DAMMAM – A Saudi woman who joined the Hafiz unemployment assistance program was surprised when the scheme put her forward for a job as a wedding singer, Al-Sharq daily reported. The woman received a text message on her phone from the human resources program that read: “We have selected a suitable job for you as a wedding singer. Please visit the nearest branch of the Ministry of Civil Service next Wednesday. We wish you the best of luck.” A screenshot of the text message quickly circulated on social networks Twitter and WhatsApp, receiving a bombardment of comments and criticisms. A Twitter user who went by the name Nadia said sarcastically: “Wedding singer, SR15,000 a night, dinner and fun. Why not?” Another user, Ahman Abd Al-Wasi, said: “How gullible are you people? It's obviously a hoax.” Another user, Malak, on the microblogging site also said sarcastically: “Her mother's been praying for her! What more could she ask for? It pays, it's fun, you work at night and sleep during the day. If I were her I'd rush out right now to buy the equipment.” A spokesperson for the Human Resources Development Fund denied reports that the Hafiz program nominated a qualified citizen for the post of “cattle handler” after a screenshot of the text message, allegedly from Hafiz, was shared on social networks. — SG
