May 25, 2008 · 7:53 pm

Prominent Saudis: Majed Abdulla

Majed Abdulla is a retired soccer player. Besides the fact that he is black, before researching him, I didn’t know what he looks like but his name is familiar to any and every Saudi ear. There’s even a funny Arabic rhyme that many people use to retort to a swear; when you say wAllah (I swear by God’s name) the other person replies you’ll be kissed by Majed Abdulla.

 Majed Abdulla was born in Jeddah to a middle class family. A few years later, his family moved to Riyadh so that his father could coach beginner and young soccer players at the second largest soccer club in Saudi Arabia, Al Nasr. Of course the close proximity to soccer eventually rubbed off and Majed Abdulla was inducted to the Al Nasr soccer team on 9/September/1975.

I’m not a sports fan and it’s almost a foreign language to me but if you want to know more about his career check out this Wikipedia page on him.

Majed Abdulla retired in April 1998 and despite his great achievements he was not celebrated in any way. Many of his fans felt disgruntled and it is rumored that this disregard was on purpose because he had a conflict with a very powerful Saudi. This powerful Saudi has recently moved out of the picture and in turn Majed was given the farewell he deserved ten years after his retirement. On the 20th of May of this year, a match was organized between Real Madrid and Majed’s old club, Al Nasr. The latter astoundingly won 4-1. The stadium was packed full and 30,000 fans had to be turned away.

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May 21, 2008 · 8:23 pm

What do Saudis Read?

Not much. I’ve had a few Saudis who after visiting a western country comment on how many westerners carry books around with them and read in public. They are always surprised that average people might actually enjoy reading. Books here are considered very intellectual. Once I was sitting in a waiting room at the hospital reading a David Lodge book and the woman sitting next to me took me for a college student studying. She wished me luck on my exam. And when I brought up reading for pleasure to my students many of them said “fathiya” (translation: nothing better to do or get a life). After these conversations, I get a little depressed. If only they knew how wonderful books are, especially for young women who are cooped up for most of the day. If only they knew the astronomical difference reading would change in how they view the world. They could read something as low as Tucker Max or read something that would help make them more aware of one of our cultural minorities like God of Small Things.  Unfortunately, they limit themselves to Arabic women magazines. The most popular of which is Sayidty.

This limitation of what they read starts early in a Saudi’s life. In schools they are not taught to appreciate all books. They are taught that if it’s not religious, scientific or at least a hundred years old then it’s rubbish. The majority of schools do not even have a library. The poor quality of Arabic children literature also plays a role. These books lack in creativity and publishing quality. And finally the difficulty of accessing books. Bookstores are few and far in between.

By the time they reach adulthood this lack of appreciation becomes ingrained. And the sort of Arabic literature available currently doesn’t help the situation. Most books are bad translations from English. The problem with translation is the translator might get the words and sentences right but the context and culture stays just out of reach. So a Saudi might enjoy a couple of these books but eventually gets bored with the minimally relatable characters. And then we come to Arabic literature. The issue here is what form of Arabic to use. Classical Arabic makes a book more respectable and less realistic. No one uses classical Arabic in real life and I repeat no one except passionate Arabic language scholar and even those use their own dialect outside of professional settings. However, if a writer uses a local dialect or somewhat contemporary Arabic, it won’t matter what the book is about, it will not be considered literature. And here let me refer you to Raja Al Sanea’s Girls of Riyadh. When it was first published it got banned from Saudi Arabia. The effect of that ban naturally increased its sales and Saudis from all walks of life secretly got the book and read it. I’m pretty sure they enjoyed it too. But if you were to ask Saudis what they thought of the book, most would dismiss it saying the author didn’t even bother to use classical Arabic. It isn’t “real” literature. The depictions were too close to life. It’s like gossip. She purposely put our dirty laundry on display. They don’t get that that is the point and that’s what makes the book literature.

