Allahu Yarhamuhu Ya Abu Meteb

With the news of King Abdulla's demise, there has been many negative comments coming through about him being a bad person supporting a Zionist movement etc. Whilst Muslims from other parts of the world may say good riddance, he was undoubtedly a peoples king. The Saudi people loved their King especially the women. During his reign he did a lot for women's rights and female education in the Kingdom. He was in support of women driving in the Kingdom considering that his own daughters knew how to drive. He wanted to bring about more reform but there is a fine line between liberalism and a culture of tribal rule. My fondest memories of him was watching him being wheeled into the hospital when he got ill a few years ago. I will never forget that night. My colleague and good friend was the night manager on duty. He got a call from the Royal clinic stating that the King is on his way to the hospital. My colleague rushed down to the pharmacy basement asking me to assist him with looking for the Kings bed which was stashed away in a store room. We searched for the bed from one store room to the other eventually finding it just in time for the Kings arrival. When he arrived at the hospital, he greeted the staff with a smile on his face. He was a grandfatherly figure to everyone around him. The Saudi staff waited in line to greet him. Whilst his face never really gave away his age, he was old and I am sure that he would have loved to do more for his people but age was of course against him. To the Saudi people he was regarded as their father. He was given that respect and status by his people and whilst he may have made bad decisions with regards to supporting a zionist regime at the end of it all we are no one to judge him as a person. I recall a story that a colleague of mine related to me. He told me that many years ago the King had a maid from Eritrea and her duty was only to make him a morning cup of tea. She worked at the palace for many years until one day she informed King Abdulla that she needed to leave as her mom was very ill and required medical attention. He gave her two bags of money. When she stepped out of the palace the guards on duty were under the impression that she had stolen the money. After liaising with the King she was allowed to leave. In Eritrea, the maid put her mom in a private medical facility and also managed to buy out a small hotel whereby she could earn a decent living and provide for her family.
I got a call in the early hours of this morning from his nephew who told me that there is sadness within the Kingdom. He stated that whilst some people out there may have been unhappy with his uncles views concerning foreign policies , his uncle passed away on a Friday as a Muslim. May Allah grant him the highest stages of Jannah.

I find it shocking that there are Muslims out there who are posting ridiculous comments on other forums with regards to Abu Meteb's death,
" He does not deserve to get a Friday."
" He does not deserve to be buried in Mecca..Astaghfirullah."
" How come he got a Friday for his wrongdoings."

How can we judge another human being. He might have been a bad person to the world but in Allah's eyes he may have been a good human being. I can not handle the shallow way of thinking of some of our narrow minded South African Muslims. We enjoy division rather than unity. We enjoy judging others yet we fail to ponder over our own wrongdoings. As a Muslim and a fellow human being, I say Allahu yar7amuhu Abu Meteb... May Allah grant you the highest stages of jannah and sabr jameel to your family.......

An Expats guide to residing in the Kingdom

Over the past few weeks now I have been inundated with emails and inbox messages enquiring about residing in the Kingdom in terms of pros and cons. Most of the messages are from females who have acquired opportunities to work in Saudi Arabia. Some of the concerns raised included:
- Women being unable to drive in the Kingdom
- The extreme weather conditions
- Kids education
- Arabs are mean and will treat you like slaves
- Do you get Indian spices

I did not have the time to respond to each and every email and inbox message and so I decided to do a post on the above concerns raised. This is my advice to anyone deciding to make a home abroad outside South Africa.
1. Firstly if you contemplating taking up a job opportunity in the Kingdom, please do not read about other people’s experiences especially experiences from western expats who have no idea about Arab or Islamic culture. Most Saudi blogs written by western expats are negative and portray Arabs and the Kingdom in general in a bad light.

2. Do not listen to extended family member comments. – When I broke the news to my extended family on Eid day years ago I was bombarded with all sort of comments. Whilst my immediate family were over the moon and supportive of my decision my extended family were sceptical about my journey to the magical Kingdom. Here are some of the comments that were thrown at me.  “How can you be so silly to leave a good job behind only to become a slave to the Arabs?”
“Arabs are bad people. You will run away from Saudi within a month after arrival” I resided in the Kingdom for 5 years . Listen to your heart and follow you dreams.  Everyone has their own experiences and you need to make your own journey and experience a memorable one. In every country you get the good, the bad and the ugly. Do not generalise and paint everyone with the same paint brush.

