AS charity is a central tenet of Islam, it is worth putting some thought into extending the idea of charity to encompass volunteerism, a wonderful example of which was the community effort on the part of the Saudi Scouts society to clean a ten square kilometer area in Raud Al-Khafs. More than 950 scouts and their families put a lot of unremunerated work into removing an incredible 24 tons of garbage from the area. Many Saudi cities, especially Jeddah, are marred by an overwhelming amount of garbage strewn across the streets, vacant lots and drainage canals. Each and every piece of such rubbish is 100 percent avoidable. Littering, however, seems ingrained in the mentality of those inhabiting the Kingdom's urban centers and it is ironic that it falls to young boys to make a dent in the eyesores generated by such a mentality. Nevertheless, the voluntary action on the part of the scouts should be held as a shining example of what the community can do when it puts its mind to it. If the average person becomes aware that the Kingdom's children are responsible for making even a small part of the Kingdom beautiful, then a slight tinge of conscience just might affect them the next time they toss something out the car window. Volunteerism is a feature of truly developed societies. It shows a recognition on the part of the citizenry that it is everyone's responsibility to make sure that the society functions as it should. It shows a selflessness that is indispensable to advanced societies. Picking up garbage is only the first step, of course. Contributing time to hospitals, nursing homes, schools and social welfare organizations is next. Volunteerism is nothing new to Saudi Arabia but with problems created by rising prices and the general financial crisis that has overtaken the world, volunteerism is especially necessary right now. And, indeed, it is infectious. __
