The lost generation- South African Muslim Youth

Visited Sandton city last night after many years. It was fantastic to see a few refreshing changes in the decor at various stores and I was really impressed with the stunning Geldhof Chocolate Easter presentation but whilst sitting in the Nelson Mandela square munching on popcorn, I couldn't help but notice the Muslim youth of today. It is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate a Muslim girl from a western woman or a Muslim boy from a western boy. Mini skirts, sleeveless tops, loose hair and figure hugging clothes seems to be the in thing in 'Muslim fashion', not to forget older Muslim women trying to compete with their daughters and grand daughters wearing leggings accompanied with tight short tops and what about Muslim boys sporting weird haircuts.Whilst standing in the queue in a well known retail outlet, a group of women from India were staring at me and naturally I smiled. They then started talking about mom and I in Hindi and they were under the impression that we were Emirati..I then asked them ' where are you from' in Hindi and obviously they were surprised and visibly happy that I could converse with them in their mother tongue...The women then said," we knew you were Muslim from your head scarf. We thought you were Arab. We are so sorry that we spoke about you in our language. We thought you wouldn't understand and the reason we stared at you is because through your attire you stand out in a crowd,".. Alhamdulilla it has been almost five years now that I am adorning the headscarf and I hope that I will never ever throw it away. My headscarf is my identity and I always believe that the way you dress and carry yourself in public says a lot about your character and personality.Our Muslim youth of today are losing their culture and identity. How many of today's youth know their mother tongue whether it is Gujurati, urdu or any other language. Being like Kylie Minogue or Justin Bieber seems to be hip and happening.What happened to the idea of being proud of your roots and your heritage. Please do not get me wrong. By adorning an abaya or a head scarf does not make a person pious or religiously inclined. However, the point I wish to drive home is  this: Is it so difficult for a Muslim woman to leave her home dressed decently. A dress or a jeans with a long top is a perfectly acceptable dress code.In my opinion a Muslim girl in a mini skirt parading herself in public lacks character and intellect. I wonder how do parents allow their daughters to leave the home in miniskirts and sleeveless tops in the first place.Call me old fashion but despite being a part of the new generation I am still very much a part of the old school of thought..

 

 

 

 A giant easter egg with a whopping price of R2800 at the Geldhof Chocolate presentation in Sandton city....

Owner ordered to repaint house that resembled Ka’aba

  

Abdulhadi Al-Suwaya
Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MADINAH — The owner of a house in Madinah that was designed to resemble the Holy Ka’aba has been ordered to repaint the building.

The house owner designed and painted his house in Al-Mestarah neighborhood of Madinah to resemble the holy structure and was criticized by local residents.

Okaz/Saudi Gazette witnessed the repainting of the house.

However, the house door is still painted in gold, resembling the Kaaba’s door. The owner refused to talk to Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

The head of the Prince Naif Chair at the Islamic University of Madinah Ghazi Al-Metairi said common sense should govern a Muslim’s actions.

Designing houses to resemble the Ka’aba is a degrading act, he said, adding that the design of the house was considered a deviation in thinking and vision.

Spokesman for Madinah governorate Mohammad Saleh said in a statement that the governorate became aware of media reports on the controversial house and coordinated with the municipality to investigate the matter.

The general supervisor of municipality branches was contacted and the owner of the house was called and told to change the house’s color.

He was also asked to change any exterior features that may resemble the Ka’aba.

Concerned authorities are keeping an eye on the house until they are satisfied it does not resemble the holy building.

ICC Cricket Tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

International Cricket Match Referee Devdas Govindjee, who is the official travel correspondent for this blog, is currently in the USA for the ICC Americas Division 1 Tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Dev sent me the email below and I would love to share it with all my readers.

Greetings from Fort Lauderdale where the body clock has still not totally adjusted and proof of that is that it is now only 4.15 a.m on this Monday morning whilst back home in SA your weekis already well on it's way.