3. As an expat you need to forget your South African ways and habits and get in touch with the local culture and people. After all when you in Rome do as the Romans do.

4. Make an effort to learn Arabic. There are many private tutors and schools in the Kingdom that teach Arabic to expats. As soon as you speak the local lingo you start breaking the ice, you start breaking cultural barriers and you will find the locals responding towards you in a more positive light. (http://www.expatriates.com/classifieds/riy/)

5. Don’t  isolate yourself and mix only with the expat community. Become friends with the locals. Most Saudis are very hospitable. They are eager to share their culture and their traditions with expats.

6. In the Kingdom, women are not allowed to drive which was actually a blessing in disguise for me. I enjoyed the luxury of being chauffeur driven. After all the queen of England doesn’t drive around by herself, does she.

7. We reside in a global community where all types of products are available everywhere. In Saudi Indian groceries and vegetables are readily available considering that the country is home to a large Indian expat community. Food and spices should be your least of worries.

8. Education in the Kingdom is expensive. This needs to be discussed with your sponsor at the time of signing your job contract. Most companies will pay for the education of two kids only.

9. Most hospitals have a social club. It is highly recommended that you join the social club to be in touch with the latest fun happenings within the hospital. Activities include sporting events, weekend camping trips and touring the Gulf region in the company of knowledgeable tour guides.

10. On the subject of weather, yes in peak summer which is around June July, the temperature can soar to as high as 55 degrees. Do not despair, there are air conditioning systems in place wherever you go.

11. Last but not least, embrace local culture, cuisine and traditions. Respect and abide to  the laws of the country. Remember that it is not your country and you are simply a guest in the country. Do not bitch and moan about rules, laws and regulations. Most western expats do this and it is just totally disrespectful and uncalled for.
And in the words of Mark Twain, ““Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

FORBIDDEN LOVE

THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN SOME TIME BACK WHILST STILL RESIDING IN SAUDI....

