MAKKAH, 13 July 2007 — No one knows what is happening behind the scenes at Makkah’s animal fodder market. One thing, however, for sure is the fact that the market is totally controlled by overstayers and that the authorities are not in the least aware of what is happening there.
Overstayers decide what happens at the market, which is used for illegal activities. Visitors to the market would notice that a large number of overstayers work there and monopolize prices.
In fact, it is well known in Makkah, that the fodder market is a popular venue for overstayers to buy and sell without any fear of arrest from the Passport Department.
Akbar Shah, a Pakistani overstayer, has been working in the market for over nine years. “Most of the workers here are overstayers. They all sleep inside the market in small little wooden homes,” he said, adding that the authorities ignore the area, something that has contributed to the increase in the number of overstayers inside the market.
There is no electricity in the area at night, which has made it a perfect place for people without proper legal papers to thrive.
Arab News visited the market to see what happens there. Having walked around for a while, we walked along a small narrow road behind the market where trucks were parked. Men were busily loading and unloading boxes.
According to Akbar Shah this is the place where counterfeit goods and food items that have passed their sell-by-date are sold.
Since we were dressed in thobes with red headscarves, many of the men ran away thinking we were officials. Others, who remained, began panicking and said they were just passing through and had nothing to do with the goods that were being sold.
After a while we left and from a distance noticed that those that had run away had returned and resumed their activities.
We continued to take in different parts of the market by walking to different areas, and during our walk met an Asian national who looked like he was an electrical technician. The man was working on some electrical items and became suspicious when we approached him. We asked him what he was doing? “I fix electrical machines. Most of the goods are then resold as used items,” he said. We asked where he obtains the items. “Oh just from rubbish bins. We salvage the items. People leave them on streets as well,” he said. I asked if the items were stolen. He said he did not know and became a little wary. Seeing that, we played on his fears by posing as policemen. “We’re from the Makkah police. Will you show us some illegal activities taking place here? If you do, we’ll release you, otherwise we’ll take you in for questioning for dealing in stolen items,” we said. That was enough to convince the man to take us around.
The man took us to an area of the market where household items and kitchen appliances were being repaired. “Most of these goods are stolen. They clean them up and sell them in the secondhand market,” he said, adding that there are other places where stolen doors and windows are repaired, painted and sold.
The man took me to a different part of the market where car items were stored. All sorts of car parts were spread out systematically with men repairing and cleaning loose parts. “All of these items are stolen. The market houses special areas for car batteries and carpets and other types of goods. They bring cars here and strip them. The small trucks you see there are used to transport the goods to secondhand markets,” said the Asian man, who did not divulge his name to us.
The man then asked us to let him go and so we left him and began heading out. Many people wonder why the authorities do not visit the market and why such a large group of overstayers are allowed to use it for their illegal activities. As we were leaving the market, we noticed a Sudanese man following us from behind. We confronted him and asked why he was following us. He assumed we were from the Makkah Municipality and said he was upset at what the market had become in recent years.
“I’ve been working here for more than 34 years selling animal fodder. It’s sad to see a group of overstayers using this place for their illegal activities. There are many bad things happening here. They use the place to sell stolen goods,” he said.
“At night there are other suspicious activities that take place. Lots of gamblers come here and sometimes I see women sneaking inside the market for prostitution. Not only that, the only mosque in the area is sometimes turned into a restaurant,” he said.
Having left the market, we met an old Saudi Bedouin. “It’s a terrible place. The Al-Aukaisha and Al-Kakeya neighborhoods surrounding the market are in danger because of this place. There’s lots of crime here,” he said, adding that the authorities needed to raid the place, arrest overstayers and put a stop on their illegal activities.
