An important message needs to be understood by my fellow countrymen. “Treat expatriates nicely,” because when they leave the Kingdom, they will carry with them what we have given them — memories. Being kind and just to another fellow human being is inherent in Islam, so let's practice it and be a true Muslim. Treat the guest workers that have left their homes to come to ours nicely, for these expatriates are the best advocates for Saudi Arabia when they leave the country. There is nothing better than an expatriate going back to his country with beautiful memories of Saudi Arabia and its people, the many friends he made and the humane treatment he received when he was residing here whether at work or on personal level. Sadly, the ground realities are totally different, with most of the expatriates living in the Kingdom drudging through their days with the hope that all of these experiences would one day become a distant bad dream. Most expatriates in the Kingdom face all sorts of maltreatment and sometimes that extends to racism. The irony is that, though these expatriates are coming on their own accord, we need to remember one major thing — that these expatriates are not imposed on us. They have entered the Kingdom with legitimate visas issued by us — though some do attempt to enter and have entered the country illegally. But that is not the issue. The fact that we called every type of expatriate to participate in the development of the country is the moot point. They contributed a lot to the Gross Domestic Product and the Gross National Product. Engineers have been the backbone of our infrastructure — especially helping us to build roads and buildings and as the years rolled on in specialized fields. Doctors have helped us in keeping our citizen healthy by manning our hospitals, even in conditions that were primitive. Teachers have helped in educating our children. Professors at universities have helped us in preparing young Saudis for the job market. While these are the few who have helped us with their skills, there are the unsung many who have toiled in the sun to raise our comfort level. They too have contributed in their own way. They deserve our thanks; they have earned it. While in elementary, middle and high school, I remember receiving my education at the hands of various expatriate teachers from Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Syria and Palestine. They gave knowledge that was implicit and explicit — for apart from the book knowledge, they taught me with their actions and approach to issues. I remember as a child when I needed to visit a doctor, it would be expatriates — mostly Egyptian doctors — who would be at hand to treat me. I assume that expatriate doctors and medical staff in some point in their lives must have rendered all Saudis some service. The first training I underwent was in an architectural company. Mainly workers from the Philippines were employed in the company, and they helped me settle in and taught me the ropes. However, the key element they inculcated in me was to respect time. It taught me to be punctual, value the discipline of delivering on my word, and more importantly use it valuably and not waste it. If in return we give them poor treatment, verbal assault and some times downright injustice then it is no wonder they see us in such a poor light. They will not be good advocates when they return home if we continued delaying their salaries. They will not be the best advocates when we call them names and look down on them. They will not be excellent advocates if we keep treating them badly on the job. A Pakistani worker once old me that he had to work 18 hours a day just to make enough money by the end of the month to pay his Saudi sponsor and to send enough money back home to his country. I remember his exact words that tugged at my heart when he said, “I feel like a slave.” Recently when I hired a limousine driven by an Indian, I encountered a racist act by a Saudi. A Saudi family was trying to cross the road to reach the hospital on the other side. The Indian driver was kind enough to stop the car and flashed on the hazard to warn the driver behind him that the limousine was stationary. A good driving practice that I totally approve, but rarely see. The Saudi motorist who had to stop behind the limousine did not like it and kept on blowing his horn, which is again a normal thing to do in our unorganized streets. After the family had crossed, traffic resumed and the Indian driver had to stop at a traffic light. The Saudi driver pulled up next to the Indian driver, who tried to explain that he had stopped because a family was trying to cross the road. The Saudi driver shouted at the Indian driver using all curse words, added a racist remark and in the end threatened to deport him back to India. We have to admit that most of us, not all, are good in threatening non-Saudis with deportation to their countries at the slightest whims and fancies. Let us try to be in their shoes for a while and imagine how we would feel if we were treated badly. We would be very quick to complain and get angry when we are treated badly at airports abroad but we never stop to think how we are treating expatriates at our airports. Imagine if a Saudi was denied treatment at a hospital abroad, would he think positively of that country? I do not think so. What if the salary of a Saudi working abroad was delayed for two months? Would he bear the problem with fortitude and suffer in silence? There are groups of people that view expatriates in a different way. They believe that expatriates are intruders who have stolen their jobs. They view them as bacteria that we need to get rid of. They put the blame of the growing unemployment on them. It is all the more scary because they view the Saudization and Nitaqat programs as ways of saying go home. The very purpose of the Saudization program is to ensure that qualified Saudis will replace expatriate workers, which is within the country's right. But using this as a tool to get rid of one set of work force is unjust. The Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum recently honored cleaning workers and others working in service sectors. The main message he was trying to send is to thank all expatriate workers who helped a lot in developing the city. I think we should do the same and officials at the municipality should thank all cleaning workers for the great job they are doing in keeping our cities clean. It is the least we can do, by following Dubai's lead. I conclude with a saying from our beloved Prophet (pbuh): “A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. He should not wrong him nor surrender him to his enemy. Allah will take care of the needs of anyone who takes care of the needs of his brother. On the Day of Rising Allah will dispel the anxiety of anyone who dispels the anxiety of another Muslim. On the Day of Rising Allah will veil anyone who veils another Muslim.” — The writer can be contacted at [email protected]
