It is a strange old world. I think it is odd just how and why it is that we find it so hard to shoulder the responsibility for failings that we should at least in part bear the burden of. When oh when will we tire of looking for scapegoats and start taking our share of the blame instead? Our oil wealth has brought many talented and productive individuals to our shores. We have employed people to do everything from designing the most spectacular buildings to constructing them. It is true that they have been rewarded for their services in monetary terms, but at times our treatment of them has been akin to that meted out to mercenaries in the Middle Ages even though their own personal motives for coming and working among us may not be as singular as just the financial gains themselves. There are many people who live here because they enjoy the quality of life this great country affords them. Given the option they would very happily stay here permanently.
Many of the problems that the seven million or so members of the guest community face is a lack of basic information as to how to approach the simplest of matters concerning the more mundane issues of their daily lives. Much of this is due to a lack of command of Arabic. But is it fair to decry foreigners as to not having a grasp of a language that is not only complicated to learn on account of a different script altogether, but virtually impossible to master when there are few places that are open to them to fulfill this ambition?
I am certain that many people would avail themselves of the opportunity to learn this rich and beautiful language if they were given a half decent chance. Language centers specifically catering to the diverse needs of this community could be set up with qualified local instructors. Not only would this scheme serve to alleviate this problem and create employment opportunities for young Saudis, it would contribute to fostering a greater mutual understanding of each other’s cultures. The other point, of course, is the limited interaction there is between Saudis and non-Saudis. In most other countries the national dialect is picked up through conversing with a whole array of people ranging from shopkeepers to administrators. We have a unique situation here in which the vast majority of people we interact with are either expats themselves or “educated” Saudis who speak in perfect English. It is therefore feasible to function unhindered without ever speaking a word of Arabic.
However, as things stand, many international employees do have a limited comprehension of our language. This can result in minor misunderstandings as well as mishaps more serious in nature. I have heard of several situations of people being severely reprimanded or even thrown into jail for petty offenses, some of which they have not even committed in the first place! When someone is in such a predicament, cannot communicate and is deprived of knowledge of the law or access to legal representation, what choice do they have other than to suffer the unseen punishment of such illogical detention?
In such cases we have little tolerance for being asked the question, “Why?” Perhaps this is due to the fact that in more than a few instances we do not even know the answers ourselves. If a defendant asks about the nature of his crime, this is not seen as requesting his right to know what mistake he has committed, but is seen as a direct challenge to the person in authority concerned. The reaction is almost always invariably directed at making an example of the challenger himself. The “you had better not ask or else” attitude and let’s face it, most of those accosted do not want to be apprised of the unforeseen consequences.
Such a fear of the unknown manifests itself in yet other ways. There have been occasions when I have heard of foreigners being too scared of befriending people they work with because of the “they are a Saudi so you don’t really know when they will get offended” type of approach. This reluctance has been gleaned from repercussions whereby foreigners have inadvertently and unwittingly “offended” a local and rather than being confronted with a chance to explain themselves, they have instead been greeted with the sight of an exit-only stamp on their passport. Holding out the olive branch is more loaded than it may ostensibly appear.
In almost any other country in the world, there would be huge initiatives made toward an expatriate community that forms a third of the national population. In places such as the United Kingdom, the authorities bend over backward to service the needs of refugees in recognition of the fact that their welfare constitutes an integral part of the well being of the state itself. This includes several straightforward measures such as informing them of their entitlements and then supporting this by guaranteeing them their rights. People are assimilated into mainstream life through efforts on the part of the government. This includes printing reading material in several different languages, no matter how obscure, and arranging for social workers to speak to these people in their own vernacular. An extension of this is the availability of adult education programs that develop the skills of these potentially valuable members of the population irrespective of whether they will remain in the country or not.
Another issue that we cannot as a people detach ourselves from is that we are looked up to by almost a billion Muslims as to being the living embodiment of how Islam should be practiced in its purest form. Yet our attitudes at times fall dreadfully short of the mark with regards to implementing what we preach. The Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, was remarkably generous in his acceptance of all people regardless of their denomination. Everyone who lived under his custodianship enjoyed a level of hospitality and cordiality that was so sincere and genuine that many of them chose to adopt the religion themselves. It was his active example of the essence of the faith and its greatness that impressed itself upon the hearts and minds of many non-Muslims. I wonder how many individuals of other beliefs witness this kind of tolerant and merciful Islam being practiced here today?
I believe that we have to take charge of the situation. What I mean by this is that as a society we really need to scrutinize how it is that we can accommodate these foreigners into our culture rather than taking the unrealistic view that they should be responsible for some convoluted form of auto integration. How is it that many of them have successfully been able to gain knowledge of a whole host of other languages and cultures, but cannot gain access to ours? Surely this shows a willingness on their part to blend in when the situation is more conducive to their enthusiasm and the people more receptive to their friendly overtures. Why then is this not achievable here?
Saudis are wonderful people. Courteous, kind, helpful charitable and really very very altruistic. It is unfortunate that we expect people to knock on our doors to see this, rather than, as our religion and customs dictate, call upon them to demonstrate our good will. We must open our hearts and homes to the foreigners who live here. If every Saudi took it upon himself to befriend a member of the expatriate community, then statistically this would result in every foreigner knowing at least two Saudis! I am certain that this new era of reciprocity would bode well for our culture and our people.
It’s about time that we stopped asking the question, “What can expatriates do for our country?” and start asking instead, “What can our country do for expatriates?”
(Lubna Hussain is a Saudi writer. She is based in Riyadh.)