                             http://viewmixed.com/10-everyday-things-banned-in-saudi-arabia

So yesterday morning I started my day on quite a bright and bubbly note as I encountered or heard one funny story after the other. As soon as the clock struck 7 am I grabbed my bag and dashed down the corridor making my way to the laundry to pick up my lab coats. I was one of the first people to have arrived and hence when I stepped inside I greeted the Sudanese gentleman at the counter. ' Sabahal khair.....Good morning.".....In quite an excited tone he replied " Sabahan noor....Good morning..' There was a slight pause and then he said ' I love you" I found this statement to be most odd and naturally the facial expression on my face changed. As I got closer to the counter I then realized that the man greeted me whilst being in the middle of a telephonic conversation as well. The problem is that I just didn't notice the tiny ear piece that made its way down into his trouser pocket naturally connected to his mobile phone. I had this huge grin on my face and left the laundry building with inner giggles. Then I made my way home. But first I needed to pass by the compound guard to give him water and a few other goodies. He started relating a few funny stories that he had encountered over the past few days. Apparently a gentleman was caught entering the female compound whilst clad in a full abaya and niqaab. The poor soul passed the first security guard with flying colours but his shoes gave up the game. The second guard on duty caught him and naturally he was sent packing out of Saudi. Then there was a gentleman who has been fooling the guards for quite some time now by entering the female compound premises on numerous occasions. He wore the abaya and niqaab to perfection and completed the get up with a perfect pair of lady's high heel shoes. So how did he manage to get caught.Well, he and his girlfriend were trying to brew home made alcohol and in the process started up a small fire in the kitchen. The smoke detectors went off and voila the security guards arrived on the scene within minutes and he was caught. Naturally he was also given his marching orders. Then we have the case of the two Saudi employees who chose to shower their love and affection for each other at the back of my apartment building. A free 'Basic Instinct' show with unlimited seating lol. With the security cameras having picked up their 'odd' activities, naturally our compound guard was asked to investigate. They were so embroiled in their own 'lovey dovey' world that they didn't notice the guard approaching the car. He knocked at the window. Within seconds the girl jumped out of the car and put on her niqaab and abaya. As for her flame, he sped off from the compound premises faster than bugs bunny. I was laughing myself into stitches as I observed the scene from my lounge window. The girl started crying, then she opened up her handbag and removed money that she was desperately trying to give to the guard. Then she suggested that she will buy him clothes, perfumes and send his meals everyday provided that he does not report their activities. Of course he refused to accept her bribes and she was reported for her actions. In the afternoon I made my way back to the hospital and bumped into my colleagues who related to me a few other hilarious stories. The cameras apparently picked up two western nurses smooching in the ward and hence the executive on duty was asked to deal with the situation. As he was relating the story to me he was simply laughing and said that he had more serious issues to deal with than disciplining two people who are definitely in love....So he sat them down in his office, gave them each a cold glass of water and said....." Drink this and cool off.....Its great to love but please keep it out of the hospital premises." He is way too soft a human being to terminate or fire someone from their job. Then another colleague of mine related his hilarious story to me. He was waiting near the elevator to meet up with one his friends from another department. He noticed the lift going up and down and each time the door opened the same two people were in it. A male messenger and a female security guard. They chose to spend their private escapade in the elevator. So they simply went up and down until my colleague decided to step inside the lift. Both of them apparently froze to the point that the poor messenger did n't even recognize the first floor despite working on that floor everyday. My colleague apparently exited the lift with a huge smile on his face and a wink. Now in any other country or society, people would socialize in a mall or a restaurant. In Saudi Arabia, the hospital is the main center of socializing as it is an open environment where males and females are allowed to interact with each other. I have come across patients who have no medical issues at all and simply frequent the emergency department to interact with medical professionals of the opposite sex. Take note that for some Saudi males and females it is the first time that they have interacted with members of the opposite sex when they start working within a hospital environment. When you have young males and females that have been brought up in a repressed manner, " there will be high levels of love in the air and so anything can be expected." according to my Nigerian counterpart. Some friendly advise to the western expats out there, bear in mind that when you are coming to Saudi Arabia to work here, that you need to adhere and abide to the laws of the country in the same way that other nationalities would have to respect your country's laws and regulations.Before you choose to make a complete fool out of yourself in the public arena, remember that Big brother is watching!!!

