Qaiser Mutawie Al-Madinah A recent match between Al-Hilal club of Riyadh and Al-Ittihad of Jeddah caused a lot of controversy and friction in society. The cause of this controversy was the racist chants by some spectators. These chants reflected the ugly face of a phenomenon that has been spreading in our society and that should be sternly confronted without any negligence. What happened during the match was not an accidental or rare event that should not be given much attention because it is alien and new to our society and will soon subside, as some people believe. Racism does exist among various segments and faction of our society. Discrimination and disparity, whether on sectarian, racial, regional or tribal bases, are not unknown to us. The hatred and disdain of others do exist among us in one way or another similar to other societies. We should, first of all, be candid with ourselves and not bury our heads in the sand. We should admit that, like any other society, we do have racism. We should not live in a continuous state of denial. We should not deny that residents of certain regions believe that they are of a better race than the residents of other areas. Members of some tribes believe that they are much better than the members of other tribes. People in certain regions of our country believe that they alone are the true followers of the correct Islam. Such notions constitute a real threat to social integrity. The problem is that racism is not practiced against citizens alone but is also extended to the expatriate residents whom we feel superior to because they work for us. The most serious aspect of it is that this phenomenon has become almost normal practice in our country and is accepted by many individuals regardless of their age or inclination. Those people who accept racism will never venture to openly denounce it. For instance, we exchange a number of mobile messages making fun of certain nationalities or the residents of certain regions. We laugh at these jokes and instead of denouncing them, we consider them to be funny and send them to others to laugh at. A clear law should be enacted to combat racism. This law should incriminate racism and prevent the spread of hatred in all its forms. Harsh punishments should be applied on those who practice racism or spread hatred on racial grounds. The drafting of such a law will increase awareness that racism is abominable and unacceptable. To those who may claim that by issuing such laws we will only be copying the West, I say it was Islam that first rejected and prevented racism. Racism in any form is abhorrent and is a grave threat to social unity. We should strongly confront it by all means, including legislation that incriminates all sorts of racist remarks and practices, with the aim of curbing its further spread in society before it becomes too late and difficult to contain.
