Maids in Saudi Arabia; a never ending issue

The maid issue in Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly a never ending saga. After almost a period of two years, the recruitment of Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may resume shortly according to Arab news. The two year ban came about due to the tensions that existed between Saudi Arabia, Manila and Jakarta over the rights of domestic workers, cooks and drivers within the ultra conservative Kingdom. Diplomatic ties between these nations were severed following the execution of an Indonesian maid Ruyati binti Sapubi, who was convicted of killing her female employer with repeated blows using a cleaver after suffering protracted abuse and being told she could not return home. Around 2010, another Indonesian maid Sumiati Salan Mustapa was severely tortured by her female employer and required hospitalization. Her case triggered off a wide spread furor throughout the Kingdom as well as across the globe.She had severe head and body injuries after being tortured repeatedly with a hot iron. Further aggression was created against the Saudi government by human rights activists after a Sri Lankan maid's ordeal made headlines throughout the world. Twenty four nails were hammered into her hands, legs and forehead by her Saudi employers after she complained of a work overload. After imposing a ban, thereby preventing the entry of Indonesian and Filipino maids into the country, the Saudi government announced that it would seek domestic workers from other African countries like Ethiopia, Kenya as well as Morrocco. However,as soon as this announcement was made the Saudi women were up in arms at the thought of having 'beautiful Moroccan maids' inside their homes. Saudi women feared that Moroccan women would seduce their husbands as they are known to engage in witchcraft and sorcery. My Saudi friend mentioned to me that they use to have a Moroccan maid some time back but fired her after finding talismans, amulets and strands of hair in her bedroom.
Also in 2010,"Saudi Arabian legal adviser Saleh bin Saad Al-Laheedan issued a fatwa, or religious edict, allowing Saudi women to work as maids, provided that they have no other recourse, are over 50 and are accompanied by a mehram, or close male relative. However, by the end of the year, only 30 Saudi nationals were reported to be working as maids."

On the flip side of things, there has also been an increase in child abuse cases carried out by maids in Saudi Arabia with the latest case being that of a four year old child whose body was decapitated by the Asian house maid. According to newspaper reports, the child's mother collapsed and was rushed to hospital after seeing the child's lifeless body in a pool of blood. Her husband was rushing to get home when he sped through a red traffic light and met up with an accident that instantly killed the driver of the other vehicle and seriously injured the other passenger.The maid on the hand tried to commit suicide after carrying out this heinous crime by drinking a bottle of clorox. However, she survived the ordeal and was hospitalized.

Hiring a maid in Saudi Arabia is an expensive affair with recruiting agencies charging between SR10 000 to SR15 000. Very often maids run away from their employers without informing them and hence bringing a new maid means paying a huge sum of money and starting the whole recruitment process from scratch. Usually maids runaway after seeing advertisements in the newspaper of other employers offering higher salaries and better working environments. According to the Saudi gazette, local families claim the increasing number of runaway maids has caused them great frustration, leading them to take on the household chores themselves. Sarah Sonbol, a mother of five has started a campaign called ' Do It Yourself' where she encourages families to do all the household chores themselves by dividing tasks amongst each family member. Her movement has already received positive feedback in the Medina region where almost thirty families are now doing the domestic chores themselves. “Do It Yourself” provides a step by step program on how to divide chores appropriately and ways to motivate household members. Sonbol’s movement not only aims to deal with the maid crisis and the high prices Saudi families pay for domestic helpers, but also to keep families active and work collectively. “Doing things ourselves worked wonders for our relationship with our children and has helped a lot with my marriage,” she said.

Whilst the media are quick to sensationalize negative stories by creating the impression that the Saudi society is a barbaric ignorant one, I on the other hand would like to relate to you a few positive, heart warming stories regarding this topic. Recently, whilst chatting to a prince over coffee, I was informed that his father had given their house maid of 25 years, SR2 million the day that she left their home and returned to her family in Eritrea. She bought a hotel and improved her family's lifestyle. Another member of the Royal family honoured his Filipino maid and nanny by building a school for Filipino kids in her name. A colleague of mine attended the function and was amazed at the manner in which the prince showered love, respect and adoration for his nanny by equating her to his own mom. She had been a part of his family from the time he was a child. A princess, who frequents the hospital quite often with her mom informed me that she had paid for her drivers's kids education. Her driver is from Egypt and so she had sent his kids to the USA to complete their tertiary studies. She even provides them with a small monthly allowance. Making headlines just a few days ago, a Filipino maid who married her employer inherited SR20 million from his estate. Her brief two year marriage to her employer certainly turned her life around from rags to riches.

