Have You Been To A Circus Before?

assalamu aleikum dear readers!
it's been a long time since i've posted on my blog, i dunno if anyone noticed but if you were waiting, i apologize.. and welcome to all the new followers :)

well, sentiments aside, not so long ago i actually had a chance to visit a saudi girls' school graduation party.. and let me tell you it was something! since it's a girls school, males were not allowed and as it happens at all female only gatherings here, the lades didn't miss a chance to show off their...everything.. well, it was kinda weird.. some came wearing night gowns, others - jeans or beach dresses.. and of course lots of make-up and perfumes

i have to say the girls' performances were just wonderful! so was the work of the school staff.. what really shocked me was the audience.. of course everybody was like 1.5 hours late, this is normal here.. but even when the action on stage started, women were still arriving and behaving as though nothing formal was going on - walking around, talking loudly, laughing and paying little attention to what was going on on the stage.. it all looked more like a dress rehearsal to me than an actual performance day.. this continued even when the principal was giving a speech but she didn't say one word to make them quiet, as if this kind of behavior was normal

it got even more interesting, however, when i saw some of the ladies sitting with their feet on the backs of the chairs in front of them, another one trying to do something like a shadow play in the light of a projector right in the middle of the performance.. and the young lady in a mini and high heels climbing over the rows just finished me off

this reminds me of my saudi friend who quite some years ago went to a performance of a visiting circus here in jeddah with her friend..  it was a mixed gathering, i have to mention.. and how weird did they feel when during the whole performance they were like the only ones clapping and cheering for the actors.. the circus stopped coming shortly after...

what is the reason for this kind of behavior? is it arrogance and lack of morality or is it just because people don't really know how they should behave in such kind of gatherings, simply because they don't have a chance to attend many (or any at all)?

Pork Actually

so i was watching rachael ray talk/cooking-show on a saudi-owned channel (where they cut all the indecent scenes and mute swear words).. she was making pork meatballs or something like that and every time she was actually saying pork they muted it! :) since when is the word pork haram? or do they think the viewers will want to eat pork after hearing the word? may be they will think it's allowed.. but please! even non-muslims know that it is forbidden in islam

so could there be a good reason for that?

Welcome To Reality

saudi arrested for murdering wife, brothers jailed for beating sister, hail pedophile murderer beheaded, - similar headlines can be found in a saudi newspaper every day.. many muslims around the world (and i used to be one of them) believe such things simply don't happen every day in ksa, for it's such an islamic society.. they come for hajj and umrah and see all the women wearing black abayas, often with niqabs, and men with beards wearing white thoubs.. hundreds of people praying in al-haram in congregation.. strangers approaching you in a mosque giving you leaflets promoting niqab.. yeah...

only, what you see when you come for hajj or umrah is not real saudi arabia.. in reality, it's basically like any other country in the world, with it's bad and ugly side.. ugly with a specific saudi twist, hushing it up and pretending it doesn't exist.. you can find all kinds of crimes here that you will find in any other country in the world, from murders and rapes to spreading drugs at schools and molestation, only here they are committed in greater secrecy and might seem more outrageous at times, because you did not expect them to happen in this country

however, i don't want to go into details, you can read about the ugly side of saudi in the newspapers and on other blogs and websites.. i just wanted to let those still living in a dream know that all kinds of things happen here and it's not as safe as it seems to be, specially for the children

and by the way, even during hajj and umrah, be creful with your stuff, some individuals manage to steal even in al-haram mosque

Too Good To Be A Worker

some 4.5 million (out of 6 million all in all) expatriates in the kingdom are employed as unskilled workers, as reported by the ministry of labour.. saudis, however, refuse to work in low-paid jobs due to cultural and social reasons

in fact, the rate of unemployment among saudis is quite high - around 9% according to official sources.. "saudisation"of labour, that is replacing foreign workers with saudis, has been going on for quite some time now but doesn't seem to improve the situation

businesses are pushed to employ more saudis and quotas are being emposed but businessmen still prefer foreigners as saudis are more expensive and less productive

they also say that education system fails to equip young saudis with the right skills as it is all based on memorising and not critical thinking.. what's more, young saudis are not taught the subjects the society needs (e.g. engineering, medicine)

also, according to a recruitment consultant "expatriates occupy these jobs largely due to the reluctance of saudis to take them because of social and cultural taboos".. saudis themselves admit that there is this idea that some jobs are for filipinos or pakistanis and a saudi male should be working at a bank or an oil company or as the manager of a company

as for young women, their job opportunities are quite limited in this sexually segregated society.. saudi women comprise 55% of graduates but only 5% of the workforce.. convincing religious conservatives that women can enter the workplace without corrupting the morals of the nation is not easy

so far, unemployment is the number one challenge for saudi arabia.. however, as saudis like to say, change is under way.. but slowly

source: saudi gazette

Children Banned From Mosques

quite some time ago it was reported in saudi gazette that most of the mosques in dammam banned children from participating in taraweeh prayers.. they employed women volunteers as guards who do not let any children inside the places of worship.. some of the mosques even posted notices on the entrances and walls saying "no children allowed"

ok, we all know how disturbing it can be with toddlers running, crying or shouting inside the mosque during the prayer.. but the funny thing is that not only toddlers but children of ages 7 and 8 were reported not to have been allowed inside.. the female guard made them stand outside in the hot weather while the mothers were praying in the mosque

most of the mosques placed praying mats outside to let children pray there, but the extreme hot climate makes them very tired and cranky.. what a perfect way to spend your first taraweeh ever! very memorable indeed

some mosques, however, let children pray in the back row without causing disturbance to others.. mothers with young girls of 5 and 6 want their children to be allowed to pray in the mosque along with grown ups so that they can learn and experience the importance of praying


it is very important to develop in children the love for prayer from an early age.. make them aware of the virtue of taraweeh and congregational prayers as well as teach them the culture of praying and the behavior inside the mosque.. but how can this be done if they are not allowed to enter the place of worship? this is indeed weird

Is Jail A Cure For Suicide Attempts?

seems like hamoud abu talib read my mind after i read the news story "indian gets jail, lashes for suicide attempt".. here's what he had to say, and i couldn't have said better

I am not sure if this incident took place during Ramadan or before, but I am more inclined to the first probability since a local daily last week published it. On this occasion, I recall an interview published early Ramadan with one of the judges under the title “The Temperament of Judges.”
Asked about the influence of fasting on the verdicts issued by the judges during Ramadan, the judge said they tend to be lenient, soft and merciful. “Whoever is judged in Ramadan should consider himself a lucky person,” he said.
We go back to the news story published in one of the local dailies last week. It said a summary court in Jeddah sentenced an Indian expatriate to two months in jail and 50 lashes for attempting to commit suicide numerous times.
Here I must ask the judge who claimed that the verdicts issued during Ramadan are lenient and soft: Is this the mercifulness you are talking about? Is this an example of it? Dear all: there is no rational person who would attempt to commit suicide no matter how much pressure and stress he is under.
No one, regardless of his race, color, religion, education or culture, would decide to commit suicide unless that person was so mentally unfit as to be incapable of thinking properly.
If a single suicide attempt is enough proof of mental problems what can we say about a man who makes many attempts? He is no doubt a sick person that needs mental and psychological treatment instead of imprisonment and whipping.
He needs doctors to treat him not judges to sentence him.
This brings to our minds the many cases of mentally unfit people who have been sent to jail.
And what would have been the sentence on this desperate Indian man if it had not been issued during Ramadan when the verdicts are soft and merciful?

source: arab news