The Drug Epidemic - Part 1

Drug trafficking in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a serious criminal offence whereby drug traffickers are punished by death. Despite this harsh sentence as per Islamic Shariah law, many individuals still take a chance with trafficking drugs into the country due to the high profits and money involved with drug trafficking. The sale of illegal drugs throughout the world is a very lucrative business and unfortunately drug awareness campaigns have failed miserably with alleviating the drug epidemic that has spread across the globe and is not only a problem that the South African government is currently facing. Earlier this year according to the Saudi Gazette, border guard security patrols detained six smugglers with 64 kilograms of hashish. Customs officers at the Hudaitha border checkpoint also thwarted an attempt to smuggle 51,293 narcotic pills into the country. The pills were hidden inside oranges and lemons in two plastic boxes in a passenger’s luggage. Many drug traffickers would actually go through great lengths in order to smuggle the drugs into the country. In quite a bizarre incident reported by the Alriyadh newspaper earlier this year, customs officers at Prince Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz Airport in Yanbu Governorate foiled an attempt to smuggle 2,440 narcotic pills of type TEDOLX-225 into the country.The Governorate's Customs Director General Saad Al-Baqmi pointed out that a female passenger hid the narcotic pills in her handbag and inside 4 frozen ducks. In an even more bizarre story that made headlines two days ago, a Russian surgeon who helped himself to a bag of drugs he removed from a patient's stomach faces up to 15 years in prison for theft and possession.The doctor, who was high when police arrested him, had been asked to remove containers of heroin from the stomach of a suspected drug mule in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk. A spokesman for Ministry of the Interior said the 32-year-old who worked in the small city of Bogotol had helped himself to capsules of the drug after removing it from the man's stomach in a bid to save his life. Whilst the sentences for drug smuggling is harsh in other countries, I personally believe that South Africa is way behind in terms of imposing stringent laws and regulations with regards to drug trafficking as well as being in the possession of illegal banned drugs as a user. Whilst doing a locum at a pharmacy a few weeks ago I was quite astonished at the fact that almost everyday the police were arresting individuals found to be in the possession of drugs. The pharmacists on duty were asked to identify and weigh out the drugs so that the suspect could be charged appropriately. However, what really perturbed me was the fact that I found repeat offenders getting arrested. In other words, these individuals get arrested, go to jail for a night or two and then come out scot free after being granted bail. In many instances the police have also been involved with stealing the drugs and then either utilizing it themselves or selling it on the street in order to make more money. When we look at the drug issue globally, the focus should not only be on hardcore drugs such as heroin or ecstasy but there is also an increase in the abuse of prescription drugs. I was under the impression that prescription drug abuse was only prevalent within the rich affluent Saudi societies, but returning to South Africa I found that almost every second prescription I dispensed was for a tranquilizer type drug, a narcotic analgesic or a sleeping tablet. In part two I will discuss in detail some of my own experiences I encountered during my career....On a more lighter side to this topic whilst doing a locum at a pharmacy here in Johannesburg I encountered a Malay Afrikaans speaking patient. I found it strange that she kept on staring at me whilst I was dispensing her medication. Obviously it made me feel really uncomfortable. I was thinking to myself, is there something on my face..is there a pimple on my nose. After a considerable amount of time passed, she simply said, " Ooooo yarre...maar jy het groot oë." .. You have big eyes. I am sure that you abusing the drugs from the counter behind you." I simply started laughing and replied. "Madam, all the better to see you my dear."

POLYGAMY- A LIFE OF MARITAL BLISS OR DESPAIR

This article was written some time back....

Polygamy is very much condoned within the Islamic faith provided that each wife is taken care off equally in all spheres of life. However, in most instances the man is often more accommodating to the needs of the newest wife as she is probably younger and more beautiful than the other wives and in most cases the man forgets about his responsibilities towards his first or second wife thereby causing tension and arguments within the household. A few weeks a go a middle aged woman arrived at the hospital suffering from severe anxiety and virtually on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Her husband of thirty years brought home a second wife who is the same age as her eldest daughter. She was use to living in a mansion with her family without having to share the house with another woman. Her husband instructed her to vacate her belongings from the first floor to make space for the second wife. This whole situation was a bitter pill for her to swallow and hence she landed up in the emergency department.
I am not a big fan of polygamous relationships and I guess this stems from the fact that I am the only daughter and was brought up in a manner where I never shared anything with anyone. I am also very possessive of my dad. Within my immediate family there is only one case of a polygamous marriage and hence when news of this relationship went viral it was pretty much a shock for the family and only with time did everyone come to accept the situation.

Whilst many people out there are under the impression that all Saudi women are for polygamous relationships the truth is a woman is a woman any where in the world. In general no woman who loves her husband can swallow the idea of him sharing a bed with another woman. In some cases, the jealousy is so great that the first wife goes through extreme measures to prevent her husband from taking on a second wife. A few weeks ago a Saudi man was deprived his right to a second honeymoon after the judge sentenced him to nine months in jail along with a hundred lashes after his wife reported his pre-marital illicit relationships to the police. The frustrated and hurt woman wanted to take revenge on her husband after he informed her that he would be traveling to a neighbouring Arab country to acquire a new second wife. Unable to bare the torment of his actions the woman handed over DVD's and sex tapes to the police depicting her husband engaging in sexual activities with various other women prior to his marriage to her.
The most gruesome story of revenge occurred a few years ago in Kuwait when a jealous first wife set the wedding tent on fire that was packed with revellers celebrating her husband's marriage to a second wife. 57 people were burnt to death in this incident and the court ruling demanded that the woman be sentenced to death as well for her merciless action. Many western women who land up marrying a Saudi men make sure that a marriage contract is drawn up with a clause that prevents the husband from taking on a second wife. These women become extremely possessive of their husbands to the point where one blogger within the Saudi blogosphere wrote a post " A letter to Saudi women- Please leave my husband alone" . I wonder if her husband is a Tom Cruise or Shah Rukh Khan look alike for women to be ogling at her husband. I always believe that it takes two to tango.

