JEDDAH, 11 March 2003 — It is Jeddah’s most notorious neighborhood where everything forbidden in the Kingdom — drugs, alcohol and sex — is available for the right price: Kerantina. Located in south Jeddah, it has always been the center of all things bad and is clearly a big black spot on this pearl of the Red Sea.
An investigation by journalists from Okaz newspaper recently revealed that the district is teeming with sick people, drug peddlers and addicts — as well as overstayers.
AIDS, Okaz said, is an inevitable byproduct of life in the district.
An official at a government hospital, who did not want to be named, said that his hospital received up to seven new AIDS cases from Kerantina each week.
Only in Kerantina can one find banned substances being sold in the middle of the street in the middle of the day — and without fear in a country where your neck can be literally on the chopping block for such behavior.
Okaz newspaper braved the odds to take a peek into the wheeling and dealing that makes up everyday life in Kerantina.
An array of African flags hits you, they reported, in the face as you venture into the derelict district. It is a melting pot of colors, cultures and languages — including English.
Certain African traditions are practiced in Kerantina where the writ of the tribal leader runs. His orders are obeyed and he solves all problems.
Some residents told Okaz that the tribal chief was a drug dealer; others described him as a nice man who goes to the mosque every day.
There is one thing that is conspicuous by its absence in the district — the police. They only patrol the areas around Kerantina; the center is a no-go zone.
It is easy to notice that women are the dominant gender, men being too lazy to do any work. Women do all the buying and selling, and if there is a problem they tend to solve it by themselves. Women spread their wares virtually everywhere — on every street and in front of any house — without objections from the landlord.
“I once objected to their presence in front of my house,” a Saudi citizen living in the neighborhood said. “I called the municipality, whose officials came and confiscated their products. The next day, when I was getting ready to go to work, I found the tires of my car missing. Their power is growing by the day and I am afraid that I cannot have control over my house any more.”
People stare at you if you look different, the Okaz reporters said. But if you venture into an open house to see what is going on inside, the man of the house comes out smiling. He laughs and asks if you “have any problem that needs sorting out.”
That is an open invitation to catch AIDS, which will cost you about SR50.
What is most strange in Kerantina is that its streets are totally empty when the Passport Department’s cars pass by. But when they leave, the streets are suddenly full again.
In its investigation, Okaz targeted drug dealers. These are the people you run into at every street corner. They tail you and watch every step. They wait for you to make the first move. If you act smart, you are bound to get beaten up.
Now you are facing a drug dealer who does not care two hoots if his customer is an old man or a young child. Their philosophy is simple: Make money, and to hell with everything else.
A typical drug dealer is a profile in defiance — always drunk and smelling of alcohol.
The question the journalists asked themselves was: Where is the municipality? They know municipal officials in north Jeddah catch young drug buyers, but they were nowhere to be seen in the south.
One local citizen told Okaz that he gave up on the municipal officials because they are afraid to go into Kerantina.
He also thinks that the people of Kerantina and the municipality are hand in glove with each other and that there is an undeclared understanding that neither will interfere with the other.
Okaz asked the branch manager of the Commerce Ministry why it is turning a blind eye to what is happening in Kerantina, where overstayers sell outdated products.
“We’re doing our best, but we cannot get to the source of the crime,” he explained. “It would be easier if there were some coordination among various government departments. We desperately need them to work with us when it comes to this neighborhood.”
