DAMMAM, 13 June 2004 — The surge in terror attacks in the Kingdom has rattled the nearly nine million expatriates in the country. Worry is particularly strong among Westerners working in the oil sector, banking and other high-level businesses.
But with many families going away for the summer holiday, the long-term impact of the attacks might not transpire before fall and may depend on what happens in the meantime, expatriates and diplomats said.
Peace and tranquility were among the major reasons for many expatriates to stay in the country. There were thousands of families, both Western and Asian, who preferred to live in the Kingdom rather than in their own country because they felt safe here. But the bloodbath in Alkhobar on May 29-30 has cast one reason for their presence here into doubt.
Many Westerners are not renewing their contracts, and some who said after past attacks that they wanted to stay changed their minds after Alkhobar, said Pam Simmons, a Canadian in her fifties.
The taking of hostages at Alkhobar had a tremendous psychological effect, said a French Embassy spokesperson, explaining the mission’s decision to bring forward the summer holiday at the three French schools in the country by two weeks “to enable families who wish to go home earlier to do so.”
An official at the International School Group (ISG) said the number of students enrolled in American, British and international schools managed by the group, now standing at some 3,000, had declined and a further decrease was expected in the next academic year.
Lucile Pons-van der Slikke, a French business consultant, said she thought the “turning point” was the May 1 shooting spree that left six Westerners dead in the industrial city of Yanbu. Before that, Saudi Arabia had been hit by a wave of suicide bombings, but expatriates saw these attacks as part of global terrorism, she said. Yanbu, followed by Alkhobar, fell in a different category, “with people having their throats slit and non-Muslims identified and targeted,” she said.
Pons-van der Slikke said that while she works with Saudis and had received many expressions of sympathy from local acquaintances, other Westerners felt isolated and the government needed to be more outspoken in terms of making them feel welcome here.
Laura, an American housewife in the Saudi Aramco compound, admits that she has stopped going on her weekly shopping spree and now buys her groceries from the commissary on the compound. “Life is not all that peaceful anywhere in the world. But yes, in a calm and peaceful society like Saudi Arabia, violence of this magnitude is enough to shock everyone, and I am no exception.”
Shalini, a housewife from India, is also worried. “During the day when my husband is out and the kids are at school, I am so nervous about what may happen to them. I plead with my husband to return home,” she said.
Yet while the constant threat of a terrorist attack remains among expatriate communities, the majority still believes that the situation does not warrant a hasty departure. Many believe that the problems will eventually be resolved and the old days of peace and tranquility will return.
An American expatriate said he too felt uneasy but was not considering leaving. He said many companies had sent families of their employees out of the country in the run-up to the March 2003 Iraq war, and when triple suicide bombings of residential compounds in Riyadh occurred two months later, most of them decided not to come back.
Some firms had also been opening offices in places like Bahrain and Dubai, he said. But, even if an estimated 70,000 Westerners working at the high end of the ladder leave, they will be replaced, and “no sector of the economy will be brought to its knees,” he said.
“I’m not leaving,” said Peter Birch, a 40-year-old Briton who arrived just a few weeks ago to take a job here with British Aerospace. He said the killings have made him aware of the need to be cautious, but not fearful.
Manju, an Indian housewife, says that the situation is alarming but “not so alarming that we should quit the place. Where will we escape violence? In India you have turmoil in Gujarat and Kashmir.”
While the argument about safety continues, many people are avoiding public places like shopping malls, beaches and central markets. Shoppers staying away from commercial areas are causing huge losses to shop owners. The once crowded Jowahara market in Alkhobar and the Issa Market now seem almost deserted, while restaurants and coffee shops which would be busy at weekends are now eerily quiet.
Nicolas Seutin, a 30-year-old lawyer from Belgium, said he is being more careful now and finds it “disturbing to go out in the street.” Trying to make himself less conspicuous, Seutin began 10 days ago to wear the baggy pants and long shirts worn in Pakistan when he bicycles to and from his office.
“Prayer beads or Qur’ans hanging from the rearview mirror, a sheepskin rug, a tissue box and a checkered headdress on the dashboard,” a European woman said, giving tips on how to make cars appear more Saudi.
“I wish my husband would dye his hair black,” said Dessa, an Asian woman married to a blond European, commenting on rumors that Western men are growing goatees, darkening their hair color and being fitted for thobes.
A 41-year-old American woman was philosophical. “I’m not afraid at all because I believe that I can go home and get hit by a bus. This is where our home is, and we’ve made a decision to stay here as a family.”
Many Western firms are taking security into their own hands. “We ordered glass panes that can withstand Kalashnikov fire and bullet proof cars,” said one Western executive. “No one has confidence in standard security any longer,” he said.
Defense contractor BAE Systems said it upgraded security at offices and staff housing compounds but did not plan to evacuate any of its 5,000 employees — more than half of them Saudis and the rest Westerners.
Private security firms have reported a surge in demand for armed guards, mainly from Western firms. Security companies also started anti-terror courses and weapons training.
— Additional input by agencies