It seems like I have been here ages already- merely because in the 1 day that I had free ( Sat) I managed to have such a full day thanks to my special friend Mukie who drove down from his West Palm Beach home which is about an hour away and then proceeded to show me some wonderful sights in and around the Florida south regions- these are all already on fb and reflect the kindness shown to be- it makes one humbled and also brings a realisation of what the term true friendship really is.

Anyway, after the enjoyment of Sat it was down to work on Sunday with a breakfast meeting at 7 a.m and then a visit to the venues to do ground and facility inspection- thereafter meetings at 4.30 and 6.30 with the umpires, scorers and then the team managements respectively- the 5 teams participating all checked in during the course of the morning.

The meetings went well as did the stadium inspections and now today the tournament gets under way with a full programme of matches at both venues.

There will be a morning session which starts at 10 and then the pm matches get under way at 3.

This pattern of matches will continue all week until sunday and Monday next week has been set aside for any incompleted matches or additional matches that might be fixtured if need be.

I am really excited about getting the tournament officially started today because that is when I can start looking at all the various aspects which constitutes my being the tournament referee- the local offices for the Americas have extended my usual ICC brief by wanting my assistance and input into the structuring of their umpiring systems so it will mean taking notes and making recommendations as the tournament progressed.

It is still at times a "pinch yourself" moment when one pauses to realise that here I am heading a tournament for the ICC thousands of kilometres and across oceans from Port Elizabeth- those moments can become emotional ones but that would in my case again lead me down the path of memory lane and then i reflect on all those people who have over the years played a part ( does not matter how big or small that part was) in adding the necessary layers to mould a product that is now able to enjoy so many special moments- these people would range from my parents who brought me into a home where Sport was always played or a topic of conversation through to my schooldays and university years where sport formed the centre of my focus ( studies took a back seat most times!) .

Thereafter as club and provincial and national tournaments were played by me ( and this extends beyond cricket to tennis and table tennis and soccer) my mind flits through the countless team mates who I learnt from, captains who left indelible impressions on me, opponents who fought hard but never unfairly and always with mutual respect.

Then there would be family who needed to understand my nature and love for sport to accept hours away in training or at tournaments ( so whats changed?) knowing that there are always sacrifices to be made and at times casualties along the way and that the unstinting support is valued - 

and finally - friends who stood by you and gave support and then shared in either triumphs or disappointments - so there is a category for the reader of this to place himself or herself into and all I want to say is

thanks

"look on all with an equal eye"

always

dev

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those were the good old days

This saturday that passed by my family and I attended my niece Juwairiyya's very first sports event hosted by her play school Kiddies campus.  The kids were excited the whole week about the event but as murphy's law would have it, on Saturday morning we all woke up early only to discover that  it was a rainy, chilly and miserable day for a sports event. Luckily, the event was indoors at the local recreational centre. Arriving at the venue, we were greeted by the staff of the school who were all engrossed in the final preparations for the event. Mothers, sisters, siblings, grand mothers and grand fathers, uncles and aunts were all out in full force to support and encourage the little ones. The kids participated in a variety of categories such as the hula hoop race, bean bag race, changing the baby's nappy race in partnership with all the mummies, the lipstick race and the scooter race as well. There was also a daddy's race where all the fathers were asked to participate in a race. Hot dogs, koeksisters, popcorn and a variety of other goodies were on sale at the tuck shop. All proceeds from the tuck shop was given to the school. At the end of the event everyone left the venue with a barbeque pack comprising of a delicious piece of chicken accompanied with a roll and potato salad. What I loved most about the event was the fact that irrespective of whether a child came out first or last, everyone received a medal and thus no one felt heart sore or discouraged.
Being at the event made me recall my school days and all the sports functions that I participated in. In high school I remember being a mascot at the annual sports day function. My mom had to sew a pretty white and yellow dress. Whilst I was never really a sports orientated person, I use to enjoy watching the others participate and tug of war was an activity that I loved being a part of. I was more academically inclined and acting in plays, public speaking, speech contests, debating and newspaper competitions was very much my forte and strong point. I remember dressing up like Tina Turner with a wig for a mock interview that we had to do and also dressing up like Sherlock Holmes for a one man show play. Mind you I still have the wig
and now and then we take it out of the cupboard and fool around with it. Oh well, those were the good old days...Don't know if the kids of tomorrow will be enjoying outdoor activities and being a part of plays and having clean innocent fun. Today's kids are technologically orientated with most of their time spent watching television or being deeply engrossed on their mobile phones and computers. Sadly, it is the same technology that has caused our youth to develop asocial personality disorders along with a lack of manners and respect. Gone are the days when kids use to play doll house doll house and pretend to cook meals, gone are the days when kids played 'ringa ringa rosie', gone are the days when kids played hopscotch and swing ball. How I wish for the days of my youth to return, if only I could turn back the hands of time!!!!!

