During the recent World Cup matches, a young Korean was seen cheering for the Senegalese team.
When asked why he supported the Africans, the youth replied that he and another 250 fans had decided to select one team to support every time a match was played in their city. They wanted their support to serve as a symbol of friendship and to impress visitors and guests favorably with their country.
A different story associated with the tournament took place in another part of the world.
A friend visiting Dubai told me that while watching the match between the Saudi and German teams, he heard loud cheers in support of the Germans. When he looked, he saw a group of Somalis cheering for the Germans.
He asked them why they supported the Germans and they told him of the bitter experiences they had endured while living in Saudi Arabia.
The two stories may be connected although each tells of a different experience.
While some countries open their doors to visitors and greet them with broad smiles, offering them their best, others react to foreigners with skepticism, mistrust and fear. Unfortunately, this second example is all too common in the Kingdom.
A country blessed with the most sacred sites on earth and which attracts Muslim visitors year-round should understand the art of engaging people of different cultures and making them feel welcome and at ease.
This has become even more important now that the Umrah and tourism regulations are a part of the country’s economic plans and forecasts.
The success of the plan however depends wholly on how visitors are treated and whether they receive the respect and consideration they deserve.
A good place to start would be to learn how to treat each other as well as how to treat those already living and working among us.
It is sad to see that while the leaders of this country have worked hard to build a nation on solid principles that ensure justice and equality for all, there are some Saudis who insist on looking down on some of their countrymen because these happen to come from certain geographical areas.
We must free ourselves of such prejudices in order to strengthen our social structure.
We keep talking about reforms in economics, education and health but forget that the first step should be taken in the area of social reform.
Reform should produce true equality in employment, marriage, education and all aspects of life. Only then can we hope to become the nation mentioned in the Qur’an: "You are the best of peoples evolved for mankind.".
