JEDDAH, 17 October 2006 — The last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan are known as times for giving charity to the poor. The charitable spirit is taken for granted by beggars whose numbers are on the increase around the city. Their sudden appearance at traffic lights, outside shops and mosques and even in small streets and alleys is causing congestion.

The increase is partly due to Umrah near the end of Ramadan; it is a time when thousands of expatriates arrive in the Kingdom simply to beg. Many shops have been literally taken over by beggars, who sit in front of the business, waiting for customers who sometimes hesitate to come into the shop because of the beggars’ persistence.

Beggars take possession of a location and chase away other beggars who may try to beg in the same place. “Go away; this is my place,” one African woman told another beggar who sat down beside her.

Some beggars claim that they came to the Kingdom for Umrah and had their money stolen. This has forced them to remain in Jeddah and beg for money so they can buy a ticket home.

A Sudanese man approaches people in Al-Faisaliah with his boys, allegedly his sons. He says that he lost his money and tickets while performing Umrah and needs money for the ferry back to Sudan.

A Syrian shopkeeper in the area said he had seen the same Sudanese with the same story for over 10 days. “Many people have given him money. By now, he should have enough for first-class tickets back to Sudan and a few days of five-star hotel accommodation as well. But he is still there, telling the same story and receiving money.”

Some women who were in front of a supermarket were irritating both customers and the shop owner. “I chase them away but they keep coming back,” Amjad Madi, the store manager, explained. “They are so aggressive that they sometImes keep customers away because of their begging.” He asked, “Where is the anti-beggary department?”

Arab News tried to contact the department but the phone was not answered. According to official reports, there are an estimated 100,000 beggars — some of them as young as 4 years old — operating around the country, especially in the Western region.

Official statistics show that over 15,000 beggars are arrested each year but clearly that is no deterrent. At virtually any time, day or night, beggars can be seen on the streets of Jeddah.

Some are deformed or handicapped or they pretend to be — but the bottom line is they wouldn’t be here if they were not collecting an acceptable amount of cash every day.