By Layan Damanhouri
JEDDAH — The international media tends to highlight Saudis as extremists and little is voiced in response. This led Saudi entrepreneur Hani Khoja to write “A Global Nomad in Search of True Happiness” published this year.
What many people around the world are not aware of is that most Saudis are fun-loving, intelligent people who care about others and want to make a positive impact on the world, according to Khoja who is considered one of the few Saudis to publish books in English.
The world sees Saudis as either radicals or the other extreme of being rich and promiscuous, he explains. However, Saudis are not speaking up and expressing themselves due to their private culture. “The silent majority is suffering from the images portrayed by the 0.01% extremists,” he said in an interview with Saudi Gazette.
The book is a combination of an autobiography of a Saudi who like many others, lived in different countries and was influenced by other cultures shaping cosmopolitan identities.
Referring to the statement of former US president George Bush in 2001 who declared, ‘You are either with us or against us’, Khoja began to question one’s identity as a Muslim who doesn’t want to be considered an enemy of the West.
Khoja simultaneously shares his reflections on his personal experiences and offers a step-by-step guide to readers to find one’s true purpose to be happy.
Engineer by degree and an entrepreneur by profession, he shares his personal insights in attaining true happiness that he believes is not found in a successful career alone. He lays out exercises to define one’s true passions and skills and utilizing them to find one’s life purpose to help others. Helping others and being of service is only effective when one uses the right skills, he says.
The idea derives from a verse in the Quran (165:6) stating that people have been chosen by God as his “khalifas”, or agents and inheritors, on Earth. The takeaway message is knowing you are a khalifa with a unique set of talents as is everybody else in this world, he explains. “God put us on earth to make the world better. That’s done by helping others.”
When asked about the main motivation for writing the book, he said, “I’ve seen that material wealth doesn’t bring happiness. People who are very happy are the ones helping others.”
The author further takes the opportunity to talk about Saudi culture and Saudi citizens based on his personal life, revealing a social aspect of the Kingdom and its transformations since the 1970s until present-day Saudi Arabia.
He intimately confides his reflections and experiences of a Saudi growing up in a clash of cultures between an American lifestyle and adapting to life in Riyadh, one similar to many Saudis who have experiences in different parts of the world.
In his choice of title, he refers to himself as a nomad wandering between life in the United States, Europe, and the Kingdom as well as an avid traveler to exotic places around the world.
Though the author doesn’t limit himself to addressing a Saudi or local audience, he says: “The book is not for a certain nationality but mainly for people who are doing well but feel there’s something missing and feel like they can do more.
“The other group is of those who are starting out their life and planning ahead.”
He says he encourages people to break the barriers of fear and insecurity in making the world a better place in helping others and be of service whether it be through an entrepreneurial venture, a volunteer, a passion, or hobby that brings joy to others.
When asked about whether some Saudis would consider him influenced by the West or foreign cultures, Khoja said, “They would say I’m saying something new or different. It doesn’t bother me. People in closed societies don’t like change and are fearful and distrusting. Some have even questioned my real intentions.”
On the literary scene in Saudi Arabia, Khoja sees it as “limited but improving”. He says: “There are more Saudis writing stories, fiction, political, social, and self-help books. And people are expressing themselves and revealing themselves more. The more book fairs we have, freedom for authors, more poets, children book writers, and quality of books, the readership will increase.”
“A Global Nomad in Search of True Happiness” is Khoja’s first book and he will likely write continuations expanding on the book’s concept by narrating other Saudis’ lives and their achievements.