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May 19, 2008 · 8:11 pm

Comfort Zone

Today in Arab News there was an article about a talk given on women’s Rights by Al Jowhara Al Angari, vice chairman of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) on Saturday night at a meeting organized by the Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI). In it she mentioned that most Saudi women do not know that once they are 45 years old and older they do not need their male guardian’s permission travel. This is news to me. I know my mother had gone on several trips abroad and each time the officials would ask her for her permission slip signed by my father. She even went to Jordan with my older brother and they still asked her to show her permission slip. But she has never taken the risk of going all the way to the airport without the slip. If it wasn’t required of her, shouldn’t the officials checking her passport have told her? Or when my father went to get it done and stamped, wouldn’t they have informed him that there was no need for it since she is above the age limit?

And then Al Angari spoke about how women do not ask for their rights out of ignorance. This might be true for the idealistic young but I know for a fact that many women here do NOT want their rights for themselves nor do they want any other woman to have them. That is because they are in their comfort zone, especially the fanatic religion students. These latter are continuously exposed to stories and evidence from the Quran that inform them of their rights but they don’t want them. Their excuse is “prevention of sin” or when they are hard-pressed they’ll say “these times are different from when the prophet (PBUH) lived”. And to this I always reply with the hadeeth* that Islam as it was revealed to the prophet is good for all time and all places. There is also an Islamic principle that states that all things should be considered permissible in Islam unless clearly prohibited by Allah in the holy Quran or hadeeth.  And I go on to ask them if they believe that their judgment about the times is better than Allah’s. This ultimately shuts them up and I have yet to meet a mutawa who can still carry an argument after that point.

Back to Saudi women comfort zone. Why would they ask for rights when that would mean taking on responsibility. They don’t want rights that would take away their current excuses for not being educated and independent and turn them obsolete. It will take away their convenient excuse for not studying, getting a job or even getting milk from the nearest grocer.

*Hadeeth: the Prophet Mohammed’s (PBUH) sayings and acts

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May 16, 2008 · 8:55 pm

Prominent Saudis: Dr. Salwa Al Hazza

Salwa AL Hazza is a rare breed of Saudi women. She has managed to gain and keep the respect of the male half of our society without strictly observing the hijab. This is due to three reasons; first that she has excelled in her medical field of ophthalmology, she got married and stayed married and finally has close ties with the royals.

Dr. Al Hazza was educated in the United States at a young age but she did her bachelors here in Riyadh at King Saud University. She, accompanied by her husband, got her residency at John Hopkins. She became the late King Fahad’s personal ophthalmologist. She is the first Saudi woman to head a medical department; the ophthalmology department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh.  Dr. Al Hazza has numerous publications including an encyclopedia on Saudi genetic diseases and groundbreaking research in rescuing the eyesight of premature babies.

According to her interviews, Dr. Al Hazza’s views on the current situation for women are that we should be patient and try to change things only after accepting and understanding them. She believes in quiet change from within. In the Al Riyadh Newspaper Interview she told a story about how when she came back with her family from the USA after her father had finished his Masters degree and she overheard one of her father’s friends saying what a shame that she and her four sisters weren’t sons because with their obvious genius and language abilities they would have grown to be great men in society.

Every time Saudi Arabia is criticized for its policies and laws regarding women, the government trots out Dr. Al Hazza to prove them wrong. Yes, she’s Saudi and yes she is a sign that things are going in the right direction but she by no means represents the average woman. Through luck she was married to an understanding man that let her be the great role model she is today. I wonder how many other potential Salwas are buried under our traditions.

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May 15, 2008 · 9:39 pm

Chicken Pox and the ER

On a more personal note, last week was crazy. It made me rethink my plans for having a fourth addition to our family. Last weekend I took my 5 year old to get his last vaccination shot, the MMR, so that he could enroll in first grade for next year. Now I was nervous about it because of all the hoopla in the news concerning side effects, autism and seizures. I got it done anyway. On Friday his temperature rose, and I took it in stride because the doctor told me to expect it. Tempra was poured down his poor throat at four hour intervals. Saturday morning I called his doctor and she told me to relax and just use Junifen instead of Tempra. Now, we’ve been going to this doctor exclusively for the past four years. I trusted her and did what she told me to. But his temperature would not come down. So naturally the next day I took him to see her and she said that he seemed fine and the 39.8 temperature was not a big deal if I kept him on pain relievers. She even had the audacity to laugh at me and called me paranoid (closest translation from Arabic). By Monday evening my husband and I got hysterical and we took him to the emergency room. The doctor took one look at him and said he has chicken pox. I was so relieved. Now I knew what was wrong, I could deal with it.

