Khaled Almaeena Sitting at a private gathering on Wednesday night, a lady remarked, “Don't they have anything better than building malls?” I could not help but smile. Jeddah was really changing, I thought myself. Sometime back, I had written how Jeddah had become the city of bumps. Everyone was building a speed bump in front of his or her house. And they came in all shapes and sizes. The municipal authorities had lost control. And what could they do? We the residents of Jeddah had no concept of civic sense. In addition to defacing the city, spreading garbage all over we began to obstruct traffic. But that's not the point of this article. My subject today is malls. In the Bride of the Red Sea, malls are sprouting like mushrooms after a rainfall. They are everywhere, on main roads, on side streets and in the middle of nowhere. I rarely go out to shop. Not because I don't like to. But for several reasons, among them unruly youth, traffic and smoke. However, at times when visiting friends or relatives I do cross parts of the city. And I am surprised to see gigantic structures of all shapes and sizes. They bear resemblance to the Taj Mahal, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or to the Super Bowl Dome. They eclipse residential neighborhoods making me wonder how zoning laws were broken. What “vitamin” was used in constructing such structures in locations where it was explicitly stated that only houses should be built and where any minor repair work would bring the inquisitive municipal inspectors who would take the contractor's equipment and serve him a notice. Where are these vigilant eyes now? I can count up to four new malls being built. And this at a time when some are shouting about Saudization, others who do not want tourists to come in and still others who want Umrah and Haj pilgrims to be driven from the airport directly to the holy sites and back. Most of these malls have nothing new to offer. Many are vacant or half full, begging to entice people to rent shops. So we now have turned from a city of bumps into a city of malls. Not bad progress, some may say. But the lady who made the remark further added that isn't it a shame that the Bride of the Red Sea does not have an aquarium. What about a zoo, said another lady who was listening intently.
And don't forget a library, said our host. And let me stop at that. A city without a zoo, a library and an aquarium must be a dull place. Our children will grow up without experiencing God's gift of knowledge and nature. They will be dull in their outlook, meager in their knowledge and will have absolutely nothing to contribute in discussions like ours, years down the line. Yes, I do believe in a free economy where one can do whatever one wants with his capital. But there are also social responsibilities. How about a small library by the mall builder? An American Muslim friend of mine is begging me to find sponsors to build a number of basketball courts across Jeddah at a reasonable price. He believes there is great potential for the game among the Saudi youth who can achieve international fame. I listen patiently to his plans and ideas. I pray he will succeed because sports also is business. And if these mall builders can spare some money they can help in social development, for the young will play instead of driving their cars causing nuisance to everyone. We as a city will be recognized by others for our civic sense. One day we will have a Saudi Shaquille O'Neal or a Michael Jordan. We may also get a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. There are many possibilities. But unfortunately our focus on malls keeps us from looking at the larger picture. We are focusing more on the concrete culture. Personally I believe if things are not checked then the whole of Jeddah will become one big city of tens of malls. We will then enter the Guinness Book of World Records. Maybe some will be happy. But I can assure you, I or my American friend or those potential world class basketball players will not be among them! — The writer can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter: @KhaledAlmaeena
