In Defense of Saudi Teenagers

Hi all,

This post is for the non-Saudis readers, in hope that they can get rid of the stereotypical image they have of who Saudis are.

I know you are already thinking out loud, "in defense of Saudi teenagers? Mansur, you must be out of your mind!" No folks, I am not out of my mind. This is something that I am compelled to write about it. For far too long, I have been thinking negatively about the Saudi youth, but now the tide has to change!

Growing up here in Jeddah, I went to a British school, which did not allow any Saudi students. However, there were students of other Arab nationalities. Most of my friends were from Pakistan, but I had couple of Arab friends as well as one British friend. I never had any Saudi friends though. It was only when I went to the American University in the Emirates did I make Saudi friends.

I think all of us at one time or another made complaints and rude observations about the teenagers in Saudi. I am also guilty of doing this act. See which of the following statements have you thought of or voiced out loud:

“The Saudi guys are so cheap. All they do is drive around checking out girls”
“The Saudi teenagers look so bad when they wear jeans and t-shirts. They have no fashion sense”
”Who are the Saudi guys trying to impress driving their Harley bikes?”
“The Saudi girls know nothing except how to shop and spend money”
“The Saudi guys are so desperate. All they do is throw their telephone numbers written on pieces of paper to girls.”
“The Saudis are so lazy—they don’t know how to work/ study”
“The Saudis are so bad at time-management”
“The Saudis are so backwards”
“The Saudi guys are so desperate that they stare at you”

These are just a few of the statements that I have made in the past. The non-Saudis I grew up would also make the same statements. When I was at university in Sharjah, I went in with stereotyped images of Saudis in my mind. At the end of my university career, I had a completely different picture of the Saudis. By having Saudi friends in my life, I got to know them as real people. I had developed a completely different perspective. The Saudis are just people, just like the Pakistanis are, or any other nationality. Sure, I can hear some of you saying to me, “Mansur, you cannot deny that there are definitely some Saudis out there who are really all that cheap.” Yes, I would agree with you, but aren’t there rotten apples in any society? I mean, I can go to my hometown, or to another city like London, and I can show you rotten apples there as well.

I don’t blame the Saudi youth for the way they are today. Instead I would accuse the society and the religious leaders who make the decisions for the nation.

Education is the biggest problem here. For too long, the authorities were in control of what the students would learn. They would filter out what they would consider obscene images and phrases from textbooks. Israel would be censored everywhere. English would generally not be taught in smaller classes. Girls are not allowed physical education-- only boys are (despite that, obesity is rampant!) It was onlylast year that the authorities have decided to introduce English from grade 6 onwards. A small change, but a change nevertheless!

The society is created in such a way, that the religious leaders sitting on the cabinet, make the decisions which then gets approved/ disapproved by the King. Decisions like banning the satellite TV, banning camera phones, not allowing for cinemas, segregation of sexes in public, not allowing women to work in mixed sex environment and so on. I remember growing up watching only one English channel. TV sitcoms, movies and even cartoons would be censored. Mickey Mouse was not allowed to hold Minnie Mouse’s hands. Miss Piggy was chopped off from the The Muppet Show. Programs like Full House were reduced from its original 22 minutes to a mere 10 minutes show. Indian movies showing hero and heroines embracing would be replaced by shots of flowers embracing one another. Literature was also controlled. Archie comics were banned. Certain novels would not be available. Newspaper would mostly talk about good things in society. Talk about censorship! Dating was not allowed. Music not allowed in restaurants. No libraries or social centers. No outlet for the youth to express their ideas. What were they to do?

It was as if the society thought that if they controlled all these things, the youth would grow up to be decent and law-abiding citizens. Today, it is anything but that! All the restrictions I described above are not there any more. Everything is available. The biggest advancement, even though it was a late advancement, was when the country allowed for the Internet to penetrate the society. For far too long, the authorities have been in control of the way people think, but that is not true anymore. The religious leaders are losing their power and so they do absurd things now, like raiding restaurants to make sure single men are not sitting in family designated areas. How much more can they control? Not for long hopefully!

Young Saudi students returning from abroad bring in fresh and new ideas. They are exposed to the outside world. They know something is not right here. Unfortunately, for those Saudi people who cannot travel abroad, do not have a good idea of what life can be like if such restrictions are not there. Today there are two major categories of people in this nation: the religious ones, who are happy with the environment here, and the rebellious ones, who want reforms.

The next time you feel like making a comment on a Saudi teenager, keep in mind the environment they were brought up in. What if you were in their position? What if someone came to your city and made such kind of comments to your people? Would you feel happy then? I only hope through this article, I can get you to change your perspective on the Saudi people. Many of you may not have Saudi friends, but those who do, I am sure can testify to the fact that the Saudi youngsters are not all that bad!

Ironically, I fell into the trap recently. At the airport, when I went to receive my parents, I noticed how rudely the Saudi athorities were dealing with the newly arrived Hajj passengers: snatching away passports, talking loudly and rudely in Arabic much to the disappointment of the pilgrims, running here and there, no sense of what to do next, chaotic scene...and I was getting so angry at the Saudi man who left the pilgrim standing all alone and confused! Is that how you are supposed to deal with someone who is visiting your country on a pilgrimage? I had to remind myself that these Saudis lacked the proper training and eduational skills! The environment the man was brought up made him the kind of person he is today, which screams out for a radical change in the society here.

Yours,

Mansur