Back to the land of Camels and Palm trees

Al7amdulilla 3alassalama, I returned to the Middle East safely after a month long vacation. I must compliment Saudi airlines for the excellent service rendered to me during my entire flight.I was given a free upgrade on all my tickets and I also had the opportunity of meeting some really interesting crew members.I love the whole airport experience being able to observe different peoples behaviours and mannerisms. During the flight I met a man who has a standard booking with Saudi airlines during the last week of each month. He performs two Umras during his one week stay..A really humble individual that is so focused on his religion.I enjoyed his company thoroughly. He engaged in a deep and meaningful conversation with me.He was full of wisdom and intellect.Then I witnessed two Saudi brothers from a VIP family treating their paralyzed mother like gold. They carried her and assisted in bringing her into the plane. They had so much of patience and showered their mother with kindness and love. It is actions like these that inspire others to do good.That is why the prophet (saw) emphasized on all of us exhibiting good character...On the flip side of things I witnessed two Saudi women with pride and arrogance. The one woman refused to stand next to two Indian woman in the bus that transported us to the plane.. She had to hold onto the same pole as them in order to prevent her from falling. She was mumbling and grumbling and displayed an attitude of I am superior than them...Whilst in the plane during my domestic flight,a Saudi woman refused to be seated next to a Sudanese Black woman . I couldn't believe that I was witnessing discrimination right in front of my eyes. To avoid conflict and issues,I stood up and swapped seats with her. To add insult to injury, I read a shocking article in the Saudi Gazette whereby a grooms family asked their son to divorce his wife on the wedding day after guests were served a five course meal, simply because they found out that the brides great grand mother was of a dark skin complexion with a more African look.I guess in this part of the world, the Prophet (saw)'s last sermon is taken for granted...I was quite pleased to witness that the porters at Jeddah airport are now being supervised quite efficiently and passengers are told not to pay them more than SR10 for their services. In the past, the airport porters would demand ridiculous amounts of money to assist passengers in transferring luggage despite earning a standard basic salary. I did mention this fiasco to a close friend of mine working at the airport and I am sooo glad that after numerous complaints by many individuals action has finally been taken...That's all for now folks...I'm completely exhausted...jet lagged....Need to jump straight into bed and cuddle up under the covers....Jumu3a Mubarak to all of you. I humbly request all of you to please remember my family and I in your prayers!!!!!