THE debate on declaring Fridays and Saturdays as the Kingdom's official weekend resurfaced recently in the Shoura Council, the body that advises King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, on important issues. The issue had been shelved after it was discussed the last time by the Shoura. Added to this debate is the issue of whether the private sector will follow the government line on having a 5-day week. Most companies in the private sector in Saudi Arabia do not offer a two-day weekend to their employees. Ghazi Abdul Rahman Al-Gosaibi, Saudi Minister of Labor, has said that it is an internal matter for private sector companies to decide on the number of days their employees must work each week. “According to the Constitution, Clause 104 of the Labor Court, if they want to switch from a Thursday-Friday weekend to a Friday-Saturday weekend, they must simply inform the concerned department of the Labor Office. There is no need to obtain permission,” Al-Gosaibi said recently. He noted that the ministry is encouraging the private sector to grant a two-day weekend – either Thursday and Friday, or Friday and Saturday. The expatriate business community here values and supports the suggestion which aims at the reform of commercial activities in line with international practice, as most international markets and banking establishments operate on Thursdays. “Having Thursday as a working day would give us one more working day in common with the rest of the world,” said Zulqurnain Ali Khan, a Canadian national and CEO of Zultec Group. “It would be good if Fridays and Saturdays were declared the official weekend as this would help the local business community remain connected with its business partners around the world,” he said. A Friday-Saturday weekend has already been adopted by many Muslim countries, including Syria, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE. However, an attempt to switch from a Thursday-Friday weekend to a Friday-Saturday weekend in Saudi Arabia was blocked by the Shoura Council, even though the initiative still remains on the agenda. “It would be better if the Saudi market were able to catch up with the global market; this would have a positive impact on the Kingdom's economy,” said Muhammad Al-Subhi, education manager at the Jeddah Da'wah Center. He said a Friday holiday is indispensable as Friday is a ‘special day' for all Muslims. Financial and banking institutions in the Middle East have been facing problems dealing with the rest of the world which is normally off on Saturdays and Sundays, which means four days in a week without communication between Saudi Arabia and the world. A Friday-Saturday weekend would mean only three days of the inactive period. Shahid Ameen, a group technical director and adviser to the chairman of KARA Company, said that it would be a practical step to implement a Saturday-Sunday weekend plus a half-day on Friday. “Many people visit Makkah to perform Umrah on Fridays. They can do so if their office duty ends by noon on Fridays,” he said. He said some people miss the Friday prayers because of sleep. “Following social traditions, office workers can assemble for the Friday prayers with their colleagues and get an additional half day off,” Ameen said. An additional advantage, he said, would be that one can spend more time with one's family, which would eventually result in the strengthening of the family system. “We can cope with the international markets by implementing a Friday-Saturday weekend which is also in accordance with the temperament of Saudi society,” Ameen said, adding that a two-and-a-half-day weekend would also be better for the employees' health. Wajedi Akkari Abu Mussaab, a Lebanese Islamic propagator in Jeddah, said that such a change, if it does not amount to a reduction in the employee's salary and does not affect the company's production, should be pursued by all means. “It depends on the nature of work and it is up to the employer to determine the length of the weekend,” he said. Meanwhile, critics of the proposal condemn it, calling it an attempt to imitate the West in order to be like the Jews and the Christians. “Islam does not stop anyone from working on Fridays. On the contrary, Surah Juma, Verse: 10, says: ‘Then when the Jumu'ah (Friday) Salat (prayer) is finished, you may disperse through the land, and seek the Bounty of Allah (by working, etc.), and remember Allah much, that you may be successful,'” said Mohammed Aqil, coordinator of Jeddah Da'wah Center. “With the world going through an economic meltdown, a Friday-Saturday weekend would help the Saudi business community to boost the nation's economy,” he said.
