In my column carried by this newspaper two weeks ago, I dealt with the topic of crimes which take place in Saudi society. I wrote the article in response to a report published by Al-Riyadh Arabic newspaper. The report was based on a statement from Gen. Ali Al-Tamimi, a security expert and member of the Shoura Council. According to him, various studies indicate that most of the crimes in the Kingdom are committed by expatriates, especially illegal residents. In my article, I voiced my surprise and disappointment over the statement, and I even doubted the preciseness, logic and objectivity of such studies cited by the Shoura Council member. I also promised readers that I would shed light on the viewpoints of another Shoura Council Member Ibrahim Al-Otaibi on the same topic in another article. I found that his views were balanced, objective and acceptable when he said that it is difficult to regulate the arrival of expatriates to the Kingdom because of the presence of the two holy mosques here. No one can prevent people from coming to the land of the holy mosques. Similarly, the Kingdom shares long borders with a number of countries, and hence, it is difficult to stop all of those who enter the Kingdom illegally. Al-Otaibi also pointed to international studies that showed that Saudi Arabia ranks third among the best countries for jobseekers. He said that most of those who come to the Kingdom have not acquire sufficient qualifications and job training, and that some of them are suffering from illnesses, including psychic problems. Their educational standard is also not up to the mark, he claims. I think that the Shoura Council member has confused those expatriates who come to the Kingdom on job visas after signing labor contracts with employers, with those who overstay their Haj and Umrah visas. Of course, some pilgrims deliberately overstay their visas while others try to find jobs or stay until Haj if they come on Umrah visas during Ramadan because it is not possible for them to get a Haj visa due to the quota system or due to certain economic or procedural matters in their countries. These pilgrims should leave the Kingdom at the end of the period specified in their visas. I believe that the new directives issued a few months ago to regulate the Umrah sector in view of the Haram expansion work have contributed substantially to reducing the phenomenon of Umrah visa overstaying. This may be the same case with Haj visa overstaying this year. In my opinion, part of the responsibility for the overstaying of Haj and Umrah pilgrims is to be borne by Saudis who provide jobs for such overstayers. If these pilgrims failed to find jobs with Saudis, they would not overstay their visas. As for the expatriates who come to the Kingdom to work with companies or Saudi individuals after signing labor contracts, they generally pose no problems for Saudi society. Some of them may have problems with the firms with which they are working, and about which Al-Otaibi said: “Some Saudis are not treating their expatriate workers in a decent way. This is evident in the case of housemaids, and this creates problems for them.” When a worker is treated in a humiliating manner, his reaction will of course be a negative one, and it will eventually result in him or her absconding (huroob) from the sponsor or resorting to stealing or committing crimes so as to compensate for the deprivation of rights as mentioned by Al-Otaibi. I agree with Al-Otaibi that some Saudis are not treating their workers fairly or in some cases are asking them to do jobs that are beyond their capacity or do not give them sufficient time to take rest or do not provide them with a suitable place for taking rest and sleeping and thus give them at least some sort of privacy. One of my friends told me that he planned to buy a house, which he found was suitable for him except the room for the guard. That room was very small and he compared its area to that of a grave. Therefore, he decided not to buy the house because of his conviction that such an act would be more disgraceful for him than for his guard. Furthermore, the visa trade is another injustice about which expatriates often complain. Some of them get what is popularly known as a “free visa” even though no such thing actually exists. When an expatriate arrives in the Kingdom on such a visa, he finds himself encumbered with a number of conditions and demands from his sponsor. The Saudi who hired the expatriate demands a fixed monthly or yearly amount from him as his sponsorship charge. The sponsor also demands extra money for the issuing or renewal of the iqama (residency permit) as well as for an exit and re-entry visa. Moreover, some of these sponsors are often not satisfied with the amount that was originally agreed upon by both parties. They then seek additional amounts as a form of blackmail and exploitation. Of course, this is an illegal practice which evokes the strong feeling among expatriates that they are being treated unjustly. Perhaps, this can lead some expatriates to seek vengeance and commit crimes. They also resort to agents to help them run away from their sponsors and find a better job. These agents are engaged in unscrupulous practices. It is unfortunate that some Saudis are employing these runaway people by giving them salaries and allowances that are more attractive than what their original sponsors had offered them. Al-Otaibi demanded that the ministries of labor and commerce and industry, along with Saudi embassies abroad and recruitment firms carry out awareness campaign among those who come on new job visas to enlighten expatriates about the rules and regulations that they should respect while working in the Kingdom. He also emphasized the role of citizens in respecting the law of the land and becoming role models for expatriates. There may be some expatriates who have a criminal mentality or at least an inclination in that direction. However, there is no doubt that decent behavior, becoming an exemplary model, and giving everyone their rights will contribute substantially in changing such tendencies and making every expatriate conscious of his value, responsibility and the need to fulfill his duties. When we talk about people who are committing errors or crimes, we must not forget the fact that there are millions of expatriates who left their homeland, as well as those near and dear to them, to come to help us build our nation and work hard in its development and progress. They deserve our gratitude, praise and prayers. May Allah bless them.
– Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
