By Hadi Al-Yami
PEOPLE diplomacy plays a significant role in exchanging cultures between different communities and nations and strengthening their friendship. Many advanced countries use it to promote themselves as well as their values and heritage.
By people diplomacy I mean not only the exchange of visits by delegations of intellectuals and media persons but also people to people meetings. As we are a people who like traveling all over the world looking for rest and recreation, I believe that Saudi tourists in foreign countries can give a good impression about Saudi people to citizens of their host countries, and remove stereotypes about them. We should make strenuous efforts to correct the picture of Saudis, which has been disfigured by the media, movies and novels that describe Saudis as a wealthy people who lead a lavish life spending their time in worldly enjoyment.
Many foreigners who have visited the Kingdom for the first time have expressed their surprise seeing the reality of Saudis against the wrong picture and stereotypes they had about them. One of them told me that he never expected young Saudis working at the stock market or extending services at airports or roaming in patrol vehicles to protect the security of the Kingdom and its people.
That visitor had come with the belief that Saudis and businessmen recruit their workers from foreign countries and do not pay them their salaries. I gave him a copy of the Saudi labor law and paper cuttings of actions taken by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development against Saudi employers who violated the law, imposing heavy fines and closing down businesses. This explanation helped change his perception of Saudi Arabia and its people.
If we try to find out the reason for creating false images of Saudis in the minds of foreigners, especially among the Westerners, we can see that it is the handwork of some propaganda machines having vested interests and hidden agenda. Some Saudi tourists in European countries have also contributed to creating this bad image as a result of their irresponsible actions.
We have seen some Saudi tourists squatting in public parks, staying there late in the night playing cards. They also throw cans of drinks and used tissue in the streets. Some young Saudis sit in areas allocated for families while others go to public places to show off their luxurious cars.
There are others who give a bad impression about Saudis through their despicable behavior and actions. Fortunately, the picture of Saudi Arabia as a state and government is different from what is projected by these Saudis as the government has done a lot to impress other countries and peoples.
Saudi Arabia has become the center of attention as a result of its activities such as establishment and financing of the United Nations counterterrorism center, organizing of interfaith and intercultural dialogue conferences, ensuring oil market stability and forming an Islamic alliance to combat terrorism, in addition to its charitable and humanitarian programs. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stated that Saudi Arabia is the biggest donor to UN humanitarian programs.
Saudis have to make joint efforts to correct the bad image about them, using every opportunity to highlight the Kingdom’s great culture and humanitarian activities. In fact, we don’t need to travel abroad to do this diplomatic push because we are the only country in the world that host millions of people from all over the world who come to perform Haj and Umrah.
Saudi Arabia exerts great efforts in the service of the guests of God but it has to do more to change the negative stereotypes about Saudis. Our efforts to provide foreign aid will not be enough to change wrong perceptions about our country. Why don’t we organize cultural and literary seminars and conferences during the Haj season in different languages, including English, French and German in order to interact with foreigners in their languages?
In my opinion this would be the best way to promote Saudi Arabia. The pilgrims who take part in such functions will become advocates of the Kingdom and its defenders. They will highlight the merits of Saudi Arabia and its people. Holding such programs in Arabic language in closed halls, spending millions of riyals will not have the same positive impact.
We have to seriously engage in this correction campaign before it is too late. We have to present ourselves to others in the best manner and interact with others in the best language in order to remove the stereotypes that we are a rich people who run after worldly pleasures in the streets of Europe, America and other tourist destinations.
