When I first arrived in Saudi Arabia a few years ago, I was unsure of what to expect. All that I had heard previously about the country was based on other people’s experiences and from what was said by the Western media. Many of the people’s experiences were negative ones. They had lived abroad for many years, only returning to their native countries with very little information, most of which was exaggerated and, not infrequently, untrue.
One subject not dealt fairly with was the religious police. Many expatriates of all other nationalities tell stories of being severely mistreated and humiliated by them in public. While I do not doubt the truth of the stories, neither do I question the actions of the authorities. Rarely will these people tell you why they were handled in a particular manner or what their attitude was toward the religious people. In my experience, however, I have never observed these unfortunate acts originating from the religious police. I have seen many of them handle themselves in a professional and considerate manner when dealing with the public.
For instance, a few weeks ago, I was shopping with my grandmother who was visiting me from the United States. We had almost finished our shopping when I noticed that she was tired so she went to a nearby bench and sat down. I still had one more shop to go to before we left so I told her to wait for me there. As I was about to walk away, I noticed one of the religious men coming toward us. I stayed back. All eyes were on us as he approached us. He came over and politely asked me to cover some of my hair that had slipped out. I did so without any objection. He then asked about my grandmother’s head covering which I explained was at home. Puzzled by my responses in Arabic, he asked how long I had been in the Kingdom. I explained that I was married and lived here with my family and that my grandmother was a visitor. There was no further problem.
It is sad indeed that many people find time to spend time abroad for work, study, or vacations and yet they refuse to see any good in the country and its people. One such story is about a man who had lived in the Kingdom for many years. When he returned to the United States, he had little to say about his experiences. When he did, it was often overstated. He often claimed the people in the Kingdom were unsociable and rude. In fact, he said, “I lived there for 14 years and was never invited into a Saudi home.”
As I listened to this, I remembered a story of my friend, an American who had lived in the Kingdom for six years with her family. One thing that she remembered most about the Kingdom was how wonderful and generous the Saudi people were and how wonderful their traditional Arab hospitality was. When she and her family first arrived, they instantly made many friends. She recalled one family in particular which welcomed them into their home as part of the family. She said, “This family was so kind and helpful, taking us shopping, showing us around the city and even inviting us to many of the family gatherings that they held each weekend.” She continued, “After my mother had a baby, they would drop off food for us and the wife was always there to assist my mother whenever she needed help.”
When people travel to other countries to live, they should learn from those countries, understand the culture and traditions, the ideologies and behavior. We must not judge other cultures only by our own cultures but instead gain knowledge from them and use experiences to benefit ourselves. It is when our minds remain open that we gain the most knowledge.
