If I were to substitute the post in question with the following names instead of Saudia, I believe the story will hold true as well.
Sheffield, Newcastle, LA, New York, SanDiego, Lyon, Marsielle, Marakesh, Tunis, Moscow, Karachi, Bombay, Aden, Cairo. and so on and so forth.........
The fact that a previllaged class believes itself to be ABOVE the rest and defends the Status Quo is nothing new or shocking......
However, it saddens to see it practiced at places that are considered holy by so many.
However, it is not surprising and neither is it unique. So, before we go Arab bashing for what ever reason, lets consider a perspective on the matter at hand.
I for one believe that the integration of hindus at most levels in UAE is very welcoming in the long run, and should be incouraged by the authorities. It would bring fruits later on.
It's not just Hindus in good positions. There are quite many Indian Muslims and Christians in Middle East who are in good positions.
The problem is not Hindu-Muslim. It is that of Green Passport. Kenya and Uganda have stopped giving visas to Pakistanis. If you have a Green Passport you have to wait 6-8 weeks for a background check to be done in Nairobi and Uganda and then issued a Visa.
Is it true that some countries need visa for Pakistanis even if they are in transit on the airport?
Weteyes82’s reply has brought out some very interesting points. One being how Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia are viewed by locals, and secondly that it is not Saudis but the Saudi Arabian system that brings out the worst in people.
Only a few days ago, Amnesty International has issued a very bleak picture about Saudi Arabia’s legal and justice system, which still uses torture and keeps accused in jails without being given a chance for any legal representation. To someone like “weteyes82” who has spent all his or her life there, that might seem like a pretty normal thing, but those who have tasted freedom and the rule of law this picture is very terrifying. If godforbid one is involved in a car accident, one can only hope that he will come out alive after experiencing Saudi Justice. This must be a reason for women not being allowed to drive.
There are more things wrong with Saudi society than there are right. Here is a partial list:
- absolutely totally no freedom for women
- no freedom of speech, press, etc.
- absolute ban on building places of worship by foreigners of any faith
- police is given a free license to do whatever it pleases. Police can actually stop and ask you for anything, and they have been given power to do so.
- Movements of foreigners are restricted to the areas where they work. If a person wants to go to holy places, he must get a written permission from his employer. Again, it must seem normal to those who live there, but it looks a pretty draconian law to outsiders.
- Some bazarrs (aka Souks) are segregated. Women and men are not allowed to mix.
Given all of that, there is the other side, where white foreigners, who live in their secluded compounds do whatever they please. E.g., Aramco compounds. No Saudi Law applies to them. Only to poor laborers and workers from less developed countries. In fact, Saudi Police is forbidden to “speak” to whites. Amnesty sites it in its report. The only time it may get involved with Whites is when there is murder or some comparable crime committed.
So, weteyes82, you are right that it is not the people, but the system that is so screwed up that it produces monsters.