Beating Kids...

Hey everyone,

As I was walking over to the internet cafe, I saw a dad beat up his young with a stick. It wasn't a light beating, but a severe one with a metal rod. He beat up the kid so bad, the kid's right hand was literally bleeding. The kid, about 7, carrying his heavy school bag, was just standing there, weeping while clutching his right hand. His dad was indifferent to the boy's situation, and was only shouting "yalla! yalla!" [hurry up!] I just went up to the kid and asked him if everything was all right, and realized he did not speak Arabic. Because of the intensity of the situation, I forgot my Arabic so I could not ask him in his own language. Before I could give him some tissue paper I had in my bag, this man just came up to the boy, grabbed hold of his school bag and dragged him away. The kid was only clutching onto his bleeding hand more tightly while crying away. I so wanted to pick up a fight with the man, but then thought the language barrier will create more frustration.

Not only this, about three days ago, as I was going up my elevator in my building, a man was in there holding one of his son in his arms, while the other was sitting on the floor of the elevator. I entered and pressed the button for my floor. The little kid on the floor got up, and in his excitement, pressed the "open door" button. I smiled at him, and pressed the "close door" button. But the kid's dad raised his leg up and kicked the little boy right on his back side. He went flying across the tiny space in the elevator and hit his head on the side wall. He fell down and started crying. I so wanted to kick this dad myself. Then the kid got up, and he just started laughing then. I imagined that this kid must be so used to getting kicked around like this.

It's sad but these moments are not the first time I have seen parents do this. Many times I have seen parents hit, beat and merely abandon kids in malls, play areas, mosques almost everywhere. Last year in Jeddah, while I was out at one of the local outdoor markets, a bedouin family had simply beat their daughter up and left her on the dirt floor, while they were eating their dinner on the table. The girl made attempts to join them, but she was pushed away by her dad's foot. Another time in a new mall in Jeddah, a dad had literally dropped his son on the marble floor. The kid just sat there crying out in the loudest way possible, while the family just walked on paying no attention.

I don't understand why parents would do this?

I wonder if it's in the psyche of the adults here in this part of the world to treat children like this. My parents have never beat me, or my brother or sister. They always explained situations to us out of love. They did discipline us, but never at the cost of hitting or beating us. Does it have something to do with the idea that parents are supposed to beat their children if they are not praying regularly by the age of ten? I can get into the whole debate of what the Quran has to say about all this but will not do so because it will ruffle everyone's feather and will lead to name calling and so on (most likely I will be called a sinner once again!)

However, I must say that it sickens me to see parents beat, neglect, hurt, kick and mistreat their children in public places.

Mansur