I have received many comments about the subject of my last two articles from fellow members of the International Relations Committee (IRC) in the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and IRC friends, including the Editor-in-Chief of Saudi Gazette, Khaled Almaeena. It seems the issue of racism in our society touched a hot button, not only with guest communities, but also in many good Saudi hearts. Fahed Almugairin, for example, wrote that “the issue of racism among Saudis themselves should be tackled first as it threatens the real fabric and unity of our Saudi society, and in light of what's happening in our region that spells big trouble if we do not wisely address this issue.” For a while now, Almugairin has noticed that some prominent writers and intellectuals, under different pretexts, have been promoting racism based on region, religious sect and national origin. Some of their readers, finding pride in their heritage, utilize social media to awaken a sense of superiority toward Saudis in other regions. Also some tribes and groups have created websites and satellite TV channels for this purpose. Their enthusiastic members use sports, national and cultural events to promote historical achievements and what they regard as superior racial purity.
Almugairin goes on to say: “We should be aware of articles, jokes and video clips that make fun of or degrade other races, tribes and different nationalities. I receive tons of such viruses by email, Twitter and Whatsapp. I never forward them; I immediately delete them. I urge all to do the same.” Amr Khashoggi, Dr. Sadiq Almalki, Ali Alireza, Mohammad Attar, Fatin Bundagji and Samar Fatany were among fellow members who discussed the issue in our Whatsapp group. They all feel we should do something about it. The “Festival of Nations” event is one of our projects to help promote and celebrate our guest communities. The idea came originally from Jeddah Governor, Prince Misha'l Bin Majed. Two years ago he suggested to the organizers of the Jeddah Summer Festival that they should include guest communities. Fahed Almugairin suggested a Festival of Nations event, like the ones he enjoyed and participated in during his studies in the United States. As, then, Chairman of IRC, I carried the idea over to the Chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Saleh Kamel, who couldn't have been more enthusiastic and supportive. He said that every member of these communities is our goodwill ambassador to his country and people, and reminded us how generations of Americans who worked for our national oil company, Saudi Aramco, are acting now as our honorary representatives to the American people. “Why can't we make every guest worker an ambassador for life?” This project and similar projects were then put on our agenda and the philosophy behind them was woven into IRC bylaws. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of encouragement we received from every government department and embassy we contacted. Mohammad Altaib, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Makkah Region, not only welcomed the project and philosophy but demanded more and promised full support. All ambassadors and consuls general we contacted showed as much enthusiasm. Today, we have received the approval of the Commerce Ministry to hold the event this Ramadan in the headquarters of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Fatin Bundagji, IRC Chairwoman, asked me to head the project's task force. In our last meeting with Adnan Mandora, JCCI's Secretary General, he offered its facilities and the support of all concerned departments. “The Chamber,” he announced, “is very much behind this project. Count me and all staff in!” It is really touching to see so many Saudis feeling the pain of our expatriate communities, and how much awareness they have of the racism problem. I have received in the last couple of weeks emails that have exceeded any response to other issues raised before, with many good Saudis and Arabs expressing their concerns and offering their support for any initiative to eradicate this virus. Here are some samples:
* “Saudi Arabia should officially thank the expat community for all their hard work, and initiate joint projects, schools, sporting events, festivals, etc. I am working here as a manager but in my spare time could teach sports (e.g. sailing, diving) to Saudis. Let us tear down the walls between us.” Abdullah DeLancey * “Schools could be the right place to start. Educators must stop discrimination in schools and should work toward encouraging socializing among all cultures and nationalities. The media have to stop posing expatriates as a threat to Saudis and the cause of all failures of society.” Abdulkader A. Bazara * “Customs officers and other staff, including taxi drivers, in all ports should be trained to be polite to people. These points of entry are where people get their first impressions about this leading Islamic country.” Usama Shabandri * “I believe there are many ways that expats and Saudi society can get along well together, and a practical one is to be able to communicate well. In the US there are evening English classes available and volunteers who are proud to teach their language. I wish there were Arabic classes available here to help in break down the language barrier.” Arif Mahmood Kazmi Dear readers, let's join hands and bring down the wall between us!
— Dr. Khaled Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@Kbatarfi
