By Abdullah Sadiq Dahlan
Okaz
FOR several years we have been calling for the establishment of an independent authority or ministry to take care of Saudi immigrants in foreign countries.
Some people think this is a peripheral issue that does not warrant the formation of a separate ministry or authority. Others consider Saudis living outside the Kingdom as a shame to the nation. There are yet others who oppose the use of the term muhajiroon (migrants) to describe immigrants because the word has religious connotations related to the Hijrah (migration) of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions from Makkah to Madinah. These people believe that the Hijrah should take place from a land of infidels to the land of Islam. They often ignore the fact that there is an international definition for immigrants and the United Nations has set up a separate organization to look after them.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been looking after people who had to leave their countries as a result of civil wars, political turmoil and racial, religious or sectarian discrimination. It coordinates with developed and developing countries to host refugees or extend donations to finance educational, training and health programs for immigrants.
There is another group of immigrants who have left their countries on their own due to a host of other reasons — search of knowledge, employment, medical treatment and business opportunities or simply the desire to live with one›s relatives. This kind of migration, which ends up in people accepting the citizenship of the host countries, is common around the world. With or without citizenship, these immigrants receive the right and incentives to invest in the host country.
Some people still believe that Saudis will not migrate to other countries because the Kingdom is rich and provides its citizens with all facilities including free education and healthcare. This is a wrong notion. There are more than 3 million Saudi immigrants living outside the Kingdom.
We do not have the correct data on the Saudi expats. However, there are considerable Saudi immigrant communities in Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Yemen, the United States and the European countries. Many of them have obtained citizenship in the host countries while others have permanent residency. In addition, hundreds of children born to Saudi fathers and foreign mothers live abroad.
I don’t want to talk about the huge wealth of Saudi immigrants outside the Kingdom and about the flight of capital to other countries to evade taxation and Zakat payments.
My intention here is to propose the establishment of a ministry or general authority to take care of Saudi immigrants in foreign countries to protect their rights and the rights of their children to education and employment. Such support will help Saudi doctors, engineers and professors who work at reputable hospitals and universities abroad to build on their capabilities.
Some of these doctors practice at reputable international hospitals in the US including Cleveland, Johns Hopkins and Massachusetts. Others work at university hospitals in Switzerland, Britain, Germany and France. Some of them have obtained international awards for their research works and scientific inventions. There are a number of outstanding Saudi doctors and researchers in the US.
I am quite sure that these Saudi doctors and intellectuals will be able to win more international awards and prizes if they get adequate support from the Saudi government. Saudis living abroad have proved that great thoughts, inventions and distinctive ideas are not the monopoly of Americans, Japanese, Europeans or the Chinese.
I can say without doubt that there are Saudi men and women who can compete with intellectuals at the international level. What they need is government support.
Many scientists and researchers even won Nobel prizes while living in foreign countries. During the early Islamic era, hundreds of companions of the Prophet migrated to other countries and died there. So living in a foreign country is not a shame. And all immigrants are not opponents of the government or those who have sought political asylum. Patriotism runs in the veins of every Saudi wherever he or she lives.
I decided to write an article on this topic again out of my conviction that Saudis living abroad need the government’s support and care as they are the Kingdom’s ambassadors. I am thankful for being born in a country that does not need the financial support of its expatriate community. There are many Arab and Islamic countries that depend heavily on remittances by their nationals working abroad.
Will anyone support my proposal?
