Maid’s suicide: What about accomplices to the crime?

THE Kingdom’s newspapers have reported the recent case of a Saudi housewife driving her maid to commit suicide. The maid was treated so brutally that she felt the only way to escape was to take her own life. We fear that this housewife is not the only one guilty of mistreating her servant. Islam, of course, calls for fair and humane treatment of all and the article detailed out the punishment given to the woman for her sins. The court in Tabuk sentenced the woman to a year in jail and 200 lashes to be given at the rate of 20 lashes per week. The court was convinced that the housewife was the direct cause of the maid’s suicide; the poor woman hanged herself with a piece of wire. An autopsy showed the cause of death was strangulation and also found bruises and burns on several parts of her body. In fact, some of the burns on her body were shaped like an iron. A further torture that the maid suffered was having her head shaved. In fact, several witnesses plus another woman who had once employed the maid temporarily said that they had seen and treated the maid’s injuries. In addition, the housemaid had hot oil poured on her face and according to the woman who employed her temporarily, she begged not to return her to her employers.

Personally, I believe the husband of the woman should also be punished; it is simply impossible that he could be unaware of what was going on. Did he consent to his wife’s behavior? Did he try to stop her? Surely he observed the maid’s condition and why then did he say and do nothing? Was a salary of SR600 a month license to treat another human being as a slave and demand that they work 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

It is easily understandable that some employers get servants they do not like but this is no reason to torture them or subject them to humiliation and inhumane treatment. If the employer is not happy with a maid or other servant, they should be sent back to the recruitment office or agency which will replace them. I know many Saudis who have done this and even others who have allowed an unhappy servant to go home. It is certainly true that the recruitment process is like a lottery for both employee and employer in terms of personal satisfaction, mutual understanding, work performance and conditions. This doesn’t mean, however, that we should forget that these maids and servants have left their families, their homes and their loved ones to come here and work to support them. They are under pressure from themselves and we should not increase it.

With these things in mind, I recommend the questioning of all family members involved in the maid’s suicide. In fact, many people were aware of what was going on and nobody did anything. I also would choose the punishment given to the Saudi woman to be based on the Islamic concept of “an eye for an eye.” Just as the maid had a hot iron applied to her body, so the woman should have a hot iron applied to hers. Just as the maid was cut with a sharp knife, so should the woman be cut. Just as the maid had hot oil poured on her so should the woman have hot oil poured on her. Just as the maid had her head shaved so should the woman have hers shaved.

I understand the maid’s family will make a claim under Shariah law and I am glad that they will do so and ask for equal punishment for the guilty. I strongly believe that the family of the offending woman should be publicly identified in the press and further be banned from recruiting any foreign servants. This would serve as a warning to others who are guilty of similar acts. The law must be clear and applied to all. Such offenses must be punished severely and the government must see that this kind of behavior is not allowed to tarnish the country’s reputation or that of its citizens.