Dear people,
With the recent sparks and comments I had received from various people on the different topics I had written about here showed me to something that I had known all along.
When I was growing up in Saudi, I led a very sheltered life. I went to school, came home, did my homework, played outside, and in bed at 8pm, at the latest 9pm. We were allowed to watch the kiddies program on Thursday morning, and sometimes we were allowed to watch one program on weekday evening. I remember watching Full House and America's Funniest Home Videos which were shown during Ramadan. Heavily censored they were! I wondered why they were censored? Was it because some of the concept were something that the Saudi government did not want the nation to follow? How naive was that? Extremely!
I mean, we traveled abroad, as did so many others. They brought in ideas from outside. So, the Saudi government techniques of censorship was not really all that effective. Sometimes, even today I think they are naive. I was recently caught bringing the Passion of the Christ, and the guy at the airport stopped me and scratched my DVD. I told him what the point was, since I could go down to the local supermarket and pick up another copy. He had no answer for me. Why stop someone at the airport when it is available right out there in the market?
However, when I had left Saudi for the first time after completing my schooling, I realized what a sheltered life I led. I was brought up believing in what a safe world this was. I realized how heavily information was censored. I realized that the way people thought in Saudi was so naive and child-like almost. They were not brace enough to discuss anything about the ills of the society. They would brush it under the carpet and ignore the problem. They did not want to deal with these problems which they thought only existed outside of Saudi.
However, all of that is different today. Newspaper discuss freely if the ills of the society (Saudi Gazette usually comes up with sometimes sensationalized articles), as well Arab News. The foreign media covers news about Saudi Arabia. Satellite channels and Internet are available everywhere. I know for a fact that in the compounds, people have direct off-satellite connection for the internet, so information is not censored anymore. Books, movies and DVDs are available everywhere now, even pirated ones. I know for a fact that I can go downtown Jeddah and purchase copies of the Bible, or even download them from the net!
Despite all this, there are still people who think in black and white. It amazes me how some people can think so one-tracked. Some of the comments on my blog showed to me how some people still think. They cannot take in any criticisms in their stride. They think that the country they are living in is perfect and nothing wrong with it. They think naively, and also choose to ignore the problems that exist in society. That's one problem existing in majority of the people here. There are some amazing writers in Arab News, who I admire as Saudis, who are using their talent for writing to raise issues and seek solutions. Which is why I absolutely love Ahmed's Blog. He is an amazing Saudi blogger, and I love the way he talks about a wide variety of topics.
I believe in my heart that a lot of problems that crop in a Saudi society are a result of ignoring the problems when they first cropped up. If only the society had dealt with them, they would not be in such a sorry state as they are today. I am speaking out of my experience. It was in Saudi where I was robbed of my childhood, and there was no help for me available anywhere. If I were in the States or the UK, I could have seeked help, but in Saudi, such problems are completely ignored. Why is that I see so many Saudi guys at my university so anxious to date a girl? Why is it I see so many Saudi women quickly take off their abayas when on a flight to London? Why do I see so many Saudi men purchasing alcohol at the Duty Free in Dubai? Why do I hear about continuous abuse of maids in Saudi society?
So, before any starts accusing me of bashing Saudi, I want you to honestly think, brutally-honest, think of my words. Do you honestly think that Saudi society is as pious as you believe? Do you honestly think Saudi society is as un-biased as people think it to be? I am not here to bash Saudi, I am here merely discussing something. If I were in in another country I would probably write about that country, but I grew up in Saudi, and I still consider Jeddah my home. Which is why my desire is so strong to return to Saudi, and help the people there come to terms with some of the problems. If anything, I will continue to write about Jeddah, and hopefully will find some way to help the country come to terms to with the issues they are facing!
Mansur
6 comments:
Mansur, this was a very 'reality bites' kind of article for me. I guess I will have to think SERIOUSLY and HONESTLY about your questions, because I was going to write you off...BUT, now that I read your article, I am going to re-think what I think of Saudi. It certainly isn't as pious as I was led to believe!
it sad to see what you write here. u share us with your life and u feel this way...who accuse like this? u know u r a great person...why u let some silly person affect u like this? plz dont change ur plog address...
Just commenting and not meaning ne offense to ne one....but i think its really easy for Saudis to say that their better of than most islamic countries and arab countries...u should stop and think of what Saudi represents to the world...especially the western world...these ppl view Saudi as the ideal representation of a muslim society....and in this regrard Saudi has let down the muslim world and all muslims in seriously misrepresenting the portrayal of an ideal muslim society following islamic laws and regulations....Saudi has more of a responsibility due to its heritage and history....i do not genralise this to ne Saudi and dont want to accuse or offend ne individual...but as a whole Saudi has let down the muslim world and the other muslims and muslim nations have to answer for it...
take care
H.A
How did Sauid Arabia let down the Muslim world? I would like to see any other country do a great job mainting Islamic influence while trying to reform. Granted, Saudi is not doing a great job, but it's a lot of pressure to meet the demands of the people, the religous scholars, and all the Muslims world wide.
Mansur I applaud you for your efforts in bringing some certain situations in Saudi Arabia into light, we need to know the problems to know the solution. Keep up the great work.
Btw I'm the same person that commented above. (-:
Saudi Arabia can learn a lot from the welfare states, which includes countries like Sweden and Norway. Islam was the first religion to develop the concept of a welfare state, yet the Western world knows better how to develop and conceptualize it.
Malaysia and Indonesia are great examples of what Saudi could be, and to some extent the Emirates as well. Saudi could have been a greater country, had it not chosen to ignore the problems in the first place. I am extremely sorry to say this, but the country needs to look beyond the petty issues and focus on the larger issues. When I was working there in Jeddah all of last year, I noticed how people loved to pick up the smaller issues, and left out the bigger ones.
I am extremely annoyed at how the male population cries out to be included in the society. Everywhere you go, its families. Eid festivals are exclusively for families. Shopping malls are families most of the time. The corniche is family restricted areas. My heart cries out for the young male population! Where and what can they do? If people complain that the Saudi males are rowdy and harras women, it is only because of the way they were brought up and the education and segregation system that has led the Saudi guys to view women that way.
Saudi Arabia has let down the Muslim world by setting a bad example. I don't think I need to say more that what a visitor experiences at Jeddah airport. I know of people who have been humiliated and embarassed when they come for Hajj. The Saudi officers develop superiority complex when a flightload of people come from India, Banglasdesh or Pakistan. Just because they are not illieterate, the officers treat them rudely, asking them to unpack all their luggage. I almost always end up filling up the immigration card for these people, and help guide them at the airport. If the Saudi officers cannot help these people, I am forced to do it. It is embarrasing enough for me to try to defend the Saudis, when the Saudis themselves behave this way. The aiport is the first identification of a country, and sadly enough, Jeddah airport is a sad representation of the mentality of the Saudis. I know of Saudi people who come to Dubai and wonder where they went wrong. Saudi could have been the Emirates, had it invested its resources wisely.
Disoriented mentions that the whole country is going through an identity crisis after 9/11 and I agree with him. However, that does not mean everything was hunky-dory earlier: problems were there, no one chose to talk about it. Saudis have an awesome privilege of being a great example to the rest of the world of being excellent Muslims, instead we get intolerance, superiority complex, polarisation of liberals and democrats and a country that is still trying to come to terms with modernisation!
I have nothing against the country. I also know of some great Saudis who are upset with the way the country is emerging. They do all they can to help the country. I hope I can get an opportunity to do something big as well. As for now, I pray for the nation, because, as I have said, I have a deep desire to return there and help the people out in whatever way I can.
Mansur
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