Ambassadors of Good Will

It is so sad to know that we, who claim to be Muslims, are treating maids so badly. And, for Heaven’s sake, stop saying that this is a rare case. It is not. Everybody knows how some of us Arab treat maids: Making them work for long hours till dawn, letting them take very little rest, not paying them on time, depriving them of so many privileges. This comes so naturally to some of us, doesn’t it? First of all this is against the teachings of our religion. And we complain about their running away. Why don’t we realize that if we treat our pet animals with cruelty, they too will run away? Let them serve you well and pay them on time; if possible pay them a bit extra, as a gift. Help them and treat them with courtesy. Don’t forget that if we are kind to others, God will be kind to us on the Day of Judgment. Wouldn’t it be great if when your maids and drivers go back to their countries, they talk to their friends and people about our kind nature and generosity? And so many will plan to come here, to serve us without any fear of being treated badly and cruelly.

I have a Sri Lankan maid. I have a large house; my husband and I both work full time and have three children. Our maid takes care of my home and my two youngest children, while we both are working in our offices. By the time I come home, the house is clean, all of my three children are bathed, dressed and smell great, and hot food is on the table. Because I love cooking, she has prepared vegetables and meat for me to start cooking after dinner.

She does so much for me and what do I do in return for her? Nothing spectacular. I pay her on time, make sure she eats well and take care of her small requirements. Sometimes I give her salary in advance, if things are not going well back home for her. If she takes good care of my home and my family, I feel that it is my duty that I should take the same good care of her and her family by paying her on time.

What made me proud of myself was that the other day she told me “Mama, people back home told me wrong things about you Arabs”.

“What wrong things?” I got curious too.

“When I was about to come to Saudi Arabia, they told me, ‘Don’t go there, people there are very cruel and unkind, they will hit you and beat you if you break a glass while washing the dishes. They will beat you and burn you for small faults, will not give you enough food, rest or privileges.’ They advised me to go to any other country but not to Saudi Arabia. And now, when I go back, I will tell them that they were very wrong about Saudis”. I knew that I had just recruited an ambassador of good will for my country, a person, who once back in her country, will say great stuff about our country and us.

Aliya Al-Qureshi, Jeddah, published 8 April 2005

The Last Goodbye

Although, we live far apart, our extended last respect is very important to Pope John Paul II, who passed away on April 2. His death is something we have all had to deal with in our own ways. Life goes on, but the death of someone you love leaves a gap in our life, an ache in your heart which never really heals. Things are never the same again. It doesn’t end once the funeral is over. It does not make the end of grieving. Millions of people from different cultures, religions and nations mourn the loss of such a man. He was an exceptional person. He could not bear to see any one in difficulty. His words and his courage touched the hearts of so many peoples. He made a difference to the world. He was one of millions, but he was also “one in many millions” He was a whole and magnificent human being. He left imprinted in our children’s mind a memory of happiness. May his soul rest in peace and receive the choicest favors of God. I feel I haven’t really said goodbye.

Tony Fernandez, Riyadh, published 8 April 2005

School Uniform

Should we have school uniforms? Though it is not an issue that raises a heated controversy, a debate is going on in certain circles about their need and desirability. I believe that we should have them. The idea is to give children a sense of equality. If one child went to school in designer top and jeans and another wore an old T-shirt and jeans, the latter might feel out of place and might even be teased by others. That would not happen if everyone wore a uniform. It will have the further advantage of saving the time that children or mothers spend on deciding what to wear every single morning. With a uniform, they would just need to get it out of their cupboard.

One argument being heard against uniform is that it makes everyone look the same. Well, just because they are wearing the same clothes doesn’t mean that everyone looks the same. You can still style your hair the way you like and add accessories to personalize your school uniform. You can also express your individuality in so many other ways. As for the argument that uniform can be expensive, it doesn’t have to be. It can come from an older brother or sister or be got second-hand. If schools have no prescribed uniform, some people may take advantage of it and wear inappropriate clothes. Girls would wear revealing clothes, which is not right in school. In my opinion, uniform should be a rule in every school whether public or private.