 

Spur Restaurant in Fordsburg, South Africa

A very big shout out, thumbs up, hats off and thank you to the staff and management at Spur Fordsburg for the incredible service and discount we received last night. Garlic bread topped with melted cheese, buttoned mushrooms accompanied with a delicious dip, chicken schnitzel and steak served with chips and delicious veggies filled up our tummies to our hearts content. In fact we were so hungry and the starters was so good that we gobbled it all up before I could even take a picture LOLOL. My niece JUJU (Juwairiyya) loves frequenting the restaurant because of the play area for the kids. Parents are afforded the opportunity to eat their meal in peace whilst specific staff are assigned to looking after the kids.
The owner happens to be an ardent facebook friend of mine and whilst we have never ever met in person, I have always received excellent service from both the Spur in Fordsburg as well as from the Debonairs situated in the Littlefalls area (the same owner). I had a pizza delivered all the way to my house even though my residential area is not a part of their delivery route.
I guess it pays to have loyal facebook friends doesn't it..On that note its time to hit the sack folks. I have another hectic, busy day tomorrow..Enjoy the week ahead . Keep it safe especially if you going to be on the road. We passed by two accident scenes last night. At the one scene a man was lying dead on the side of the road and at the second scene the chubb security vehicle was smashed so badly that the car is of course a write off..Let us all take the initiative towards keeping our roads accident free!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cupcake Hubby...:)))))))

" Hai Baghwaan, Kya zamaana aagaya (oh my God, What times have come?)" Savitri mumbled as she made her way through the front door of her beautifully furnished, opulent home. Huffing and puffing, she made her way to the black leather lazy boy massaging chair that was situated in the corner of the room adjacent to the sliding door that exited to the swimming pool and main entertainment area of the house. " Agnes, bring me a glass of water" she shouted. Savitri is a typical traditional Hindu lady who worked very hard for most of her life in her husbands laundromat and tailoring business. She made sure that all four sons became doctors abroad at a well known prestigious university.Two of her sons reside in the same neighbourhood a few doors away and Rushil and Keval married European women and settled in Paris. Savitri is short and stout in stature and not the tiniest of individuals around might I add. Despite being overweight, she chooses to wear trendy saris with matching accessories and high heel shoes but always fails to conceal the rolls and folds around her waist area. I always wondered why does she have to expose her ' Firestone tyres ' in public. Nonetheless she is a bright, bold and vivacious character who seems pretty comfortable in the skin that she is in and I guess doesn't really care about what the general public think about her. Her husband Rohan on the other hand is a meek, submissive individual in my opinion. He is a middle aged man and even after the grey hairs have set in there is no doubt that Rohan must have been a strikingly good looking handsome man in his heyday. Nowadays he is retired and spends most of his day taking walks around the neighbourhood, swimming and spending time with his grandchildren. He is a well groomed man always sporting trendy elegant athletic wear along with a designer watch. Rohan looks ten years younger than most men within his age category as he does spend a lot of time looking after himself in terms of eating the correct foods and visiting the gym regularly quite the opposite to his wife Savitri who spends most of her time at home cooking up a storm for her grandchildren and being involved with elaborate tea party afternoons with the elite women of the community. Rohan stares at his wife as she gulps down the glass of water.
" Savi, why don't you start going to the gym? It would be good for your health. You wouldn't feel so tired and out of breath.'
' No, No. What nonsense. I need to be at home cooking for the kids. Prakash and Aditya only like my hand food. You know how their wives are. Both my daughter in laws are so useless. All they know is fast food and take away.. No, no, my sons need wholesome, home made food. I wonder what my angrez (English) daughter in laws are feeding my poor babies in Paris. They must have lost so must of weight. Next week I will make pickles, chevra and other frozen items to take with us to Paris. Need to fatten them up again whilst we there.."

