Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever of you see an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then (let him change it) with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart, and that is the weakest of faith." I quote the original text of this Saying of the Prophet (pbuh) while responding to comments made by some readers about my article titled "Pay the laborer his wages before his sweat dries" which was published in this newspaper last week. The article shed light on the desperate situation of a number of Asian workers who had not been paid their salaries for more than a year and had not had their residence permits (iqamas) renewed. I am praising God because their problems have since been resolved. However, I am not claiming that my article had a role in resolving their problems. Most of the comments from readers about the article were good. I have also received several e-mail messages from various parts of the world supporting the viewpoints articulated in the article. There were also some online comments on the newspaper's website that backed my opinion. However there was one exception to this. One reader said in his comment: "Dr. Al-Ghamdi, it is high time to stop writing and talking. Do something positive." I don't know what this man meant by something positive? Some readers criticized him for asking me to stop writing. Perhaps, he might not be aware of the real issue. I started my article by using a Saying of the Prophet (pbuh) as the headline. I emphasized the fact that delaying the salaries of workers for a long period of time is a crime and evil, and that keeping silent about it is itself a sin. It was not possible for me to change this evil myself because I am not a person with the authority to do so. However, as a Saudi citizen and a writer, I cannot keep quiet about it. So I wrote about it as an expression of my dissatisfaction and hatred of this evil in line with the command of the Prophet (pbuh). When I read about this evil in the newspaper, I made up my mind to denounce it. I also demanded the intervention of the minister of labor and the ministry which have the authority to change the evil, so that no other employer, whether an individual or company, could deprive workers of their salaries in the future. It is a well-known fact that the ministry has the authority and capability to halt the services of any employer who violates the Labor Law regulations that require employers to give workers their rights, the foremost of which is the disbursement of their salary at the end of every month. In my capacity as a former diplomat, I am fully aware of the difficulties being faced by foreign workers from the very moment of seeking a job abroad so as to improve their financial position and the living standard of their families and themselves. They are vulnerable to the exploitation of visa agents in their home country. These agents deceive them after giving them false promises and tempting them with the promise of attractive pay and benefits. These agents share the money grabbed from these workers among themselves and the company representatives who arrange visas for the workers. However, when the worker arrives at his workplace in the guest country, he realizes that he has been cheated with regard to his salary and other allowances. In such a scenario, there is no alternative other than to accept the harsh reality. All of this may happen only in some isolated cases and I do not want to generalize because most employers treat their workers in a dignified and decent way. The Kingdom's Labor Law guarantees the rights of both parties – employers and employees. However, some contracting companies, whose owners and senior officials lack honesty and fear of God, deceive their workers. For the average worker, it is not an easy affair to reach the labor office and labor court in order to air and redress their grievances. In this scenario, the role of the media and writers can be a great relief for these hapless workers as it can help them bring their woes to the attention of the concerned authorities at labor offices, police stations and labor courts. Is there any justification for the argument that journalists and writers are not entitled to draw attention to such unjust practices that are contrary to the rule of law in the country? How can anybody justify a demand to stop writing about the injustice being meted out to certain people? Coming back to the implication of the Saying of the Prophet (pbuh) that was cited at the very outset of this article, I want to emphasize that journalists and writers are not in a position to change an evil with their hands because they are not entrusted with executive powers to do so. It is also not ideal for them to resort to the third option of hating it with their hearts because it is the weakest of faith. On the other hand, the best option for them is changing the evil with their tongue. Here, pen stands in the place of tongue. Hence, the writer should not be satisfied only with writing but rather he should also speak about it in literary and human rights forums so as to defend the rights of those who see no one prepared to help safeguard their rights. — Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
