RIYADH: Yesterday Saudi Arabia celebrated its 78th National Day. In an attempt to see how Saudi youths look at their National Day, Arab News toured some parts of Riyadh last night seeking comments.
Around 50 young Saudis were approached. Surprisingly, the majority of them declined to comment on the three questions that were posed on them to explore their opinion on the day: “What National Day mean to you as a young Saudi?”; “How do you feel about it?”; and “How do you see the Kingdom 10 years from now?”
Reasons cited for not responding included: “I do not know much about the National Day”; “It is not recommended by Islamic tradition”; “I don’t have the skill to express”; “I am busy”; and “It makes no difference to me.” Only less than 10 out of the number approached responded to those questions.
Nabeel Abdullah, 38, said National Day reminds him of a home that nobody can dispense with, no matter what its merits or demerits are.
On his expectations on the future of the Kingdom, he said: “I hope to see more development in the country benefiting from the huge revenue generated out of the surge in oil prices.”
Ahmad, a 24-year-old law student, said National Day means belonging to one’s home country and educating society on its blessings and rewards.
“I feel happy with National Day, but I believe that happiness about home country should be extended year round,” Ahmad said.
“I am optimistic that the country will go for the better. Hopefully, the recent proliferation of higher education institutions will have a strong impact on society as more qualified Saudi youths will make the difference, economically, culturally and socially.”
Dhia, 19, said that National Day is the day of joy for Saudis because it is the anniversary of the country’s unification.
“I am concerned with the youth’s behavior,” said Dhia. “I hope they will be more serious, work hard to continue to build the country and keep away from false claims and appearances.”
Bashar, a 22-year-old systems designer, said that National Day is a normal day for him.
“It’s like any other day, though it has historical significance,” he said.
“My feeling about it is that it is only a resting day, because we are given a day off, for which I am grateful to our government.”
Mohammed, a 20-year-old student, said that National Day is like any other day.
“My feeling is normal,” he said. “I hope it will be for the better.”
Unlike previous years, official celebration was muted this year as the day fell during the peak Ramadan season. In previous years local municipalities organized colorful events to commemorate the day, the only nonreligious holiday in the country.