Rohan simply nods his head and continues reading the newspaper. " Hey, did you see the newspaper Savi? Renukha's daughter in law, Latika is in the paper. She is now promoted to being the head of Baragwanath hospital. I am sure her husband and family must be so proud of her." Rohan looks at Savi with sheer delight and happiness showing on his face.
" Yes, I just came from their house." Savi replied.
" I wanted to visit Nandi Bhen after her operation. Hai Bhagwaan. Latika was sitting in front of the television doing her nails whilst her husband Ramesh was cooking dinner and trying to feed baby Simran at the same time. He said he was helping his wife as she was tired and exhausted after attending a day of meetings.What a sissy boy that Rohan is. What a shameless woman to make her husband slog in the kitchen whilst she sits like a rani in front of the television'
"Savi, zamana badalgaya. Times have changed. Let the kids lead their own lives." Rohan replied to Savitri in an irritated tone.
Savitri was really not in the mood of listening to Rohan's long sermon which she has become quite accustomed to hearing in recent times so she quickly decided to get up and make her way towards the kitchen. Just then the phone rings.

Does the above scenario paint a very familiar picture to you? I am sure it does. Within the Arab and Indian communities in general, the women are meant to cook, clean and take care of all the household domesticated chores. Our grandparents were brought up with an old school of thought whereby the women were meant to slave away for their husbands. Take for example in our household, dad is the youngest of 7 brothers and hence he was very spoiled by his mom. Naturally, when he got married he expected the same kind of vip treatment from my mother. Hence, to this day my mom has taken care of all the household and domesticated chores without dad having to worry about anything. With none of the men in our home having a keen interest in assisting with household tasks, mom was very impressed with our guest from Pakistan, Jamal who assisted mom in the kitchen a few days ago by making all the rotis for dinner. Naturally, when dad and my brother walked into the house they were quite surprised to find him rolling out the rotis in the kitchen. A strange phenomenon for them I guess, they simply walked past the kitchen with a huge smile on their faces.

I don't know where this idea or notion stems from that it is the duty of a woman to take care of household chores. Even from a religious perspective a woman is not obliged to be solely responsible for household and domestic chores. Rather a woman carries out these duties out of love and affection for her husband and kids.The Prophet Muhammed (saw) set a universal example for all men by assisting his wives with domestic and household related chores. Whilst it is very difficult to change the mindset of our parents and grandparents, I think that the mothers of today should try implementing changes within their homes. Both sexes should be treated alike.Boys should also be given domestic household chores to carry out like ironing, washing the dishes and even assisting in cooking simple meals. These skills would definitely assist them in creating a life of marital bliss years down the line. A husband who assists his wife with domestic related tasks creates an environment of sharing and caring. It is only natural that any wife who has a supportive partner would love her husband in return and go out of her way to fulfill his needs and desires thereby creating a heavenly home environment. As Mary Kay Blakely once said," If my sons are to become the kind of men our daughters would be pleased to live among, attention to domestic details is critical. The hostilities that arise over housework...are crushing the daughters of my generation....Change takes time, but men's continued obliviousness to home responsibilities is causing women everywhere to expire of trivialities." And on that sweet note I now present you with a picture of beautiful tempting cupcakes that were baked by a friend of mine who resides in South Africa. He is a doctor with a tremendous passion for cooking and baking. The woman he marries will definitely be one lucky soul. That's for sure.

