In the past, people were more involved in matters related to their neighborhood security to ensure the safety of the district they lived in. Suspicious activities were often reported, and any problems were fixed with the help of the neighborhood mayor, or “umda.” These days, anyone who cares about what is happening is referred to as a “nosy person.” Even the role of the umda has been marginalized.

Samir Yassin, a Saudi apartment building owner, criticized the silence of some of his tenants when he discovered that one of his apartments had been turned into a brothel. He said he was angry that this problem happened in one of his apartment buildings and even angrier when he learned that the other tenants knew about it and did not report it. "I rented the apartment to a married Saudi tenant. I reviewed and got a copy of his marriage contract and family card. According to other tenants in the building, he was bringing different women and sometimes holding big parties with many men and women. The other tenants did not even bother to complain or report it, saying it was not their problem," Samir added. He came to know about the problem when a man living in the same street complained to him about the noise and alerted him to the suspicious activities.

Marwa Al-Ghamdi, a 46-year-old mother of six, was accused of being a nosy neighbor when she complained about a restaurant in the street. The restaurant started to use the sidewalk in front of the restaurant for customers to sit outside. This bothered many of the residents. However, they did not file an official complaint. They only whined to each other about the smell, the smoke, the noise and sometimes harassment. Marwa took the initiative and complained to the municipality. They came and warned the restaurant against using its tables outside.

"I was surprised when they accused me of being nosy. I believe that it is my right as a citizen to report any negative behavior to authorities. As a citizen, I will not be silent and allow violations to go unreported," she added.

Mukhtar Muhammad Saeed, an Egyptian expatriate in Jeddah, reported to authorities about 12 expatriates living in a small apartment for families only. When he complained, the owner of the apartment was angry and accused him of getting involved in private matters. "I was indeed not living in the same building, but it is wrong to squeeze more than 10 people in one small apartment that is supposed to be for families only. As neighbors, we should report illegal behavior to authorities and help eliminate them from our society. I am part of this community, even though I am Egyptian."

Qassem Kutbi, umda of Al-Thaghr district, confirmed that the umda’s role was not limited to paper signing and following up the cases in the municipality. The role of the umda is to ensure the safety of residents in the district.

“Many people come to my office to complain about problems, and my role is to help them. Some people describe those who are reporting problems as nosy, but that is not true.” According to Kutbi, there are many problems among families, building owners, shop owners and neighbors. “Some problems end in my office, while others end in the police office,” he added.