So you see folks, the moral of the story is this: In every society you get the good and the bad. Whilst there are many bloggers and other individuals out there who are quick to write negatively about Saudi Arabia using any bad occurrence by a Saudi individual to taint the Saudi community and Islam in general, I can assure you that good people do exist in the Kingdom. Most of the time their stories do not make it to the media as they do not wish for the world to know about their activities. Abuse and human rights violations do not occur only in Saudi Arabia. It is a global world wide phenomenon. Signalling out one country is just not fair in my opinion.

Source:
http://www.emirates247.com/news/maid-becomes-millionaire-in-saudi-arabia-2012-10-14-1.478881

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/22/maid-held-hostage-saudi-arabia

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/jul2011/saud-j06.shtml

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/04/06/205890.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/26/us-srilanka-maid-idUSTRE67P17420100826

http://www.emirates247.com/news/maid-from-morocco-no-thanks-say-saudi-wives-2011-09-14-1.418358

http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/runaway-maids-police-say-problem-persists

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20121013139441

http://tdh.ch/en/countries/morocco - picture

Makkah Museum (Mat7af al Haramain) - Part 1

During the month of Ramadhaan I was commuting on a weekly basis to Makkah to spend time with my family who were in the Kingdom for a six week vacation.Whilst in Makkah I arranged for my family to visit the Makkah museum. It was a truly fascinating experience and of course a very educational one as well.
Usually in Ramadhaan the museum is closed to the public unless prior arrangements have been made by your travel agent. The museum prefers to accept groups of pilgrims who have booked to visit the museum in advance. Since I reside in Riyadh, I asked one of my Saudi friends to seek permission for my family and I to visit.The administration staff at the museum were very kind and accommodating and allowed us to come by whenever it suited us. Whilst viewing all the artifacts in the museum, qualified and knowledgeable staff were on hand to provide us with detailed history and information. If you wish to visit the museum kindly call the Makkah museum ( Mat7af al Haramain) at  00966 (0)2 5602188. It is a museum that I highly recommend for all children to visit in order to gain a better perspective with regards to the history of the Haram in Makkah and Medina.The museum is situated approximately 20 minutes away from the Haram area on the old Jeddah road.

A teak staircase of the holy Ka3ba dating back to 1240H

Ash Shumaisi moldings which used to be above one of the entrances of the Holy Mosque

A slab of Ash-Shumaisi stone on which is engraved the name of the ameluke sultan Qayitbay who died in 901 H

The brassy head of the pulpit made in the era of sultan sulaiman alqanoony on the tenth century of alhijra

A brass crescent belonging to one of the minarets of the Holy Mosque dating back to 1299 H

Four inscriptions on two stone pillars recording the reconstruction of the Muqam (stance) during the reign of the Amluki sultan al ashraf abu an nasr linal in 858 and sultan ganosh al ghori in 915.

Wall plaques found in the Haram with Allah, Muhammed and the names of the four khalifa (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan and Ali)

