited Geant Dhahran on April 8. I had also been to the hypermarket’s opening on April 6. I witnessed the difficulties faced by customers on that evening and hoped that the overcrowding was just opening-day hysteria. After I received numerous complaints over the weekend, I returned to Geant on Friday to investigate. Despite not having an immediate need for any item in the store, I put a few items in a cart and my husband stood in a long line at the checkout, timing the checkout experience.

Meanwhile, I went around talking to the customers who were also in the checkout lines. It became apparent that while the shoppers disliked the lines they thought the items were of sufficiently low price and high quality that they were willing to stand for over an hour at the checkout.

Next, I went and hunted down the CEO of Geant Saudi, Mohammed Adil. He was unaware that I worked for Arab News when I began putting the complaints to him at the store’s customer service center. He politely apologized for the situation at the store and explained the challenge they were facing on the opening weekend. It was only after I saw that his concern with the situation was genuine that I revealed my identity. He immediately offered to answer any other questions I had and did not shirk from discussing the opening weekend’s problems on the record. Adil also introduced his Fresh Food manager and Dhahran Store manager to explain the logistics of receiving less than a thousand items which had not yet arrived from US suppliers and some fresh foods which were held at Saudi customs.

Yes, a news story must discuss both sides of a situation and Adil had the right to his comments, as did the Geant customers interviewed for the article. The fact that Geant was an advertiser in Arab News did not spare them from the negative customer comments in the article, and never would.

K.J. Haroon Basha, Alkhobar published 15 April 2005

News vs. Advertisement [2]

I went with my family to Geant on Wednesday evening, April 6. It was a circus to say the least. And this whole “families only” idea was a lie. There were more non-accompanied Asian men there than families. As I tried to navigate myself and my young daughter (my husband and elder son ran off in the electronics crowd) I saw before me a flood of Asian (primarily of Indian origin) men scrambling for blankets (comforters) that was on sale. Some had as many as 10 or more thrown in numerous shopping carts. Families were outnumbered and women could not get through the crowd of men.

Families only, you say? No way. I should have taken photos with my cell phone, but I didn’t dare. I don’t know where this crowd came from. But it surely was not fair. I saw a few men of the same origin checking out with two or three shopping carts full of cooking oil. What would a single man need 20 liters or more of cooking oil for? Where was security then?

This is not fair and something needs to be addressed here. I returned on April 10 to see the store after the crowd thinned down. It was much better. But still you see Asian single men buying items in enormous quantities that make me wonder what their purpose is? Are they going to their little baqalas and reselling this for profit? Someone needs to look into this.

Mother of Two, Dhahran published 15 April 2005

Driving and Other Rights

Until Saturday, April 9, there were ten letters commenting on my article “Let Them Drive.” Where do I begin? With Sherry Nassif who starts her comment with “patronizing, sexist, ignorant and pompous article”. Or with Jameela Zuhair who ends her comment with “Who let this guy out?”

I don’t blame Smanga Sethene from South Africa who starts his comment with “This was one of the most ridiculous article I have read in Arab News” because he knows nothing about our culture. The first thing I want to say to M.A.R (April 8) is: Trust me my friend, I have more faith in my women than you have in yours; but it is not a matter of faith. I don’t know why you and most of the others could not read what was between the lines. It is really ridiculous when most of you are concerned about the mirror and who drives better — men or women. Or of the danger in our streets as Sherry Nassif did, telling us how she and her family risked life every day on the streets of Jeddah. But Sherry, obviously not a Saudi, does not have to risk her or her family’s life here; she can always leave.

Jameela Zuhair said “This is a society where a woman is not allowed to go out without a mahram”. Islam requires a woman to be accompanied by a mahram while traveling or in an enclosed area where there are other men. And what did she mean by “Who let this guy out?” Should all voices be quiet except hers?

Nadia Kazmi, who ended her letter with “I pray to God that more Saudi men open up about women’s issues,” has got the point: There are issues, not one issue. Women will drive in less than ten years’ time. That is not the big issue. There are more important ones. I will ask these people again. Why should women in our country spend years after divorce to get their rights especially over children? Why do they not have the right to keep the house after divorce? Why are there thousands of Saudi women who are beaten and hurt otherwise by their husbands because there is no serious law to protect them? Why doesn’t the government make a monthly payment to widows, like other countries less wealthy than us do? Why don’t we have a special space for women in each ministry?

Khaled Al-Onazi, Jeddah published 15 April 2005

The Allure of the Unknown

Lubna Hussain’s “The Allure of the Unknown” (April 8) brought back memories of my brief interaction with the Saudi public during the Haj a few yers ago.

It started right at the airport when I, accompanied by my husband and wearing my Ihram dress which covered all my body except face and hands, reached the immigration desk. You should have seen how the guys handling the passports and visas were leering at me, showing absolutely no respect for my husband who was next to me nor the fact they were dealing with pilgrims. I was totally disillusioned with the Islamic culture in Saudi Arabia. I certainly would not be proud of having a husband or brother or son who would behave like that. What is beyond my understanding is that these very men want their wives to be covered so that other men do not look at their wives, while they leer at others’ wives.

Living in America, working as a physician, on call at night, driving at night to work and back, I don’t recall ever feeling unsafe as I did in Saudi Arabia, fully covered for that period of Haj. I don’t recall my husband feeling so irritated as he did at the airport with those guys leering at me.

I wonder how their wives, sisters and mothers feel about their husbands, brothers and sons leering at others’ wives or other women. I frankly would not have any respect for such men. The impression I carried with me was that Saudi society is indeed a very strange Islamic society.

Parveen Naaz, United States published 15 April 2005

Deviant Thoughts

Your report “Abdullah Calls for Steps to Counter Deviant Thoughts” correctly identified the right tools to combat terrorism — cultural and educational programs and explaining the true nature of Islam. The cold-blooded terrorists are trying to turn the religion of Islam into nothing more than a religion of hatred, not as one of peace.

Any normal person will judge other individuals for what they are inside, regardless of their nationality, race or color. I have two brothers-in-law, one of whom is of Arab descent and the other of Pakistani origin. We are like brothers, and that is what any religion would want. We would like nothing more than our troops coming home now. The only problem is that if we do, then the Iraqi people will suffer from the insurgent outlaws and cold-blooded killers. We are not trying to take over that country. All we want is for them to finally live in peace rather than in fear. The terrorists don’t want them to have their freedom. They surely don’t represent the true Muslims or your religion and we are all aware of that.

We have the same goal — peace for mankind.

Steven Lowe, United States published 15 April 2005