A foreign female university professor - let’s call her Hala - teaches in Saudi Arabia. Her elderly parents come to visit - they go for a pilgrimage in the holy sites, then stay a few weeks at their daughter’s.
As Hala goes to the visa office to request a 2-week extension for her mother, the officer in charge tells her it’s okay and she needn’t worry about it, her mother can stay these extra two weeks, no trouble at all.
As the mother goes to the airport, two weeks past her visa - well, it’s not okay. They let the old woman through but confiscate her daughter’s passport (which is illegal, since she technically commited no crime, but since when did that matter in this country?)
The Saudi visa officer denies any involvement and refuses to even talk to Hala, who is consequently sentenced to a 10,000 SAR (3000 USD) fine and deportation. Deportation. No legal grounds are provided for this decision - there wasn't even a trial or anything. Just arbitrary. The officer in charge was probably upset of her being a single working female -- too much for his narrow intellect to fathom.
Only, she’s a good professor, and her university intervenes - not because they care for her, but because they need to keep her.
So, after 18 months - during which her passport remained confiscated and she had to stay in the country - the deportation sentence is lifted; the fine remains.
Poor Hala, unwilling to spend another summer vacation locked inside the country, decides to stop challenging the sentence and pay her unjust fine. The Saudi legal system is so biased against foreigners that fighting it can only lead to a worsening of one’s case.
And this was Hala vs. the State: had it been Hala vs. citizen alpha, she’d probably be in jail on a bogus charge or something.
This is what Saudi Arabia is all about: extorting foreign labour, sucking them dry, then pissing over them.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Saudi Arabia's legalised racism
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18 comments:
This story is not a fair charactrization of the Saudi legal system. I agree with you that the system is biased against "non-western" expats, but your story doesn't reveal the whole truth.
Saudi has a very strict "law" when it comes to visa and immigration. this is because many people, often from less fortunate countries come to Saudi annually for pligrimage. Many of those try to stay in Saudi illegally to get a job and live in the country, although there visa allows them only to visit the holy cities, and are not allwoed to work. The law in Saudi imposes heavy penalties on "covering up" illegal aliens, in case of the college professor, although it was unintentional, technically, she covered up on an illergal alien who overstayed thier visa ( i agree that the idiot at the immigration office should have told her she needs to extend the vissa), and problem became much worse than what is should be.
Dear Bird of Shadows,
I'm afraid it is indeed fair. Reality is even worse: this example does not involve a conflict with a Saudi person; if this had been the case, the woman would probably be in jail as we speak.
The number of people who were not paid by their employers, extorted by their kafeel (their 'guardian', who gets to confiscate their passport while in Saudi; for instance, our driver is forced to pay his kafeel 800 riyals whenever he needs the latter to help him issue an exit and reentry visa which itself costs 200 riyals (so his kafeel pockets the 600 riyals..)
You have a point regarding the immigration law and 'pilgrims' overstaying their visas to find work.
But it's silly to assume that everyone overstaying a visa wants to be an illegal worker, and it is very much a case by case assessment. Now in the case of an elderly woman for whom there is no evidence that she sought work; hence the whole 'illegal immigration' argument is void.
I believe that Saudi has institutionalised racism -- towards, as you say, non-westerners, whom I will split into two: the East Asians, who are treated essentially like inferior dogs, and the Arabs (and in particular certain nationalities towards whom the Saudis have a severe inferiority complex and which has been manifesting in the ugliest ways.
It would be fun to watch the day all these foreign workers realise the quasi-servitude they are reduced to and leave the country en masse..
How bout let's NOT go work in Saudi? No money is worth that man.
I wish we wouldn't.
Well, I have no intention to work there anyway. And have some local be my legal guardian? Hell no.
But you know why people still do it:
akl el 3eish..
ARABISM = RACISM!
'Arabism Equals Racism', in an elaborated article, Gerald A. Honigman writes on the "acceptance of anyone else’s political rights in a multi-ethnic region that most Arabs see exclusively as "purely Arab patrimony." That's the Arab-Israel conflict in a nutshell; but it is also the core of the Arab-Berber, Arab-Kurd, Arab-Black African, Arab-Copt, Arab-Assyrian, Arab-non-Arab Lebanese conflicts, as well, among others. The Arabs' Anfal Campaign against the Kurds and their actions in Darfur and the rest of the southern Sudan are just a few of many examples of Arab genocidal actions against all who might disagree."
Wrong, Anonymous. Over simplification. Completely wrong.
First, my entry was about Saudi vs. rest of the world, in this case, vs. an Egyptian professional.
What you are doing, however, is simply to spew anti-arab hatred. And your examples are just all, all, wrong.
The Arab-Israeli conflict is primarily a political one, in effect a liberation movement against a colonialist and expansionist state. Your attempt to put it in a nutshell proves you know absolutely nothing about the subject: it is far too complex. So are all the other examples you cite, because you once heard of them and because Arabs had something to do with the topic.
Kurds are a minority, mainly existent in Turkey, Iraq and Syria, which is independentist and contains elements who have been, more often than ever, a fifth column.
The Anfal campaign was the Iraqi ultra-violent response to this independentist movement.
As for Copts, which you, for some reason, don't want to consider to be Arabs - i'll leave you to your delusion - are in fact a strategic minority in Egypt. Berbers are a minority - once a majority, which is source to many of their grievances - which is seeking greater recognition in their home countries. A typical minority strife, hence.
I don't see why you see all these as 'arab genocidal actions'.
As for Sudan: Darfur is too complicated to be put in an arab vs black african context. It's a quest of influence, and one of control of minerals and resources. It is indeed a genocide, though.
