Something is bothering me.
It all began last week when I went to the supermarket with my wife. Swarms of young men were gathered in the parking lot with their fancy cars. I’m sure they were having a good time blasting their car stereo systems and showing their skills in laughing loudly to get the attention of the women or families passing by. I started to feel very uncomfortable as I got closer to the entrance. Holding my wife’s hands tightly, I had hoped that maybe inside we would find relief from them. Instead, I was surprised to find that there were equal numbers of them inside.
As we finished shopping and left, nothing could comfort me more than the sight of a police car driving toward the area of the parking lot.
There’s no running away from these young men and their behavior in Riyadh.
Just yesterday, while I was driving to work, I saw a car with tinted windows being chased by another car with two young men in it. There were women passengers in the back seat of the first car. I watched from a distance as the poor driver tried to shake off the other car. It wasn’t working. These guys were determined to pull over the car with girls in it even on a main street in Riyadh in broad daylight.
It got to the point where they actually braked in front of the tinted car, causing the driver to stop to prevent a collision. After futile attempts to get them to lower their windows, the young men finally left them alone and drove off.
How I wished I was driving a tank instead of a Toyota Avalon.
It’s impossible to have a police car in every corner of the city. But something must be done about this problem. Something must divert all this unspent energy our youth obviously have.
I’ve been to several Arab and Gulf countries and I have never seen such things there. Why is this phenomenon only found in Saudi Arabia?
I tend to the conclusion that our own customs and traditions have backfired on us. Perhaps the complexity of our social structure has led to this. Saudi males and females are segregated from their first years in life to adulthood, and do not experience the presence of the opposite sex in one another’s lives. The result is that when young men — or women — reach puberty, with all its excess energy, the sexual urge toward the opposite sex is multiplied. Add that to the absence of real role models in our lives, and the absence of leisure or entertainment outlets in Saudi Arabia, and the picture becomes clear.
Saudi readers may argue that our society has always been segregated, but we never had this problem before. True. But let us not forget that in the past, young men were more responsible. Most young men in the past married in their early twenties, or even earlier, and were responsible for their families. Also, our predecessors made it a priority to bring up their children teaching them moral values and consideration and respect for others.
But Saudi Arabia 40 years ago is not Saudi Arabia today. Seventy percent of our population is below the age of 21. We are also suffering from a population explosion.
Every weekend, as I drive around Tahlia, Olaya, Thalatheen, or Dabab street in Riyadh, I am presented with a sad reality. The streets are filled with cars full of young men driving aimlessly around. It reminds me of the American saying “all dressed up and nowhere to go.” It describes perfectly what these young people are going through.
How are we going to tap into all the excess energy our youth have?
Last week I read in Arab News that cinema may be introduced in Saudi Arabia. I do not know how true these rumors are, but if cinemas were to be introduced they would first have to be approved by our unelected, all-male Shoura Council, which could be a tough call.
Yet even if the idea was approved, how would we get the crowds of men and women together in front of the large screen? We would have to have a day for singles and another day for families to meet our Saudi customs. And again, because of customs and tradition, during family days, the movie would probably be delayed by half an hour or longer because cinema staff would have to go around replacing seats — since it is a social taboo for a woman to sit next to a man in Saudi Arabia.
Saudia flight attendants have the same problem before the departure of any flight. It is not practical at all.
Moreover, let us not forget that Saudis are renowned for being inconsiderate. So even if the seating for men and women was finally in place, I am confident that once the movie started, we’d be hearing all sorts of mobile phones ringing here and there, or someone talking in a loud voice to his partner, or a baby crying in the audience because the mother insisted on bringing the infant along. The possibilities are endless.
I don’t believe in the idea of cinemas here. Not unless a miracle happens, and our attitude toward each other changes dramatically.
Arab News Opinion 26 February 2003