On the flip side of things, I came across an article in a local newspaper with the title ' Sharing is caring- why many Saudi women don't mind polygamy". The article brings to the fore a serious issue within the Kingdom and that is spinsterhood. There are approximately two million unmarried Saudi women thus far and this number is most likely to increase in the future. Many of these spinsters apparently do not mind being in a polygamous relationship out of fear of being alone without kids for the rest of their lives. With an evident shortage of unmarried men, there are some Saudi women who have considered polygamy as an option. I have come across women that are quite happy to be in polygamous marriages. A colleague of mine is married to two women and they all live together in one house. They look after each others kids and also travel together. A few months ago I seen a Saudi man arriving at a hotel in a bus with his four wives and 26 children. The wives were quite happy to be in each others company and took turns to oversee the children.
I have also come across Saudi women who do not mind if their husbands take on a second wife and will actually go through great lengths in finding a suitable second wife for him . Usually the second wife is someone that is closely acquainted to the first wife, most probably a cousin or a close friend. I guess its a case of 'rather the devil I know, than the devil I don't know'.

Whilst there is always two sides to a coin, I am personally not comfortable with the idea of being in a polygamous relationship with anyone. No matter how wealthy or powerful the man could be, I can not be the cause of breaking up someone else's home. I have had proposals from many Saudi men asking me to be a second wife and my answer has always been the same. NO..NEVER....To the women out there, how would you react if your husband rocked up with a new, younger, sexy woman on his arm and asked you to vacate the first floor of your home in order to make space for her? If there are any men out there who are in a polygamous marriage situation, I would like to know your thoughts and opinions with regards to this subject matter.

Source:
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/09/27/240384.html

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-man-caught-with-sex-videos-of-himself-sentenced-1.1077065

http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/woman-who-set-fire-to-wedding-tent-killing-57-has-death-penalty-upheld-in-kuwait

Pic -uso- The first Photo Booth Rental service in Saudi

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The Digital Photo Booth has been taking the world by storm due to its offering an amazing group fun experience and also as its use as an advertising tool for companies. 

The Booth Allows you to add branding to your pictures through customized background and even foreground pictures. Through latest technology, you can upload your pics immediately to Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Since launching in Riyadh in April, we have had weekly orders and the booth has proved to be more popular than expected. While based in Riyadh, we do deliveries to Jeddah and the Eastern Province as well. Please make sure to make your booking ahead of time."

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The Magical Month in the Islamic World