 

 

 

A big thank you to all my readers

Every day I receive many inbox messages from people all over the world. The most common question that most people tend to ask is with regards to my nationality and marital status lol. But there are also many inbox messages like the one below that truly touches my heart and encourages me to continue writing and bring to the fore issues that affect all our lives. My life in the Kingdom was more laid back and hence I had lots of free time to write. Here in South Africa I find that I have many things to do and hence I am finding it difficult to put my mind into writing. I guess I just have to plan my day so that I can allocate an hour every day towards penning my thoughts, ideas and opinions. Thanking all my facebook friends and blog readers for your messages and sweet words of encouragement and please do continue writing to me....

"Slm dear Sumayya

I hope that all is well with you. Welcome back home. I'm from Johannesburg. I absolutely love your writing and have learnt so much through your experiences. Although I rarely comment on your posts, I read almost everything and thoroughly enjoy it. I used to write for an Egyptian based website a few years ago. Whenever I read your posts, I often feel inspired to write again (although I don't find the time anymore).
I look forward to reading about your experiences now that you are back in SA.

I read your last post and mirror your sentiments. Crime in SA is quite a problem. I have my drivers license for six years now, but because of the innumerable unfortunate incidents that take place, I hardly ever go out on my own. Its a sad reality.

Thanks so much for all that you have shared through Facebook. Reading your posts often made me feel like I got to experience a part of your travels. It's my dream to travel the world and experience the different cultures and lifestyles of people around the world. For now, I'm unable to live that dream but if Allah wills, then I will get to do so. Please remember me in your duas.

Keep your head high. Don't get despondent. In time, you will ease into this life. May Allah always keep you happy and successful. I make dua that Allah will grant you easiness in adjusting to this new lifestyle. Take care of yourself and be safe.

Love and duas"

Yippy, I am really happy and excited that the blog has reached over 40 000 visitors in a short space of time. I would like to also take the opportunity to thank everyone out there who has taken the liberty and the initiative to visit my blog. All proceeds from the blog goes to charity. May God Almighty bless all of you for your continued love and support. Remember that helping someone else in need is just a click away. Share my blog link with all your friends and family..:))))

Interview with a Saudi atheist

by William Bauer

 

“Please bear in mind, that people are witch hunting for us…so be careful which details you use,” Jabir begins. He is right to be concerned, for he is an atheist in a country where advocating beliefs other than those of a Sunni Muslim engender imprisonment, possible torture, and a theoretical possibility of execution.
Although Jabir is not his real name, he is still wary of publicly voicing his views. Saudi Arabia is an intensely hostile environment in which to express non-Islamic religious beliefs, let alone a lack of belief. Indeed, for many Saudis, atheism – mulhad in Arabic – is far more disturbing than believing in a different religion. Atheism, as argued by many clerics in Saudi Arabia, leads to dissolute lives, carnal pursuits, immoral behaviours, and ultimately, eternal damnation.
Atheists are portrayed in Saudi official media as an existential and corruptive threat to society. One cleric even recently spoke of a: “wave of atheism sweeping the country.” This is highly unlikely, but it shows a persistent fear of atheists and ensures that no Saudi ever express such a belief openly.
Jabir is in his twenties, and a successful graduate from a top Saudi university. He used to be highly religious, regularly attending his school’s Qu’ranic classes, and not listening to music until his late teens. But in his final school years, this changed.
“I found some religious teachings and rules didn't make any sense. So, I started asking questions about small things like why music is Haram (forbidden) or why women have to cover their faces. Then I started reading about the way Islam scripts and Hadith were gathered … I had a group of people and we would discuss books in regular meetings…After a while I came to believe that the whole of religion is nothing but man’s invention to fight reality and impose order.”
Citing works by key Muslim and Arab thinkers, as well as authors such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris, Jabir explains that acquiring these books was tricky. Often, he had to smuggle them into Saudi.
“I usually get a few copies of English language books that no one can understand, but I had to cover “God is not Great” with a bag as I went through customs, that was too obvious…”
Then comes another complication, the hiding of these books. The process is so time consuming that Jabir notes: “...if you want to joke with a Saudi atheist ask him “where’s your special book stash?”” Beyond the humour, however, the issue is very serious, and if found with such books, Jabir would be in deep trouble.

