Saudi Arabia — the land of sun, sand and expatriates. The sun and sand are both givens but how do the expats fit in? Ever wondered why there are so many of them? Is it really all about money and oil? A little thought combined with a little research has left me thinking that this may not be the whole story.
The Hejaz has always been attractive to Muslims. It had many expatriates before oil was discovered because of the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
After oil was discovered, the Eastern Province was dominated by the Westerners whose reasons for coming to the Kingdom were oil-exploitation. Saudi Arabia began to develop its infrastructure and this opened up opportunities for people from everywhere. In other words, thousands of people came into the country. Everyone was content and most foreigners found Saudi Arabia a comfortable place to live.
For Muslims, an added bonus was that they could go often to Makkah and Madinah. There was also the security factor — few worries of being shot, mugged, or robbed. That is how it was; but since Sept. 11 things have changed. We hear that Muslims and Arabs have been mistreated in the West, and Western expatriates here have developed a fear of reciprocal mistreatment. Regardless of whether this is true, the fear exists and thus the security factor loses points.
In light of all this, I spoke to some expatriates to see what their reasons for living in Saudi Arabia were. I wanted to know why we came here, why we are still here and how we feel about life here post-Sept. 11.
Some Pakistanis agreed that it was indeed a blessing to have a good income and be so near Makkah and Madinah. One person commented, “Well if you put Makkah and Madinah together with a good income, then you’ve got great living conditions.”
Indian Muslims said similar things. One said, “We feel at home in this country. After all, we have a large community of our own people here.”
I also spoke to some British and Americans. I asked them about their concerns and most said that they did not feel threatened. An American woman said, “At first I was worried about the children having problems in school but we have been provided with adequate security and there is nothing to worry about. The children haven’t experienced any discrimination. It’s so multicultural; everyone has learned to coexist.” Her husband continued, “Initially, I think media-hype caused us to worry more than we should have. The anxiety wore off when we looked around and realized that everything was all right.” The subject was closed when a British man nodded and said, “This country has a very peaceful atmosphere. We still feel secure; the crime rate is incredibly low.”
Many people did mention money as a major factor in their moving to the Kingdom though after being here a while, they agreed that there were other reasons. And as I myself am an expatriate, I feel though financial compensation is important, few of us are here “just for the money.” Some of us like the sun, the sand and the experiences provided by a cosmopolitan environment. We aren’t all running away because of Sept. 11.
It’s true that the Western media has filled us with horror-stories about the Middle East — and gone blue in the face doing so — but we who live here can see for ourselves and know what is true and what isn’t. We can tell when something has been blown out of proportion. We’re still here because we can see for ourselves that the sun still shines in Saudi Arabia — even post-Sept. 11!
