Muslim Convert

i loved this video, i think it would be interesting for old and new converts as well as not converts.. good reminder, mashAllah

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

Friday Night Out

Saudi Marks National Day

yesterday, on wednesday september 23, saudi arabia marked its 77th national day, not only to remember the country’s unification at the hands of king abdul aziz but also to celebrate its achievements in the educational, health and economic sectors.. being the world’s largest oil exporter, it has become a member of G20 and is the largest economy in the middle east

read more in arab news

Eid Mubarak!

sorry for being late with my congrats, sisters, i didn't have access to the internet.. eid mubarak to all of you! may Allah accept good deeds from you and me

Eid Gift Ideas From Saudi

eid ul-fitr is almost here and saudi residents are busy making their last preparations for the grand event

but not only are they buying new clothes for themselves and their children (as the egyptinas usually do), but they also clean their houses and refresh them by buying new furniture or refurnishing the old and buying gifts!

so because everybody wants their homes clean and renewed by eid, carpet washing and furniture upholster businesses get more profit in the last days of ramadan than they do during the year
during the last week of ramadan the malls are crowded with last-minute shoppers.. buying gifts for children instead of giving them traditional token money is a new trend in saudi.. one of the reasons for this is that children who don't know how do deal with money properly, often misuse it.. so grown-ups these days prefer to get them such suitable gifts as stuffed toys, clothes, video games and books, as well as giving a small amount of token money

my favourite part of it all is that other members of close family also get some gifts! so here are some gift ideas from saudi- jewelry.. well, everybody knows that "diamonds are a girl's best friends", so a piece of exclusive jewelry is always welcome but with the budget being tight and avilability of highly attractive artificial jewlelry, there are cheaper alternatives.. plus a number of stores here have special offers where you can buy a whole set of accessories (wrist watch, ring, pair of earrings and necklace) with a reasonable price.. a similar package for men (wrist watch, pen, key ring and a pair of cuff studs) is also available

- perfumes and oils.. i think this is one of the gifts for muslims - not only is it a wonderful fragrant gift always easy to get, but applying a perfume is sunnah of our beloved prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).. these days perfume shops also have special offers - gift packs which in addition to the perfume include shower gels, soaps, body lotions and bath oils of the same brand, available for both men and women

- clothes.. everybody wants to wear something new in eid.. however, make sure you know the preferances and size of the reciever (it'd better be a close relative of friend).. otherwise, why not give a nice scarf to a sister?

- electronic gadgets, such as mobile phones, laptops, gaming devices, music players and so on

- gift boxes comprising traditional sweets (like baklawa and konafa), nuts and chocolates.. these are especially popular in eid

are you going to present your loved ones with any gifts this eid?

sources: arab news, 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