Ramadhaan is undoubtedly the magical month in the Islamic world. For Muslims around the globe it is a time of sharing and giving, a time where great efforts are made to be in the rememberance of God Almighty and to thank Him for all that He has given us. It is also said to be the 'spring season' in the Islamic calendar. However, there is no other country in the world except Saudi Arabia, the birth place of Islam where the Ramadhaan atmosphere is totally electrifying. As I sit here in my  office typing away, my mind wanders to the land of shifting sands, a land of culture and tradition, a land I called home. Whilst my body is here physically in South Africa, my heart will always remain in the magical Kingdom. Ramadhaan in the Middle East is welcomed with great cheer and festivities. I recall my patients coming to the hospital personally or calling me to wish me well over the fasting month. Arabs usually greet each other with the words' Kullu 3am wa antum bekhair" which means,
 " May you be well for the whole year". The streets are decorated with lights and and restaurants and hotels are all decorated with trimmings. Most hotels and restaurants would offer special fatoor (iftaar) buffets. My dear and best friends Abdullah and Faraz along with Brother Hassan and his family would always invite me to one of the hotels to break fast. During the month we would frequent different restaurants and buffets sampling a variety of cuisines from all over the world. In general we would arrive a few minutes earlier at the hotel or restaurant, break our fast, perform our Maghrib prayers and then indulge in a spread of fine cuisine including an assortment of desserts. Thereafter we would head off to the local masjid for the taraweeh prayers. Whilst I enjoyed having my meals in a posh hotel type setting I was also equally disappointed at the amount of wastage that does occur at many of these five star hotels. Most of the left over foods are simply thrown away in a dustbin instead of being distributed to the poor. When I enquired about this at one hotel, I was told that the food needed to be thrown away for health and hygiene purposes. Frankly speaking this did not make any sense to me. During the fasting month in the Kingdom, the night becomes day and the day becomes night. After the night prayers everyone hits down town to the various shopping malls where various activities are arranged especially for the kids.Naturally the traffic is horrendous. Men and women scamper down to the tailoring shops for custom made abayas and thobes to be worn during the fasting month and of course a special one is made for the day of Eid. Restaurants and fast food outlets are busy until the early hours of the morning. After the morning prayers the city becomes dead once again as everyone retires to bed. It is also during the month of Ramadhaan that the famous television program 'Tash Ma Tash' is aired. This program is well received by all Saudi citizens as satire and humour is used to ridicule and mock at some of the happenings within Saudi society. Controversial issues like polygamy is tackled in a fun and humorous manner. Whilst the entire Middle East is in complete celebration due to this magical month, for many of the western expats it is usually the worst month of the year. Many of them would complain about the fact that the shops are closed during the day or many would be livid about the fact that they are unable to eat in public. Well I say when you in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you can't respect and abide to the laws of the country, leave. It's that simple. 

Ramadhaan is also known as the "month of the Quraan". It is during this month that the divine verses of the holy Quraan was revealed to our beloved Prophet Muhammed (saw). Hence it is for this reason that thousands of Muslims travel far and wide to the Holy cities of Makkah and Medina to perform umra, a mini pilgrimage that is given the same reward as one haj and of course to listen to the beautiful verses of the Quraan rendered by  the highly respected Imaams of the Haram. The first time I performed Umrah during the month of Ramadhaan was a few years ago and I could not comprehend or believe what I seen before me especially in both the cities of Makkah and Medina. Prior to breaking the fast thousands of people would gather in the haram area. Some are praying, some are watching the people go by whilst others are distributing dates, cakes, qahwa, laban, bagels and other goodies to those around them. No one leaves the haram area hungry or without food. Every one eats to their hearts content. It is the most amazing feeling in the whole world. It is interesting to note that in the Prophet's (saw) city, the inhabitants of Medina have taken it upon themselves to feed all the pilgrims at the time of fatoor. Many families have upheld this tradition for generations. Each family would come to the haram area an hour or two prior to the time of breaking the fast. They would lay rows and rows of tables on the floor and serve dates, zam zam water and a variety of other foods to the pilgrims present. Very often they would send their kids to pull the pilgrims passing by asking them to be a guest at their table. I have never seen such hospitality and generosity any where else in the world. There is such a powerful sense of sharing and caring that there are times when your tears would just automatically flow for no real reason. Perhaps it flows out of joy, contentment and happiness.

                                                           http://www.civilization.ca

A Ramadhaan in the holy city of Makkah would not be complete without hearing the sound of the cannon at the time of breaking fast. According to the Saudi Gazette, during the past 50 years, Makkah residents have been hearing the booming sound of the city’s Ramadan cannon. They have become so accustomed to hearing the sound of the cannon that many residents, young and old, do not break their fast until they hear the boom of the cannon, which was used in the past as a sign to break the fast at dusk or begin the fast at dawn. The cannon also heralds the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. This was before the appearance of loudspeakers during a time when mosques did not have electricity and the call to prayer was difficult to hear for people outside its immediate vicinity. The mountain on which the Ramadan cannon is located has been named by Makkah residents as Cannon Mountain (Jabal Al-Midfa). The cannon’s blank shots are prepared for the entire month beforehand. It fires one shot at the time for breaking the fast at dusk (Iftar time), one shot at the time for the last meal (Suhoor) and two shots when it is time to stop eating and drinking (Imsaak time). That brings the total number of shots fired in Ramadan to about 120. In its 50-year life span, the Ramadan cannon has fired about 6,000 shots.

