Seham Al-Sharekh
I HAVE written before about the importance of improving our country’s image and avoiding negative practices. Some of us need to work on our behavior and the way we think. Some members of the public insist on engaging in practices that contradict the values they pretend to stand for. The problem is that the excuses we use to justify these actions are no longer acceptable or even plausible. There is a stark difference between what we say and what we do.
Let me give you some examples. Firstly, hostility against women in our society has been on the increase despite the fact that women’s dignity should be safeguarded and protected. In some cases, women are abused or beaten in public. This is completely negative and improper. Secondly, the way we treat expatriate workers is not fair. Some of us deprive them of their basic rights and financial entitlements. I do not want to generalize but there are many expatriate workers who have been abused and treated like slaves.
Thirdly, schools teach our children that removing harmful things from the road is an act of charity. A quick look will, however, reveal to us that our streets are full of potholes, bumps and cracks. All these are harmful things and could lead to people being inured and even dying. Many companies that undertake road projects do not follow safety requirements and do not seem to care about road users.
Fourthly, we say cleanliness is next to godliness while the majority of our mosques remain unclean. If we look at the rest rooms in airports, hotels, hospitals and malls, we find that they are anything but clean. The same holds true for public parks.
Fifthly, Allah urges us to be moderate, and not waste food and squander money but most of us buy more than we need and throw the rest in the garbage. Sixthly, Allah asks us to argue politely with others. However, we will unleash a barrage of curses and swear words at anyone who opposes us. Why do we view differences of opinion with such hostility?
Seventhly, we think badly of people and make hasty judgments about them. When a minister laughed at what a citizen said, many people attacked the minister and made fun of him and even mocked him.
I think our society should be truthful, rise to the occasion and uphold values of respect, discipline and human rights. Families and schools should undertake this duty.