Then this weekend, I thought the storm was over. We all got in the car to enjoy our weekly lunch out. As we were driving along, my six year old daughter asked me: “Mommy what happens if someone gets a toy stuck up their nose?” I replied: “They die.” To deter her and her brother from contemplating it as a future act. Turns out that is was actually a past act and she started panicking and crying. She had the separable bottom part of a pen lodged in her nose. We hurried to the nearest emergency room and the doctor al hamdlAllah was able to remove it with something that looked like really thin forceps.

Add these two incidents and my worry that the other two unimmunized kids would get chicken pox from their brother plus a hectic week at work.  You’ll start to understand how crazy it can get for a working mother.

 

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May 11, 2008 · 8:47 pm

Great Saudi News Source

While surfing the channels, I sometimes pass by Watani channel. This channel is basically a screen with short written summaries of news stories as they break. International news on a line at the bottom of the screen and a big white box in the middle covers local news. What’s special about this particular news source is that they cover local news that is not published in any newspaper, many of which are quite sensational. Two examples is on the Thursday they ran a story about a Saudi high ranking General being found burned to death in his car in an area north of Riyadh. And his family had reported him missing a couple of days earlier. Read the newspapers Friday …nothing. I googled Saudi general in English and Arabic and again nothing. On Saturday the story came out but it was only that a body of a 56 year old Saudi army general was found burned in a car north of Riyadh, close to Al Yamama College. No mention of names or cause of the fire. The chat forums were a lot more helpful. Especially one that gave the name of the general and the member also claimed to having had a phone conversation with the son of the deceased. He claims that the son told him that his father left the house on the Monday before in an apparently depressed mood and that he had left behind his wallet and cell phone. He also said that his father gave his mother a will in an envelope. Upon opening it and realizing what it was, they informed the police. Naturally, after this story everyone has assumed that he committed suicide. I find that hard to believe. But then I digress. Back to the Watani channel. It had the news first, on the day it broke and other news sources waited for a couple of days but they were not much more informative than the original source.

Another story I read on Watani that I know for a fact will not show up anywhere else except forums (translation from Arabic):

Investigations concerning a non gender segregated party organized by a Gynecology hospital in Madinah in which the director of the hospital and the general director of hospitals in a ministry were present.  Threats about terminating the director’s contract. And there was a Bluetooth video of the party taken by one of the female employees which has pushed a number of husbands to officially complain.

I bet it was probably a quite mild and conservative party measured by international standards but to many Saudis, just having men and women mingling is equivalent to an orgy. Anyways if you can read Arabic and are in Saudi Arabia you can get Watani news on your mobile by sending an empty text to 82410. To tune in it’s Arabsat or Hotbird Satellite 11075 V 27500.

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May 9, 2008 · 8:03 pm

Tourism in Saudi Arabia

In the past, Saudi Arabia did not advertise itself for tourism. On the contrary, it’s known for its extreme conservatism and seclusion. Up until a short time ago, it was virtually impossible for outsiders to visit Saudi Arabia for other than business reasons. There is no such thing as a tourist visa for Saudi Arabia. The closest thing you can get is a business visa and you have to have a letter from a company here in Saudi Arabia vouching that you are coming for a legitimate business reason. However, lack of advertisement has not influenced the prosperity of the Saudi tourism industry. Over Two and a half million people visit Makkah annually to perform Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage. Hajj is the largest pilgrimage world-wide of its kind.

Recently the Saudi government has decided to enhance its tourism industry by opening its doors year-round to non-Muslim tourists. For that reason, the General Commission for Tourism and Antiquities was established. There is no shortage of attractions to entice would-be travelers into setting their sights here.

Snorkeling in the most beautiful sea in the world, the Red Sea is just one of the possible things they can do. And maybe take a piece of coral as a souvenir. Or they can visit one of our ancient cities, such as Madin Saleh, which was founded before Christianity. These cities are huge pieces of art carved into the mountains. These sites are hard to get to for outsiders and regular Saudis. It is easy for expatriates and upper class Saudis to go see Madin Saleh. Due to a fatwa stating that visiting this archaeological site is discouraged in Islam, regular Saudis aren’t allowed in as easily or openly.