When asked if holding such views isolates him, he answers confidently: “From my own experience, it was really easy. Importantly, a group from my school friends that I was really close with, left the Islamic faith along with me. As I finished from my degree, I went off to work, as did most of my friends, in different cities. This made it easy for me to be introduced to a group of “pro-reason” or “anti-theist” in every city I go to.”
In the past ten years, new means of communication have opened doors for many in the Kingdom. Whether it is a young Saudi looking for love, a budding political analyst spoiling for debate, a seasoned writer looking for an audience, or an atheist searching for kindred spirits, the Internet has possibilities for all.
“Facebook and Twitter made it easy to find people who debate and are interested in secular values.  We ‘non-believers’ have meetings and groups in a lot of Saudi cities. Although it's really hard to notice them, if you go into them, then you will be shocked by the numbers and elements of society represented,” Jabir notes.
It was not just the fact that there were many others like him which surprised Jabir.
“I was shocked to meet older people in their forties and fifties who been hiding their atheism for decades. They said that only recently with the young generation in their twenties had they found other people who think like them and were able to find social group that they can talk and debate about their ideas in.” Jabir politely demurs when asked about the backgrounds of these people; confidentiality and secrecy run deep in the Saudi Arabian atheism milieu.
Jabir continues to keep up the semblance of belief in Islam when with his family. Occasionally, this becomes frustrating, especially as every Friday he has to pretend to go pray at a mosque, but in reality sits in his car outside a coffee shop chain, sipping a latte until the sermon is finished. Another atheist, Abdullah, mentions he is fortunate to have his family live in another part of Saudi Arabia, and is therefore free to have a weekly lie in.
Nevertheless, the consequences of Jabir or any of his co-believers being unmasked as atheists would be dire.
“If someone declared that he was non-believer, regardless of whether the government took action or not, he would be cut off by his family, he would be fired from his own job, people everywhere would talk about him and warn others about him. It would be highly likely that people would hurt him physically, perhaps murder him.”
When asked how this makes him feel to be Saudi, Jabir says: “The fact that Saudi is not a secular country, make one pessimistic for the future. But the fact that this country is a theist state, promoting one of the most extreme forms of Islam, horrifies me. I don’t see change from society, I don’t see change from the royal family, and as for the outside world, they don’t care how many people are killed for simply refusing to believe in the religion they were born into, as long as the oil keeps pumping.”
Although Jabir’s vision is deeply depressing, it is undeniable that Saudi Arabia is changing. With a booming population, rising unemployment, falling revenue from oil sales, and the ever-growing Internet and social media expansion, the country faces times of change and possible instability. It could yield a society that is freer and more tolerant of differing views and ideas from within its communities.
Yet, it may also, as the political system reacts to these new conditions, be a time of tightening and ever greater social and religious restrictions. The nightmare situation for Jabir is that when the relatively reform-minded King Abdullah dies it will bring about a new monarch who will let the religious police and certain segments of the Saudi community start an aggressive witch-hunt for ‘non-believers’.
I ask him why he continues to hold on to his views, in this most dangerous of societies.
“As a person, I never imagined I’d be in peace with myself and with my view of life like I feel now. My new views on supreme power, afterlife, faith and religion, formed gradually over years of reading and seeking self-satisfaction. However, as a Saudi, I feel like I was born in the wrong place,” he says, concluding:
“Isn't it a basic right for humans to believe or not believe freely! I know this is only a dream in Saudi, but it doesn't change the fact that people will have different views and believes, whether society will allow it or not.”

William Bauer is a columnist for Your Middle East, focusing on Saudi Arabia. You can follow him on Twitter @SOCHUM_William

Source:
 http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/columns/article/interview-with-a-saudi-atheist_11146

www.documentarystorm.com - picture

A disturbing encounter with the Hai’a in Madina

by Ramon Mohamed, Riyadh
For the Saudi Gazette
Last Thursday I went with my Saudi wife to the Riyadh International Book Fair. I moved to Riyadh from the UK three years ago and each year I have visited the book fair. My wife is an Assistant Professor and I am a teacher. We both agreed that the fair has improved in its content of books that promote a more multicultural understanding of Saudi society and the wider global community.

