LIFE is a tough taskmaster, while also being a benevolent teacher. We experience and encounter many situations in our lives that we should learn from. And this allows for us to be better persons and compassionate human beings. In my opinion, however, the lesson is better learned when a person is a silent observer, like I was in the situation I encountered recently in one of the dates shops few days ago. I want to share the incident here with you'll, my readers, this week instead of developing an opinion article, which I'll put off till next week. At first glance, the headline may sound and look strange but be rest assured that it is not derived from my opinion, it is simply what was, and is, always being said when targeting the lowly paid expatriates by a few people, even without a whit of a thought toward another human being. I was in a dates shop buying some dates when a citizen came in and asked for the price of a particular brand of dates. The Pakistani shopkeeper courteously relayed to the customer the price on offer, which the citizen did not like. After a short argument, the man simply told the hired help at the shop that it is just a matter of time before ‘the country gets rid of his kind', for what he described, as the expats having taken ‘their jobs' and ‘stolen their wealth'. The shopkeeper did not respond to the citizen's barb, as I believe, he must have received similar jibes and he must have gotten used to such taunts. But as the salesperson went silent, another citizen, older in age and wiser in the ways of the world, gave a swift rejoinder while rejecting what he described as racist comments from the man. The citizen too had been browsing the shop to buy dates, when this situation occurred. He told the man, who had slighted the vendor, there are many other shops in the area and the man could go there and check the prices and evaluate the prices instead of targeting the poor person. But the brash man, instead of listening to the cool advice of the older man, insisted that they (the expats) are the source of all problems and "most of our problems would disappear when they are deported." The old man laughed at the man's belief and told him, "You are able to buy the dates you want because this Pakistani is working in this shop and selling to you the dates here. You should also realize that it was delivered from the farm by a Sudanese pick-up truck driver and most likely picked by Egyptian or Yemeni laborers in the farm. If these expats, as you claim, were deported, would you be able to select and buy the choicest dates in the comfort of your city? In any case, this shop is owned and licensed by a Saudi owner, who is ready to employ the expat, so why blame the poor expat worker?" The man's argument that low paid expat workers being the root of all problems was blown away by the simple and logical rebuttals from the older citizen. The argument continued with the man failing to reason with the old man with every passing minute, but it ended soon with the old man advising the gentlemen not to pick on the weakest, low paid expats, for the expatriate, like it or not, is contributing positively to our economy. On this positive note from the old man, the debate ended. Did expats really take our jobs and steal our wealth as some claim? I do not believe it personally, because I strongly believe that ones' sustenance is Determined, Decreed and Documented by Allah for each and every individual when one is still in ones mothers' womb. There are verses in the Holy Qur'an that support this. In one verse it says, "Know they not that Allah enlarges the provision or restricts it, for any He pleases? Verily, in this are Signs for those who believe." Another verse states "There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance dependeth on Allah: He knoweth the time and place of its definite abode and its temporary deposit: All is in a clear Record." There is a big difference between an expat who is in this country legally — provided with a visa to work in a certain job and given a specific contract — and the ones who cross over illegally. The legal resident did not steal our jobs or wealth. The high resentment to expat presence here is derived from the global economic situation that has resulted in many Saudis losing their jobs. The immediate reaction to that is we see them blaming the expats' presence for their problems. But in reality this is the fact, for companies keep on expat workers because they are cost effective when it comes to salary and easy to overwork and sometimes intimidate. What is really sad, in my opinion, is that some people think that they will get rich quickly and their problems will be solved when expats are deported, totally ignoring their role in activating and contributing to the domestic economy. These Saudis should realize that nothing is got without hard work and effort. Some Saudis have shown this application. They have succeeded in working in jobs that pay little and we see them as taxi drivers, working in some mega and retail stores as cashiers and other similar jobs. At the same time I see expats workers getting ready to start work, even before the sunrise, in their little shops. The limousine drivers on the streets, working in shifts, every day providing their services seamlessly to passengers for nearly 24 hours, engineers going to their jobs on the sites and doctors to their hospitals. All work in their specific jobs — little or big — but all willingly contributing to the country's economy. If we are strong believers in Allah's fair distribution of sustenance then we should stop saying "they took our jobs and stole our wealth." On targeting the weakest link among workers, I conclude here with the Prophet's saying regarding this matter: Prophet saying Mus'ab bin Sa›d bin Abu Waqqas (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Sa'd considered himself better than his inferiors, so the Prophet said to him, "You are given help and provision because of your weak ones". The writer can be reached at [email protected] Twitter: @anajeddawi_eng
