I DO not know why we tend to believe that the Saudi sponsor is always right and his sponsored worker is always wrong. One Arab expatriate told me once that his Saudi sponsor mistreats him to the point of preventing him from smoking the same brand of cigarette that the sponsor smokes, because he does not want his worker to share his taste. No one questions the Saudi sponsor about late salary payment to his workers or making them work for long hours. This is part of what some domestic helpers and drivers face at the hand of their Saudi sponsors. This creates resentment. The crimes that we hear about are a result of the bad treatment they receive at our hands. At the same time, there are other examples of good treatment. There are Saudi sponsors who named some of their children after the names of their workers. And there are expatriate workers who work with their sponsors until they die. A friend of mine told me about an expatriate worker who has been with a real estate businessman for many years. He drives him everywhere and even knows what medicine he takes. For 40 years they have been working together and eating together. The Saudi sponsor treated him as a partner in his business. Our arrogance in treating the expatriate worker has its negative consequences. This applies also to women. Women who treat their domestic helpers badly, shout at them, insult them and sometimes beat them only reflects their own illness. People who are treating Bangladeshi workers badly do not know that their country has produced three Nobel Prize winners. We need to get rid of the arrogance and be more humble. These workers are helping us in our daily lives. We should treat them nicely. The more we are humble and respectful with them, the more we show our true treasures. Are we going to learn?