The best fatoor experience I ever had was breaking fast on the beach in Jeddah last year with my family. Brother Mefarrah who resides in Makkatul Mukarramah drove us to Jeddah after the Asr prayers. He brought qahma, chaai sulaimani and an assortment of dates along with him. There were many Saudi families gathered on the beach front with their picnic baskets. It was such a wonderful sight to see. As we all watched the sun go down it was finally time to break fast. I noticed a few Arab men giving out water and dates to a line of people who had gathered outside the floating masjid. Naturally after breaking our fast we all headed off to the masjid for prayers. It was such a lovely experience. Here in South Africa I find the Ramadhaan to be boring and somber. I'm pretty sure breaking fast on the beach would be considered wrong and immoral in this part of the world and yet in the magical Kingdom I found that along with all the praying and fasting, families still had time to enjoy themselves and have fun. On that note, I would now like to take this opportunity in wishing all my friends and family across the globe a wonderful Ramadhaan Kareem!!!May the Almighty accept your fast and prayers during this blessed month and may it also be a time for reflecting on our inner selves.Let this month be a month where we can all achieve and attain high levels of spirituality. Let this be a month of sharing, giving and a start towards bettering ourselves in every way. Let us all try making a concerted effort towards doing good, helping others and staying away from all activities that goes against Gods will!!!

Saudi prince denies kidnapping, killing woman

Saudi Prince, Khaled bin Saad has denied kidnapping and killing a young woman in Jeddah as claimed on social networking sites.

Local daily Sabq reported that the body of the 25-year old woman was found naked in a street on Saturday morning after she had been allegedly forced into a car near a mall in Jeddah around midnight on Friday.

According to social media networks, the Prince had tried to talk to the woman inside the mall but the young lady had screwed up a paper that the Prince had written his phone number in and thrown it away.

Based on claims by witnesses present in the mall, the prince’s security guards were seen grabbing the woman and forcing her into a car. However, the Prince has denied any involvement in the crime.

SOURCE:
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/saudi-prince-denies-kidnapping-killing-woman-501142.html

Discrimination against Saudi Arabians

Saudi Arabians face discrimination even inside their own land. Look no further than the expat Western compounds. These compounds run as a colonial state . Many of the Western compounds will not rent homes to Saudis as these compounds are meant for expatriates. Many compounds prohibit Saudi nationals from entrée.

The western compounds which do allow Saudi as  "guests" only, will allow entrée if the Saudi has been placed in advance on a visitor list –and- arrives in western look.The man may be prohibited from wearing a shemagh and abayas are not allowed there.

If you insist on wearing the scarf or your shemagh in the western compound they might ask you to take your stuff and just go...if you refused they can throw you out. I recall visiting a friend at Cordoba compound a few months ago and being a muhajiba (a woman who wears scarf) it was very uncomfortable frequenting the compound. I was asked to remove my hijaab and my abaya at the entrance of the compound prior to entering the premises.I was amazed that on Muslim land, land that the Prophet (saw) walked on, a land where Islam was born, that I was asked to remove my headscarf simply because the "western" people in the compound were not happy with the abaya and headscarf. It is quite ironical as well that the world thinks that there is a ban on alcohol in Saudi Arabia. This is simply a facade. The reality of the situation is quite different. Alcohol is freely available in all western compounds and what happens within the compound itself in terms of parties is quite shocking. If Saudi Arabia was truly a Muslim country the advocation of alcohol within the compunds would not be allowed according to proper Shariah law.In my opinion, if western people are not happy with the laws of a country then they should stay out of it,simple. France has banned the headscarf, and now Belgium is next in line to implement that policy which of course would be strictly adhered to according to those countries constitutions respectively. It is about time that all Muslim countries implement proper shariah law based on the Quran that all residents of the country should adhere to whether the resident is Muslim or non -Muslim. Muslims travelling to France for example would respect the newly implemented hijaab law and likewise foreigners residing in Saudi should learn  to respect the laws of this country or leave. The Saudi government is at the moment short of an estimated one million homes for its citizens and yet it continues to build state of the art compounds for western foreigners. The system simply doesn't make sense at all.