The gold plated gutter of the Ka3ba

Riverview Spa - South Africa

A week prior to my departure from South Africa, my mom's sister decided to give mom and I a surprise by treating us to a hand and foot massage at the beautiful and tranquil Riverview Spa. If you are looking for a place to relax in the country side not too faraway from the city,  surrounded by picturesque hills with a river running through then Riverview spa is just the ideal place for you. Situated less than an hour's drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria, tucked away in a peaceful valley you can de-stress your mind, revitalize your body and soothe your soul.We arrived at the Spa around 11 in the morning and were welcomed by warm, friendly staff members.The owner's daughter Elmarie personally came by to introduce herself to us and also gave us a brief history about the spa and how it all started off. We were treated to welcome drinks and then made our way to the garden for our half an hour hand massage.The massage therapists were experienced and jovial. It was sheer magic being pampered in a peaceful ambience surrounded by the swimming pool and beautiful gardens whilst inhaling the fresh country side air.After our hand massage session we made our way to the Riverview Cafe where we indulged in a delicious vegetarian lunch. The kitchen at the spa prepared for us a snack platter comprising of cheese and corn samoosas, spring rolls and moons.We were also served delicious spinach quiche accompanied with a Greek and potato salad. After lunch we were once again whisked away to the garden area for our foot massage session. My mom suffers from arthritis and hence she commented that after receiving her massage she felt much relief in her hands and feet. The only disappointment was not being able to take a walk to the romantic riverside picnic area as we experienced a huge afternoon downpour. We were warned not to make our way to the river in the rain as we may slip due to the rocky steep incline near the river bed. Hence we made our way back to the Riverview cafe after the foot massage session for a late afternoon high tea. Riverview can accommodate up to 20 guests per day at the spa and 10 guests at a time to stay-over in their lovely private chalets.This is the perfect hide away for friends and family, close to all wedding venues in Muldersdrift and perfect for pamper days or break-awe’s combined with a relaxing day at the Spa. Riverview is a place with a heartbeat, a place with a difference, a home away from home. It was a day experience that I will cherish and remember forever. I had the opportunity of spending quality time with close family members and individuals that I truly care about. If you require more in depth information regarding all the treatment packages the spa has to offer I highly recommend you to visit their website.

An 'Emerging Mystery' by Photographer Sebastian Farmborough

A sweet message from a world class photographer and a truly remarkable human being.....Sebastian Farmborough

Hey,

Please feel free to share the pic. It's attracted over 18,500 hits so far from 134 different countries and I'm hoping that sooner or later it might generate the kind of attention that would enable me to return and complete the project.

Hope life is treating you well, Sebastian.

Whenever Western societies view a Muslim woman in hijab or niqaab, their first impression is likely to be one of negativity. A Muslim woman in niqaab is usually perceived as being illiterate, backward and uneducated.When I first saw this image of a fully veiled Muslim woman in water, I was blown away by the beauty and sheer simplicity of it. Thank you Sebastian Farmborough for replying to my emails promptly and for also providing me with a link to your fascinating story. I would also like to take the opportunity to encourage one and all to kindly view Sebastian's website where you will marvel at his breathtaking photography.

"The image is based on one of my very first experiences in Saudi Arabia: With the naked beaches of Barcelona a not too distant memory... I headed down to the Arabian Gulf for a dip. There, I became mystified by something black and obscure out at sea. It looked like a huge jellyfish. Then, as it approached, I realised that it was in fact a woman.

It was such an intense experience that I just had to capture it for myself. However, it was not until a few years later in Dubai, when I had acquired the equipment and expertise necessary, that I was able to execute it. Anyone trying to take a picture like this in Saudi Arabia would run the risk of ending up in prison, so in the more liberal country of the UAE, I was able to realise it.

It actually took me a year to find the right lady. Yes, there are lots of women with beautiful eyes in the Emirates, but finding an open-minded enough one to do it, now that was a challenge!

The picture itself was taken at dawn on the Burj Al Arab beach. I chose that time, because I wanted extremely soft light to fall on her and the sun to reflect in her eyes. It was winter, so the sea was freezing and we were both deep into it. It was an incredible experience. The model and I had only met a couple of times prior to the shoot so we actually got to know each other as it went on, finishing with a nice hot chocolate on the beach afterwards.

The photo is entitled "An Emerging Mystery" and I feel as though it is extremely symbolic of Muslim women's increasing prominence in the world, despite a continued mystery. The Saudi veil is so often portrayed negatively in the West that I hope to counteract that somewhat and prevent the Western public from being mislead. Many Muslim women actually choose to wear it and I am more than happy to respect that.

The image marks the beginning of a project that I have been wanting to carry out for some time. All we ever hear about Saudi Arabia seems to be negative, where as having lived there for 3 years, I can assure you that the reality is quite different. In fact, there are many things that we westerns could actually learn from them. I really admired and enjoyed the strength of their friendships, the closeness of their families, their sense of humour, and how friendly and generous they are. With this and other images I would like to try and redress the balance a bit and produce a book reflecting the more magical aspects of the kingdom."

Source:
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/13355/the-veil-as-an-accentuation-of-beauty/