It was great to see men, women and families attending the event who have a thirst for reading and learning.

The only sour point for me was the few incidents I saw in which members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the Hai’a) behaved badly and disrupted the event. I have read of other incidents written in this newspaper and I have experienced one of my own.

I came across the Hai’a personally a few weeks ago on my first ever visit to Madina with my wife. My wife and I went in by separate entrances to pray in the Prophet’s Mosque. After prayer I had arranged to meet my wife outside the ladies entrance. When I arrived she was very upset and surrounded by members of the Hai’a and a couple of ladies who supervise inside of the mosque.

My wife is very petite and she was surrounded by three very large, long bearded Hai’a staffers. She was being accused of being a “troublemaker” and of “causing trouble”! What this “trouble” was had not been made clear.

I started to speak to my wife and tried to walk her away from the bullying Hai’a staff, but they physically grabbed hold of me. I know little Arabic to remonstrate with them and tried to release myself. My wife tried to translate but they showed her little respect. By this time my wife was very upset and what is worse is that these so-called Religious Police were behaving more like vigilantes in such a holy place. We were then accused of not being married. By this time a group of onlookers watched as my wife tried to explain our relationship.

More Hai’a staff arrived and this was becoming ridiculous. We are not teenagers but mature professional people who had arrived only a few hours earlier on a flight from Riyadh to Madina.

The Hai’a members then started to shout angrily asking for our marriage certificate. Luckily I had put the certificate in my suitcase so that I could show it at the hotel reception should they need it.

They demanded to see our iqamas. As we had only just been married a few months before I had not registered the marriage on my iqama and because I am a foreigner married to a Saudi I was told that I could not register the marriage on my iqama. We tried to explain this to them but they refused to listen to any rational explanation.

My wife explained to the aggressive Hai’a staffers that I would go and get the marriage certificate, which was a few kilometers away in our hotel room. However, they kept hold of me and demanded that my tearful wife walk to the hotel. Here we were outside the Prophet’s Mosque and were being treated so shamelessly by a bunch of thugs.

The Hai’a staff members during this time made several attempts to drag me into one of their security cars which I constantly resisted as I was innocent of all the things they were stupidly accusing me and my wife of.

My wife returned still in tears an hour later with the marriage certificate. The Hai’a staffers inspected the certificate and found that we were telling the truth.

They passed back our marriage certificate. Gave not one word of apology not even an explanation of the so-called “trouble” my wife had caused. They got back into their security cars and drove away!

Unbelievable is all I can say in the way they treated “guests” at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina.

As a postscript to all of this, my wife and I were on our way to Yanbu via Medina to announce to her parents that she was pregnant and expecting our first child. God forbid if he/she turns out to be one of those unintelligent beings who are given the highest responsibility to “protect” the people visiting the holy mosque.

France pursues Saudi princess over €6m bill - DISGUSTING........

Authorities in Paris are to seize assets belonging to a Saudi princess to help cover the cost of an eye-watering €6 million bill she left behind on a recent, no-expense spared visit to the French capital.

A judge in Nanterre, near Paris, on Wednesday ordered the seizure of three storage units owned by Maha Al-Sudairi, so that their lavish contents can be sold to pay the staggering €1 million-a-month bill the Saudi princess left behind on her last trip to Paris, French daily Le Parisien reported.

Al-Sudairi, the former wife of the late Saudi crown prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, checked into the ‘palace’ hotel Le Shangri-La in Paris in December 2011, with her 60 attendants and assistants.

By the time she left, in June 2012, Al-Sudairi had managed to rack up the barely believable total of €6 million in unpaid bills for expensive meals, jewelry, and a luxury limo service.

