SEGHAYER I would anticipate that readers of this article may say that I only look at the dark side of Saudi society or highlight the negative aspects of Saudi lifestyle and overlook numerous positive facets. This is not the case at all. I am doing my best to direct our attention to the areas where we need to tread carefully, especially when things are done by any means and in the wrong ways. I am mostly driven by the fact that some of us live in denial; we cannot cure an ailment if we do not know about it or refuse to accept it. There is no perfect society on the earth. After all, we are like any other society in the world. We have good and bad attributes and we should always strive to acknowledge our shortcomings and try to mend or modify our actions. I am not exaggerating when I state that we live on a mountain of contradictions. If you do not agree, join me in this quick journalistic journey to take a close look at some specific aspects of our lifestyle. Beloved women Publicly, we say women are our beloved mothers, sisters, daughters, and wives. We maintain that women are the preserved and protected pearl and jewel and that they are the second half of society. Individuals and groups alike cannot survive without the active role of women. In reality, however, we do not practice what we openly preach. Saudi women must obtain men's permission in all of their affairs and decisions relating to education, work, bank accounts, travel, and even medical attention. A large number of Saudi men do not utter women's names in public and refer to them, instead, as the family. In sum, I am sorry to say that regardless of our flowery talk about women, most men in our society treat women as property to be sold to the highest bidder. Foreign guests and non-Muslims The Kingdom hosts around eight million non-Saudis, and we often say that they are our guests and we highly appreciate their contributions to the advancement of our country. In our social gatherings, we emphasize that we indeed treat our foreign guests well and give them their due rights. What we really do to them, however, is far different. A large number of foreign guests, and especially workers and maids, suffer physical, psychological, and monetary maltreatment. This can also be said about some religious minorities, especially non-Muslims. We say that they are our brothers and sisters in humanity and as such, they deserve our high respect. But unfortunately, they are not respected in most cases, and most importantly, we do not allow them to freely practice their religious rights and customs or traditions. I should make it clear that the government gives them the right to practice their religious beliefs in private. However, it is sad that most Saudi people exhibit hostility to ideas and perceptions that do not correspond to their own beliefs, and we think we are the only privileged group that has the right to present and interpret the truth. Our behavior Within the borders of our country, we often strictly observe our religious teachings and customs. We refrain from doing things that apparently work against our known beliefs. But this dramatically changes as we cross the borders of the Kingdom. Once outside, we behave in a way that contradicts our deep-rooted values and faith. When you confront a person indulging in such things that go against his or her beliefs, the answer you might hear is: “I just do them here and admittedly cannot do the same back in the Kingdom.” As you can see, generally, most Saudis often speak of their firm belief on an issue, but their actions often are not in accordance with what such a belief requires them to do. This gives a false impression about the apparent virtues of Saudi society. If we want to be respected and accepted by others, we should not continue on the same course and should do our best to practice what we preach. (The writer is a Saudi academic who can be reached at [email protected]) __