Aseel Al- Omar, Riyadh, published 8 April 2005

Iqama & Visa Fees

I was surprised by the March 30 report that it is illegal for employers to force expatriates to pay the fees for iqama, visa etc. The report must be the result of some misunderstanding on the part of either your reporter or the Ministry of Labour. I doubt if there is a single employee in the Kingdom for whom these fees are paid by the employer. I am very much sure that the Ministry of Health where I am employed makes us pay for these fees. If the ministries themselves are not following the law, who will?

Thanveer K., Dawadmi , published 8 April 2005

Women Driving

Khaled Al-Onazi asked a thought-provoking question when he wondered, in his article “Let Them Drive but Not Look in the Mirror” (April 4), if driving was the most pressing need for women in Saudi society. “There are thousands of Saudi women who do not have enough food, who cannot send their children to school, who have lost their husbands and family members and no one seems to care how they are coping with normal life and its requirements,” he wrote. When no one thinks about these things, he feels, it is utterly irresponsible for women who have cars of their own to worry about driving.

Khaled overlooked many points in his enthusiasm to tell the world of the exciting discovery he had made about the possibilities of the rearview mirror. First, if there are Saudi women in such a position in this country, that is a problem Saudi men should solve. This is a society where a woman is not allowed to go out without a mahram, is not allowed to earn a living working in any place where there is the possibility of any man appearing, cannot apply for a job without a guardian — cannot have even an identity without a man’s backing.

What are these “thousands of women” supposed to do to be able to get food, send their children to school and so on when they are living in under such restrictions? Do we not hear from the apologists for this system that all this is done to protect them? Where is that protection? What did Khaled himself do to help any of them? Will other women not driving solve these problems?

The second thing he overlooked was that it is not only “thousands of Saudi women” who are in that condition. There are hundreds of thousands of Saudi men too who have all those needs. How is that it was not irresponsible of him, who had a car, to worry about driving before solving the problems of his unfortunate brothers? This worry about the poor is the oldest con trick in the book. It saves you from taking hard decisions.

I said the letter was thought-provoking. The thought it provoked was, “Who let this guy out?”

Jameela Zuhair, Khamis Mushayt, published 8 April 2005

Women Driving - 2

Khaled Al-Onazi’s arguments were rather primitive. No man here, where they are so many incompetent drivers — all of them men — endangering lives in a criminal way, has any business to make disdainful comments about women’s competence as drivers. It may be true that there are too many women who cannot feed themselves and their children. But that has nothing to do with driving. The solution is to create conditions that will end poverty; not ban driving for them.

Mia Burger, Alkhobar, published 8 April 2005

Women Driving - 3

Have some faith in your women. Why should everything be stacked against them? Only last week there was a report that showed what it could mean for women to be able to drive: When her husband, who was driving the car, suffered a heart attack, the woman took the wheel and drove him to hospital — and possibly saved his life. Can there be a more powerful argument for allowing them to drive?

M.A.R., Riyadh, published 8 April 2005

Women Driving - 4

I believe that women should be allowed to drive. But to get an idiot to portray the other side was hitting below the belt.

Hareef Rajab, Madinah, published 8 April 2005

‘The Arab Spring’

I readily concur with many of the points Amr Al-Faisal made in his article “Factors Behind ‘the Arab Spring’” (April 4). While residing in KSA, I repeatedly made similar comments to individuals both inside and outside the country about the lack of understanding on the part of many in the West as to the impact of modern technology on the Arab world.

However, it is fair to say as well, that even in what is considered by many as the free and affluent West, there are many people who either don’t have the intellect to recognize the impact of technology, or may not regularly be able to access modern-day technology due to their personal economics, to be informed. It is these individuals who can be easily misinformed, and convinced that the changes taking place are due mainly to the policies of the current US administration.

It is for these reasons and possible misconceptions that it is so important to make an effort to open dialogue even at the school-age level of children both in the Arab world and the West. One such platform available is the organization which appears on the website as othersareus.org I encourage you, all interested schools and individuals to check out the opportunities awaiting there for positive communication.

Mary Poppins, Canada, published 8 April 2005