Prospective tourists can also join in our most popular past-time, shopping. We have all kinds of stores and shops no matter what your preference is. They can shop at one of our many modern malls or at Riyadh’s old downtown souk, Batha, where they can bargain down the prices to their heart’s content. They can take their time shopping, as hardly any shop closes before eleven at night.

Just having the experience of living in Saudi Arabia and observing the local customs in itself is fascinating. Nowhere else in the world are women, by law, not allowed to drive.  And by law have to cover themselves with a light black cloak. Five prayers are practiced publicly every day. Almost every two streets you’ll come across a mosque with a live-in sheikh who announces the prayer times on a microphone. So that all businesses close temporarily while Muslims prepare for prayer.

There have been organized and restricted tours to Saudi Arabia but nothing flexible and definitely no solo cheap adventurer kind of stuff that young college kids go for. You can join a tour for about 7500 dollars. For details click here

Saudi Arabia has always had a cloud of mystery and secrecy about it. However, as soon as the government opens its doors to year round tourism that cloud of mystery will rapidly disperse.   

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May 7, 2008 · 4:15 pm

The Real Terrorists

This is on exhibit at one of the high schools here in Riyadh. I saw it and I just couldn’t resist taking a picture when no one was looking. It’s the Israeli and the American flag with a ban sign on them and surrounded with photos of Palestinian casualties. I thought it would really bring everything a lot closer to outsiders. The Palestinian cause is a cause that most Saudis hold very close to their hearts. And their side of the story is different from what most Westerners presume to be the truth.

In Western media, Israel is the most civilized and stable country in the Middle East. Its democratic and progressive nature is considered a model for the rest of the region. Everything would be perfect if only it weren’t for those pestering so called Palestinian terrorists, those barbarians who breed incessantly and brainwash their youth into carrying suicidal missions for a lost cause. While it is silently assented by all that Israel is the Jew’s compensation for having to go through the Holocaust, the “Promised Land” described in the Old Testament.  And helping the Jews is a way of continuing the Crusades and spreading the word of God to those Honor-killing Muslim savages.

The Saudi side is completely different. What most Saudis believe is that Israel is just an extension of the crucifixion. They tried to crucify Christ and now they have extended their torment to the people of his land. Everyone in Saudi Arabia knows at least one Palestinian refugee family whose father or grandfather had their houses taken by the Israeli government or were tricked into selling it. These people live and work with us and tell their story to anyone who’ll listen. Obviously, that makes it a lot more concrete than some sense of entitlement based on scripture. My own grandfather left his village here in Qaseem and fought and was injured in the first battles, some time between 1948 and 1952. Ever since then he had walked with a limp.

Also, it’s widely believed that Judgment day will not come until the Zionists are all thrown into the Mediterranean. As a result of what Israel has done to Palestinians, it’s even considered an insult to be called a Jew. And 9/11 was bound to happen. What do Americans expect when their Foreign Policy aids and abets the ethnic cleansing going on the Holy Lands? All those boohoos and memorials for a mere 3000 souls while Saudis of all ages are bombarded with photos and videos of murdered Palestinian children at the hands of the Israeli army on a daily basis on TV, newspapers and even at school as you can see above.

A more journalistic approach to the issue can be read here Link

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May 5, 2008 · 8:38 pm

Prominent Saudis: Mohammed Abdu

Mohammed Abdu is the Saudi version of Paul McCartney. He’s the most polished and veteran singer in the Arabian Gulf. He’s also well-known all across the Middle East. In fact, his first hit in 1968 was popular not only in Saudi Arabia but also Lebanon and Egypt. Currently, he is dubbed the Arab Artist. His concerts are always sold out well in advance and all the great poets want to bestow their poems to him to sing as lyrics. There’s even a special black edition of the IPod with all his albums, old and new, already downloaded on it. It has Mohammed Abdu’s name in calligraphy on it. 

What also made Abdu such a hit is his clean reputation for being a family man. Since his early years, he has invited people to call him abu Nora (father of Nora, his firstborn). His house and its adjacent mosque are a famous landmark in Jeddah. Anyone can see and meet him just by attending prayer at his mosque.  

