Saudis need to establish honest dialogue with the expatriate communities in order to create better understanding and foster harmony in the Kingdom's social milieu, according to a well known social activist and writer. “We should not be an island in the sea of society; we should open ourselves by establishing dialogue with our foreign workers,” said Najeeb A.R. Al-Zamil in his keynote address Thursday to the 2009 Toastmasters Division-M District 79 Annual Conference hosted by Saudi Aramco. “Dialogue with the members of the expatriate communities here in Saudi Arabia is the best way of opening the channel of communication between us and them. Until this moment, I feel that we – us and them – are trapped in this sea of society on isolated islands, islands that have no bridges to connect them. From this very moment, let's start to lay down the first plan of the connecting a bridge, which is the bridge of dialogues.” He said that disharmony, misunderstanding, and miscommunications do happen between citizens and expatriates because of the lack, if not total absence, of honest and healthy dialogue. “Some of the non-Saudis think that abuses are committed, often times perpetuated, because of lack of dialogue and mutual understanding. Knowingly, or unknowingly, I have to admit that few of us are violating their basic human rights,” Al-Zamil told members of the various toastmasters clubs in the region. “For me, the first step to foster honest and healthy dialogue is to know those groups of nationalities in our own societies. By knowing well our expatriates, from scientists, engineers, and doctors to workers, our housemaids and drivers, this will unravel their misconception about our culture, which many of them may not appreciate.” Al-Zamil said it is a fact that expatriate culture shock is grounded on uncertainty. “When an expatriate first enters Saudi Arabia, he or she may discover that some of our behavior or traditions are unacceptable in his or her country. Expatriates may discover, too, that many behaviors and traditions considered acceptable back in their home country are not acceptable here in Saudi Arabia.” He said that expatriates may also discover that some behavior considered offensive or unfair in their home country may be seen acceptable and just in Saudi Arabia. “Because of the difference in behavior and ways and norms of life – on what is acceptable and what is not acceptable – expatriates face what we think is a kind of cultural shock,” Al-Zamil explained. According to Al-Zamil, the second step to promote honest and healthy dialogue with expatriates is fair treatment. “We have been taught by our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), that ‘Islam is the treatment'”, he said. “We are often accused of abuses against foreign workers, against housemaids, of torture, of delay in salaries, of non-payment of wages, of non-payment of overtime, of excessive working hours without compensation. Again, I admit that though not all of these stories are true, they do happen; and these stories are not signs of better understanding or a good way to create a good and nice image about us; rather they set back honest dialogue.” “We were talking about misinterpreting of cultural behavior, here is one of the examples. During the month of Ramadan, housemaids are asked to work like machines without rest, and the Saudi housewives as well. Here in Saudi Arabia, this is one of the norms but not in some other countries. It is also observed that some citizens resort to black marketing of domestic workers, illegal and legal alike, during the month of Ramadan when families seek out extra hands to deal with lots of visitors and Iftar fast breaking.” A social activist said some Saudi families treat their household help harshly and not as members of their families who should be considered equal in the principle of equal human dignity. “Our citizens, this country, continues to benefit from the toil and support of expatriates who come to our shores to help themselves for better earnings and to help us to build our businesses and accelerate the speed of our wagon of development. It is but fitting and proper that they are accorded with utmost dignity and treatment at the best. Furthermore, this is exactly the treatment that we want to receive when we are in their countries on business or visiting.” Concluding the address, Al-Zamil proposed the creation of a platform, to be called the Saudi-Expatriate Forum, to serve as the vehicle to ventilate a two-way channel aimed at enhancing understanding and friendship between Saudis and the expatriate communities. He offered the facilities of the Al-Zamil House, which has hosted many debates and discussions on many topics of local, national and international dimensions, as the staging center for this forum. He challenged the toastmasters to speak in one voice in leading the way in promoting and enhancing better understanding between Saudis and expatriates. “You should lead the way in unraveling the many so-called mysteries of our society for the better understanding of all,” he urged the toastmasters. “Human rights organizations and institutions continue to target and blame us for human rights violations, either against our own people or against foreign workers. We have to show the world that we don't accept that and prove otherwise and that change has come.”
