Mahmoud Ahmad

 

Often, other nationalities accuse Saudi society of being racist and also not respecting or valuing other cultures. I do tend to agree with the latter part of the observation, as we do not have a reputation of a society that is tolerant and accepting other cultures.



A vast majority of non-Saudis, whether here or abroad, believe Saudis are arrogant and racist. They accuse them of looking down on other nationalities, especially people from the Asian subcontinent countries because they come from a poor background.



Even the late Minister of Labor Ghazi Al-Gosaibi accused Saudis of being “arrogant and racist” while addressing the heads of labor departments in Saudi provinces back when he was a minister.



I witnessed an incident last year at a restaurant when a Saudi, who was dining there, was served the wrong order by mistake. I would not blame the Indian waiter for this inadvertent error because the restaurant was packed that night. It could have happened anywhere, as it happens often times to many people.



I was, however, shocked at the reaction of the Saudi when he waded his way to the waiter with strong words. The waiter did not reply during the virtual verbal assault. Along with the many insulting words, the Saudi told him that he had no brains and that he would see to it that he’s deported if the mistake is repeated.



I, along with others at the restaurant, interceded and told him to calm down. We told him that he was overreacting and he should apologize to the waiter. He then directed his vitriol at us and in the end accused us of not being genuine Saudis.



The unreasonableness of the person’s call and his rationale behind it made us realize that it would be futile to argue with this person. At that stage it would be better for all to call it a case closed. For the racist person not only represented himself, but also felt that his actions were right.



While incidents of racism are certainly prevalent in our society, as in every society, it would be unfair to label our entire society as racist. That’s the argument I would like to present.



I would also like to state that those who are or have become racist are the products of “indirect” education. By “indirect”, I mean that at family or school level they are told or made to feel superior.



For example, when these persons attend school, they are indirectly told that they are the best and the world’s best example of Muslim nations. That’s the very reason why the holy sites are in Saudi Arabia, and that’s the reason why they are somehow superior to others.



They are also made to believe that they are superior to others because they are blessed with wealth and oil and those are the very reason that has made other nationalities come to Saudi Arabia to work. This is another reason why they are somehow superior to others.



Tribalism too did play a role in instilling racist feelings. Each child was indirectly told that his tribe was superior to other or he was superior to others because he was from a certain region.



I remember during my time in middle and high school, racism somehow existed against anyone who was not Saudi. I would not blame anyone because our society was closed and we had no knowledge of what was going on outside our country.



There was only one television channel and later it became two. Only those who traveled abroad brought back with them the fact that we are not unique. They told us that there was another world out there and other cultures and civilizations.



We were never taught to accept other cultures and be open to them. Instead, it was instilled in us that our culture was the best and we should protect it from other inferior cultures.



What people should understand, and I think they know this already, is that racism is a global phenomenon and is not only limited to our countries. Racism exists in a major way even in developed countries, especially against the foreign migrant population.



Today there are many forms of racism because it is spawned by insular vision, a lack of education and much-needed knowledge about others with a spirit of being embracive and inclusive. Racist people generally show themselves to be inferior in knowledge and close-minded and do not want to open themselves up to other cultures and accept them.



I remember once, when I was visiting Dubai, an expatriate, to whom I had introduced myself as a Saudi, working there told me that Saudis are racist. I was taken aback by this candid generalization. I asked him if he had met all Saudis in the Kingdom in order to reach that conclusion. It was his turn to be taken aback, and he sheepishly conceded that he should not have generalized.



I did say that we are not perfect but it would be wrong to tar us all by the same brush. I would also like to add here to my Saudi brethren that  if we think that we are superior to others then we are living in an illusion.



Racism is an individual characteristic and does not represent the vast majority of people and society. When someone encounters a racist situation, it is extremely wrong to blame the whole society for the action of one, because I as a person do not want to be characterized as racist because of the mistake of an ignorant compatriot.



Sadly the vast majority of people are quick to label the entire society with anything because they encountered one unpalatable situation.



Racism is everywhere. It exists even among the citizens of one country. Saudi Arabia should not be accused as a racist country and the government is taking penal actions against any racist act of  anyone if proven in court. The steps are efforts to root out racism.



I pity those who profess the thought that Indians are not as perfect as us when Indian civilization is centuries old and their culture is very rich. India exports engineers and doctors to all over the world and their contributions are praised. Filipinos are the rising tiger in Asia and belong to a nation that is disciplined and hardworking and exporting excellent labor all over the world with great contribution.



Egyptian civilization and culture long existed before us and we were affected by their culture. With all these facts I ask, why is a Saudi still racist?



We are not perfect and other people are not perfect. Racism has no nationality. Let’s all live the prophetic saying in Islam there is no difference between black and white and Arabs and non-Arabs.



– Mahmoud Ahmad can be reached at [email protected]