Abdu was born in one of the greenest areas of Saudi Arabia in the South East, in Jizan. His family was very poor and their income was supplemented by the government. He obtained a scholarship to study seamanship in Italy, but sometime during his study he took a detour and stumbled on his musical talents.

For the exception of a few videos that surfaced in the late 70s and early 80s of Abdu drunk playing his Ouad (Eastern guitar) at private functions, there have been no scandals of womanizing or such. There have been rumors though of him becoming a devout Muslim and quitting music every time he takes a break in between albums. And a tape of allegedly him reading the Quran aloud and crying was making the rounds. However this rumor dies as soon as his latest album hits the music stores and it is resurrected again if he spends a year without production. My take on this is that to the muttawas, Abdu would be a prime recruit since so many people look up to him. That’s why these rumors keep surfacing in hopes that they would magically come true.

Unfortunately Abdu is currently experiencing problems on the home-front. He has divorced his first wife, Nora’s mother. It is speculated that this is because he wanted to wed a second wife and his first refused to go along with it. As you can see, just like all celebrities, there are a lot of speculations and gossip surrounding them. Mohammed Abdu is the sort who denies and does not allow comment about his personal life.

You can listen and download his music for free here at this link.

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May 3, 2008 · 7:25 pm

Muttawa lecture

This is a video from utube. It has been on there for 4 months. It’s a typical Islamic lecture from a quite eloquent and articulate sheikh. Below I’ve translated the whole thing and I tried to stay as literal in my translation as possible. You can’t experience his eloquence in Arabic but you’ll have to take my word for it, he’s pretty good. Read on and make your own conclusions.
 
 
Look to the vice cops, God bless them, what they did with the illegitimate children (orphan bastards) that came into this world not knowing who their parents are. One social worker told me about a field trip they took these children on. They took them to Abha and they were enjoying the scenery. Then they saw a group of monkeys frolicking and playing. So the kids started to yell: look at the monkeys! There’s one with its mother. Another child replied yes he is a monkey but he’s better off than us because he at least has a mother. The social worker said I couldn’t even turn to the child. I was that speechless. So I waited until the child moved away and I said God bless the vice cops. How many cases have they prevented that would have produced more miserable bastards.
Now look at what crime the devil has pushed people into committing. When she was flirting with him she didn’t know and when he was flirting with her, he didn’t know. And when they were exchanging gifts, they didn’t know. They are like us but the devil pushed them step by step until they got into trouble. The important issue here is that she became pregnant through fornication. She’s in trouble. The devil got her and it’s making her walk its path. The devil told her to kill the baby and everything will end. And the case ends here in that the infant is killed and put into the toilet. (points to the photo)
But the case has not ended. I swear that this murdered infant will rise up judgment day and she’ll go looking through all of creation and she will speak as Allah mentioned in the holy Quran: (quote from the Quran: rough translation: And when the murdered infant girls will ask for what sin was I killed)

For what sin was I killed, oh Lord? And Allah will not leave us to fend for ourselves. I swear by Allah who is the only god and who has obligated us to follow the Quran. He wanted so for a certain end (or reason). When we see the vice cops… The vice cops, I ask Allah to bless them because I swear they are the safety clip (or cap) for this ummah (people). I swear how many incident were prevented that were going to bear the likes of those (fornication, illegitimate pregnancies and children).

But now let me give  you the last part of this lecture. One illegitimate young man told me that he saved and saved to go to Hajj. And he swore that when he got there people were praying and asking Allah but he waited until Arafah, the day that prayers are most likely to be answered. The day Allah comes down in a way that’s appropriate and suiting to his holiness to display to his angels his human servants. The young man went on to say that other people were praying to be saved from hell and some were praying to go to heaven. But that he was only praying for one thing all day: Oh Lord whoever was the reason behind me being in this world, Oh Lord just as they have deprived me my rights, rights that animals have and I don’t. A mother and a father. Oh Lord do not grant them heaven. Oh Lord of all worlds.

I wonder does his mother know? At the time he was praying was she above the ground or below it? And that father? Where is he? We don’t know but Allah in all his holiness does know.

 

 

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