JEDDAH, 31 May 2006 — Khaled Muhammad is a typical Saudi youth who happens to have been born with a deformity that has since turned into a source of pride and inspiration.
“A man came to me in a dream last year and told me to put my hand in a paper and draw around it with a pen,” said the 27-year-old taxi driver.
When he traced his deformed hand he discovered that the profile on the paper had an uncanny resemblance to the word “Allah” in Arabic script.
“Since that moment I felt distinguished and full of self-confidence,” he said, describing his revelation as “a miracle.”
Whether or not this was a divinely inspired sign or not, the sign gave Khaled the will to overcome his deformity and go ahead in life’s struggle. Like the quintessential cabbie, Khaled says he chose his job for its interactive qualities.
“I love to meet people and talk with them, that’s why I chose to be a taxi driver,” he said.
Though his left hand is very short, Khaled drives a manual gear car and manages it very easily.
“I use my thighs to control the wheel while I shift the gear,” he said with a proud smile.
Many customers are apprehensive about riding with him when they see his hand. Once he was standing near a shopping center waiting for some customers and the security guard told him to go away thinking that he was a beggar.
“The way most people look at me doesn’t discourage me at all. In fact, it makes me more proud of whom I am,” he said.
Once while driving an Egyptian passenger to Makkah, he said the passenger expressed lack of confidence toward his driving abilities.
“I told the man that I control the wheel with my knees, so in a sudden move the passenger turned the wheel to test me and he couldn’t move it an inch,” he said with a smile.
He said he was once stopped by a traffic police officer and given a ticket for driving with a deformity.
“I have never heard of a violation like that. The policeman was giving me strange looks and said that I should quit the taxi job and instead rely on charity organizations for a living,” he said, showing off his public driver’s license.
Khaled works all day from early morning till night to support himself and raise some money for his marriage, which he plans to hold within the end of this year.
Khaled said that there is a need to change the public view toward people with special needs whom he describes as “distinguished” people.
“Distinguished people have more determination and will power than any normal men,” he said. “Unfortunately, normal people don’t see that.”
About five months ago, Khaled was required to pay SR30,000 to the taxi company to end the lease of his vehicle or he had to return the car back.
“I couldn’t get up with that amount of cash,” he said. He said he went to the Ministry of Social Affairs, which handles public assistance for handicapped Saudis, seeking help. He was offered a few hundred riyals as support.
In need of more money, he went to a number of charity organizations asking for help, but he said they also turned him down.
“I wonder what is the role of those organizations besides a lot of talk and promises,” he said. “In the end I lost hope in the car.”
It was through the grace of the owner of the taxicab that Khaled was able to continue his self-sustaining efforts. The owner gave him a discount on the vehicle rental.
“The owner was good to me and had helped me more than any other support organization,” he said. “With faith, self-determination and will power, nothing is impossible.”