The princess started by renting out the entire seventh floor of the Shangri-La in the exclusive 16th arrondissement of Paris, for her personal entourage, and hired the luxury services company 'Cinquieme Etoile' ('Fifth Star') to take care of their daily meals, provide chauffeur-driven cars and a security detail, and take care of Al-Sudairi's dirty linens.

“Every day we had about 30 cars at the ready for her and those who accompanied her,” the director of Cinquieme Etoile was quoted as saying in French daily Le Parisien. “We are still awaiting payment,” added the company's boss.

That payment was estimated to amount to €1.5 million.

The day after her husband's death on June 16th, 2012, Al-Sudairi and her people attempted an audacious night flight, but were caught by staff loading limos with luggage outside the hotel.

As a member of the Saudi royal family, Al-Sudairi – who has since returned to Saudi Arabia – is protected against prosecution by her diplomatic immunity.

However, the court in Nanterre on Wednesday agreed that the contents of three lock-ups in the French capital be seized, and put towards paying the bill for Cinquieme Etoile, along with five other companies.

Authorities are hoping there will be enough to cover the bill, with the boxes believed to contain luxury leather goods, artworks, jewelery, and clothing with an estimated worth of €10-12 million.

However, the director of Cinquieme Etoile is not holding his breath. “As far the process of getting paid goes – it's going to be long, very long,” he was quoted as saying in Le Parisien.

“We'll have to take international legal action, before the items are appraised, and then sold at auction,” said the company's director.

Dan MacGuill (dan.macguill@thelocal.com)

Source:
http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/saudi-princess-pursued-for-6m-bill-on-paris-trip#.UTssJVdmPOp

Boob smackers or Eye flirters

 

           http://www.clickrally.com/saudi-women-right-to-vote-first-time/ - Picture

"Phew.....Saudi women are dangerous" he muttered to himself whilst making his way through the main entrance of the pharmacy. Mr. H is a tall, broad shouldered man with an extremely high level of intelligence. He also happened to be my witty colleague and partner in crime during our night shift duty at the hospital.

" Excuse me, why do you think that Saudi women are dangerous.Any woman can be a femme fatale if she wishes to be one." I remarked.
' Well, I just got sandwiched in between two boob smackers in the lift" He continued with a huge grin on his face. According to Mr. H Saudi women can be divided into four categories:

1. Category one: The Ultra conservative Saudi woman.

This is a Saudi woman that is fully covered from head to toe in a huge over sized jilbaab. Gloves and socks usually complete the attire. In many instances the eyes are also not fully exposed....The woman would most probably be married to an extremely religious man as well.

2. Category two: The Boob/ Ass smackers

These are usually voluptuous full figured Saudi women adorned in tight fitting abayas naturally exposing all the curves... These women prefer to walk with their bosoms out to tempt desperate Saudi men or let's just say men in general.

3. Category three: The eye flirters

These are women who are adorned in abayas with a face veil but make sure that they leave theirs home with elaborate, striking eye make up. These women painstakingly go to great lengths to make sure that their eyes look super sexy and gorgeous with eye shadow, eye liner,fake eye lashes and of course coloured contact lenses . Some of these women call in a professional make up artist to their homes even on a normal week day prior to going out shopping at a mall or frequenting a restaurant with friends. I guess its a case of ' let the eyes do the talking'

4. Category four: The frustrated young housewife

This is usually a Saudi woman who is in a polygamous relationship and thus shares her husband with two or three other women.She is also most probably the newest addition to hubby's collection of wives lol. She is smart and trendy and makes sure that her wealthy hubby spoils her with designer wear. Since she hardly spends much time with mister, she chooses to look for fun else where, a case of " when the cats away the mice will play." This type of woman will be out frequenting hotels, coffee shops,hospitals and malls trying to seek pleasure and satisfaction from a young Saudi male who is more or less in the same age category as her.

Well, there you have it folks; a non- Saudi male's perception of Saudi women. I must admit I was laughing myself into stitches as he babbled along jovially trying to explain each category to me...
Oh well, working with such fun individuals always made the night shift a less painful experience. As the saying goes, ' Time flies when you're having fun.'