The Saudis are known for their compassion and care for the needy. This is something that Islam, the religion of mercy, compassion and kindness, directs them to do. However, these feelings are being manipulated by some who will go to any length to mislead others into believing they deserve help.
Using the mosque as their preferred place, beggars do not even wait for the faithful to finish congregational prayers before asking for money. They know that anyone in such a state of spiritual purity and devotion will naturally be willing to listen to anyone imploring them for help. Some say they are victims of road accidents; others speak of being afflicted with serious diseases while some use their handicapped children.
It is the same scenario found in mosques all over the country. The month of Ramadan which has just ended tells it all. According to a recently published report, beggars in the Kingdom may number up to 150,000 with 80 percent of them being foreigners, a mixture of Arabs, Asians and African, men, women and children.
The majority operate in the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah with Jeddah, the gateway to the holy places, being an important staging point. The people of the Kingdom are known to contribute some SR700 million annually to beggars, some of whom operate in well-organized gangs posing serious threats to the security and safety of the country.
Anti-beggary officers are doing their best to stem the phenomenon but without the help of the public, these efforts are worthless. As long as people willingly give money to anyone asking for help without even knowing if they deserve assistance, the problem will continue and even worsen.
Even after being deported, many of the beggars return with new names and shiny new passports. This is a problem that requires help from all of us and should not be left to a single authority to handle. It is not enough to arrest and deport the individuals. Some lasting solutions have to be found. People donating money should be sure it goes to needy and deserving individuals.
