Without bothering to conduct a study to get exact figures, I can be sure that we in the Kingdom are in first place — in making nonsense telephone calls to Arab TV channels.
Even more embarassing is the large number of callers of both sexes who waste time and money just for the sake of being on the air. By watching such dumbed-down TV shows, we see nothing but simpering TV hosts, half-naked actresses and singers with nothing to offer but provocative moves and gestures.
The Saudis who seek financial assistance from these TV programs are at the top of the list among callers from all Arab countries! This is illustrated by the large number of Saudis calling Al-Mustaqellah TV to outline their financial needs and hardships.
To explain what a waste of time and money it all is, I must mention some of the things that are done on these stations. One Arab channel once sponsored an auction selling the property of such singers or actresses such as Um Kulthoom and Sua’ad Hosni. Generous Saudis represented the majority of bidders; in fact, they competed fiercely and bid hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to acquire such trinkets. Ostensibly — at least according to the TV station — the profits from the auctions went to charity. If this is the case, I wonder why the Saudis don’t give their own country priority in their contributions. Worse still, the auctioneers stated that the profits from the sale of Sua’ad Hosni’s property would be used to build a center for treatment of cancer. This is fo course commendable. But wait! In the next breath, they said that her heirs would receive a quarter of the profits! Oh — so her heirs are dependent upon charity auctions for their livelihood. Would you believe that a night gown was sold for 5,000 pounds? Thank God, the Saudi singer Abdul Majid Abdullah was generous when he bid $50,000 for another piece of junk. As Arabs are famous for competing against one other, a rich Gulf Arab bid $110,000 for the same piece! Is it possible that so many of our Arab philanthropists don’t know how to spend their money? Is it so easy for them to throw it away? In any case, I am happy to offer some guidelines. The cancer center in Madinah is ready for anyone to donate a dollar or a million to help it benefit the sick and dying. Many of the center’s patients are poor and live in remote villages so helping them would not be broadcast on TV and attract public attention. Why, I wonder, do our philanthropists donate money? To help the needy or to publicize themselves? At any rate, the door is open to either — those who are interested in the benefit and welfare of their fellow citizens or those who simply like to show off.
It is no secret that some government hospitals and health centers are short of required medical equipment. Many medical institutions are in old buildings needing renovation, repair or simply to be relocated. The list is endless. Numbers of schools, colleges, training centers and universities cry out for support from our philanthropists. Thousands of unemployed Saudis wait for a gesture from those who scatter millions of dollars abroad when they vacation or attend international auctions.
The reactions of some of our rich people are incomprehensible. For instance, the Egyptian government compensated the victims of the recent train accident in Egypt with 3,000 Egyptian pounds for each death with 1,000 pounds for those who suffered burns but survived. For God’s sake, a rich Saudi upstaged the Egyptian government by giving 10,000 pounds to each victim whether dead or alive! What, I ask, has he done for his fellow needy Saudis?
I am not against charity which is directed to foreign countries by our philanthropists. But is it not logical that we take care of our own problems first? That we clean our own houses before starting on our neighbors’? Further, isn’t it strange that we help victims and respond to disasters in other countries when the wealthy in those countries are reluctant to aid their own people?
I am not ashamed to admit that we have needy, poor, orphans, widows and homeless individuals. It is regrettable, however, that so many Saudis choose to ignore them and help the unfortunate and needy in foreign countries.