The majority of Saudis treat their domestic workers fairly well and many consider them as one of the family. Now there has been instances where some employers have abused their maids or drivers. But the media have taken these individual cases and made them huge international news across the globe portraying all Saudi citizens as barbaric, uncivilized monsters. Now let us look at the flip side of things.

Some of the foreign employees commit many crimes against this country like theft, fraud and counterfeiting of all kinds, killing and raping  children of their employers!!!.Those criminals usually run away and when caught they only receive a symbolic punishment then considered as illegal immigrants and sent back to their countries from where they return after less than a month with totally different identity!!!!.

There are two cases regarding babies  that have reached the local media this year. One baby was killed by rat poison and the other was killed by strangulation at the hand of their foreign nannies. When Saudi Arabia tried to implement laws towards them, some of world leaders spoke to the king to prevent that.
My colleague, brother Latif had his car stolen a few weeks ago. A few days ago his car was recovered and thirty foreigners were arrested for running a car syndicate whereby luxury cars were being stolen and sent out of the country to be sold abroad in other countries.The punishment for stealing is cutting of the hands which is according to Shariah law and which the "west" finds barbaric. Hence in America lawlessness such as theft, homicide, kidnap and rape has reached alarming proportions. Yet the illusion created by the American government is a so called big American dream...a perfect society. Saudi Arabia is in general a safe place, far safer than South Africa or any other country that I have visited due to the Shariah law. It is these harsh laws that creates a fear in society and prevents people from committing atrocities against other people, citizens of the country.Now with regards to the thirty foreigners once again, the respective embassies have asked the saudi government to be lenient against the culprits and simply ask them to pay a fine or a penalty for their actions. Why should the government tolerate such requests? This is the law of the country and the law should be respected. If a Saudi national for example committed a crime in America or Europe for that matter the harshest punishment would be imposed on the perpetrator. The world has seen the atrocities carried out against Arab nationals at Guantanamo Bay and yet the atrocities continue despite human right activists and other countries  raising such concerns.Many of the jailed inmates have not been given a fair trial to defend themselves. The law is the law and I sincerely hope that the 30 expats that have been caught for stealing vehicles across the Kingdom be dealt with according to the laws laid out by Sharia.

The discrimination against Saudi Arabians has been there since a longtime. But after the  attack on the twin towers (which has now been proven to be an inside job by the American government themselves to pave the way for the New world order)the  discrimination against Saudi Arabians has risen to a significant  level  in the U.S and Europe the point where all Saudis are viewed as terrorists.
A colleague of mine returning from the USA after attending a four day conference was severely harassed at the airport. He is a doctor with many degrees behind his name. A well mannered, well educated man from a very high class, intellectual family. He was taken out of the line simply because he is a Saudi and a muslim.According to him, no one else in  the queue was taken out of the line for individual questioning. And yet these same western individuals come to the Middle East and  demand to be treated extra special, way above the people of the county.Absolute Rubbish in my opinion.

Actually last year whilst returning to South africa during the World cup I also faced discrimination at the OR Tambo International airport.I never expected facing this in my own home country, the place of my birth. At the immigrations counter I was told in a very cold mannerism to remove my headscarf. I didnt see the point of doing that as my face was open. Only my hair was covered. I refused to remove my scarf. The man at the counter could clearly see that the  picture in my passport was me in person.I didnt have on a full face cover with just my eyes showing. That would have been a different story all together. When I refused to remove my scarf, I was told "dont you think you Muslim Arabs will have your way in our country". The man at the counter was definitely dumb, as he was holding a South African passport in his hand. I asked to see the manager and senior people at the airport.I demanded an apology and threatened legal action.

Finally,I know that everyone faces racism in the world in one way or another so here I welcome  your  comments on the subject. If you are a Saudi or a South African, have you ever been discriminated against and how? To the rest of the readers did you ever face discrimination in your own country or somewhere else? I would love to read your comments and stories...