million plus expatriates in Saudi Arabia belong to various countries and cultures – one factor that has resulted in a number of cross-cultural marriages in recent years in the Kingdom. Bicultural children refer to children with cross-cultural parentage. For most, ‘bicultural' means that two cultures are operative in one person, or at least that one person can operate in two cultures. And for most of these children, Saudi Arabia is the best place to live, for various reasons. “I want my children to learn both cultures. However, I worry that as teenagers they may have to face an identity crisis,” said Kinzi, a Moroccon who is married to Zahoor, an Indian, in Madina. Zahoor said a bicultural identity is a blessing if the child is raised in a positive atmosphere, which he said he found in Saudi Arabia. “Living in the Kingdom has been a good thing for us. The country's melting pot has been very helpful for us and our children,” he said. “When we got married, we decided that we would give both cultures to our children. Our goal is that they are able to feel like natives in both India and Morocco, and are able to speak both Urdu and Arabic.” Zahoor described raising bicultural children as ‘challenging and a bit risky'. But, he said, “the rewards are great”. “In the worst case, they may feel like outsiders when they are alienated or are misunderstood. Or they may embrace one culture and reject the other. But if they absorb both cultures, they will have a unique valuable perspective,” he said. Bicultural children are often multilingual and highly tolerant of different cultures. Seconding Zahoor is Faheem, a Filipino married to Gladya from Kashmir. “Living in the Kingdom, we are lucky that we can give the best of both cultures to our children,” he said. “Saudi Arabia's expat community provides an ideal setting for raising bicultural children. Thanks to this, my children are not faced with any ‘cultural shock',” said Gladya. Children raised in a bicultural atmosphere face some problems if their parents' level of cross-cultural awareness is low. “My children can see the world from a different perspective than I do,” said Abdullah, a Pakistani national married to Filipina Sageera, both of whom work in a hospital in Makkah. “Children start understanding cultural differences at about the age of five and are able to learn them better than an adult. That is why from an early age we are trying to provide our children with the best possible true Muslim culture,” said Sageera. “Differences do not matter,” she added. “How they are managed does.” Meanwhile, her husband, Abdullah said: “As long as my children are able to have a true Islamic lifestyle it doesn't matter what their nationality is.” Saudi Arabia's private schools perhaps are the best example of a multicultural atmosphere where children do not suffer any ‘cultural shock'. “My parents are from Yemen and India. I was brought up in an amalgamation of three cultures – my parents' cultures, and a third, Saudi culture, as I am living here. Being, a bicultural person, I learnt not to be racist, I also learnt different languages, cultures and a lot more,” said a bicultural teenager. A number of researchers have reported that bicultural individuals display an array of positive qualities, compared to others. Bicultural individuals can dynamically switch between cultural frames. Joel Crohn in his 1995 book ‘Mixed Matches: How to Create Successful Interracial, Interethnic and Interfaith Relationships' notes that: “Bicultural children have an ability to see and be able to deal with the complexity of intergroup relations that is literally in their bones, hearts and minds. The struggles they go through in clarifying their identity help them become better people. They become complex and interesting men and women with broad views on the human situation.” “Multiculturalism does not promote division, rather it unifies people,” said Zeba, whose parents are Saudi and Bangladeshi nationals.