As for South Sudan - the seeds of the conflict were planted during the British occupation, but the conflict started in 1956, when a terrorist group called Anyanya - the spider's poison, if i recall properly - started an independentist campaign against the north. Anyanya is the predecessor of the SPLA, which was heavily supported by Western countries. The terrorist, the genocidaire if you wish, in this story, is the South Sudanese terrorist army.
So you, sir, are a complete ignorant. I will leave your post as a token of your ignorance, but will remove the link you put because my blog does not link to such crap.
"Wrong, Anonymous. Over simplification. Completely wrong."
Arabismb(Baathist and Nasserist) is racism, and egypt is not arab anyways.
"I believe that Saudi has institutionalised racism -- towards, as you say, non-westerners, whom I will split into two: the East Asians, who are treated essentially like inferior dogs, and the Arabs (and in particular certain nationalities towards whom the Saudis have a severe inferiority complex and which has been manifesting in the ugliest ways.
It would be fun to watch the day all these foreign workers realise the quasi-servitude they are reduced to and leave the country en masse.."
Manual labour does not have many rights, no matter foreign or national. The rights they do have are better than in their home countries, for either south asian or so called arabs.
You sir have managed to subjectivly shoot down every post instead of creating a conversation and a learning experience. I beleive you need some help in the people's skills departement.
"Wrong, Anonymous. Over simplification. Completely wrong."
Arabismb(Baathist and Nasserist) is racism, and egypt is not arab anyways.
"I believe that Saudi has institutionalised racism -- towards, as you say, non-westerners, whom I will split into two: the East Asians, who are treated essentially like inferior dogs, and the Arabs (and in particular certain nationalities towards whom the Saudis have a severe inferiority complex and which has been manifesting in the ugliest ways.
It would be fun to watch the day all these foreign workers realise the quasi-servitude they are reduced to and leave the country en masse.."
Manual labour does not have many rights, no matter foreign or national. The rights they do have are better than in their home countries, for either south asian or so called arabs.
You sir have managed to subjectivly shoot down every post instead of creating a conversation and a learning experience. I beleive you need some help in the people's skills departement.
What do you mean Egypt is not Arab???
In fact, today's Egyptians - majority are ARABS (settlers) only a tiny (Nubian persecuted) minority is really connected to ancient Egyptians.
To mo-ha-med, Do you really deny that (Goliath) Arabs vs Israeli war of attemting to annihilate it is not bigotry against the Non Arab minority AKA Jewish Israel???
It is silly to presume that most Egyptians are settlers from the Arabian peninsula.
If that was the case, then who inhabited Egypt before those came?
Egypt is - was, rather - a bit of a melting pot. I, for one, have roots from Egypt, Sudan, Arabian Peninsula, Morocco, and Turkey - that I know of.
That Egyptians are both Arabs and descendants of the Ancient Egyptians is not a contradiction, in my opinion.
This said -- there is evidence that ancient Egyptians were rather tall, and darker than current-day Egyptians.
As for your second comment - first, if there is a Goliath, it's the one with the big guns. Not the Arabs, i can assure you.
Please don't go with the "Israel is a tiny minority in the midst of a sea of hostile Arabs" thingie. It's both complete bullshit, and a serious turnoff in a discussion.
If a war was indeed hoping to annihilate Israel - it wasn't out of 'bigotry', or because Israel is a persecuted minority. It's because Israel occupied Palestine and built a country on its torched remains.
Trust me, if the occupiers were Latin Americans or Persians, the same reaction would've occurred..
This visa overstaying "policy" in Saudi Arabia is stupid, ridiculous and unfair. overstaying a visa one or two weeks is obviously not illegal immigration! (let aside: a one day overstay!) the very simple solution is a per-day fine for God's sake! the punishment should fit the "crime"...
Be "racist" or whatever you want with the light-skinned people, but be careful of your treatment of the dark-skinned Muslims.
We don't go away, but you surely will.
Imran - I'm not sure whom you're addressing or what you mean; please clarify.
Salams,
m.
I have to agree, the racism in Saudi is breathtakingly shocking. Many, not all, rich Saudis have this trait and have the audacity to come over to London every Summer where they feel like they have the right to be here when they treat others like animals. They deserve nothing less than how they treat others. I look forward to the day that Saudis royal family and their corrupt police are brought to their knees and replaced by a truly just and sincere leadership, one that institutionally dismantles racism just as it was institutionally built... and one that doesn't squander the oil wealth selfishly on luxury villas and country homes in Spain and the UK whilst the citizens suffer!
No wonder so many people look down on these Saudis in Summer when they come over. Their unwillingness to bring about introspective soul-searching questions about Saudi society and doing nothing about the silly mentality that pervades society is another shame on the nation.
Having said that, the people of the City of the Prophet, Madinah, are completely different! So generous, welcoming, open and caring, I have never found people anywhere of such high noble qualities! I feel humbled by their love for foreigners.
Anonymous (immediately above):
I've deleted your commment. Now go hug a landmine.
Saudi's are the most racist, biased nation on this planet earth.Religion is their business,and nothing else.Foreigners are treated like slaves.If you have a European or American passport,you are a respected slave.If you have a Pakistani or Bangladeshi passport you are the in the ditch slave.All foreigners need a slave document called Iqama.Buying property is forbidden.Giving citizenship is unholy.A saudi can accuse a foreigner of anything.The saudi slogan is "ANAA SAUDI" meaning I am a Saudi.This is their holy religious sentence.Their self-proclaimed holy cities are nothing but places of tourism out of which they make millions.
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