DAMMAM, 16 September 2006 — Arab News Editor in Chief Khaled Almaeena has called upon the expatriate community to interact with the host society and to develop a human relationship beyond the typical one between sponsors and their guest workers. He also said there should be more opportunities for Saudi and Indian families to meet.
Addressing an open forum attended by Indian executives in Dammam, he said the message of peace is not just a message of tolerating those that are different. The key, he says, is acceptance: Accepting the fact that the world is made up of different religions and worldviews.
Almaeena said Muslims are not the only ones that have a problem with accepting differences. “They exist among Hindus, Jews and Christians, as well as Muslims,” he said. “God created the world for human beings, not for monsters.”
Almaeena cited the growing awareness of press freedom in the Kingdom as an example of the country’s development into an engaging force in not only the Muslim world but also the world in general. News items that would have been unfathomable to read in a Saudi daily a decade ago are now commonplace.
“And one of the most important aspects of this nascent movement toward more open dialogue in the Arab media is the increasing willingness to reflect on social problems,” he explained.
Saudi Arabia, he said, is more willing than ever to examine and address issues such as poverty, AIDS and the plight of migrant workers who face abuse in the Kingdom. “This growing self-reflection is healthy,” he said. “A society that can’t laugh at itself cannot progress,” he said.
The oft-discussed issue of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia is another important area where reform is in the works. Almaeena pointed out that the 45-member National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) includes 11 women representatives.
The Kingdom is striving to carry on the legacy of King Faisal, who introduced women’s education in the 1960s. “Women weren’t allowed primary school education 40 years ago; today women compete for Saudi university placement with their male counterparts and are entering the work force more than ever before,” he said.
Almaeena asked the community’s leaders to identify their issues and share them with Arab News because it serves as an effective means of communication with Saudi ministers and other decision-makers. “Everyone should get justice; there should be no injustice,” he said.
Questions related to various topics from the new labor law provisions to labor issues, higher studies of expatriate children and development of tourism were raised by the expats, mostly Keralites, at the forum. Rafeek Younus, president of Sargam presided, Abraham Valiyakala of Navodaya, welcomed the guests and M.M. Naeem proposed a vote of thanks.
