Qenan Al-Ghamdi

Makkah



We all know that the illegitimate children have no hand in their destiny. They are victims who found themselves born to unknown parents.



As a Muslim society, we should never look down at this category of people. Rather, we should consider them equal to us with the same rights and duties.



Unfortunately, the majority of us are looking at them with contempt and disdain. I still remember our friend Sameer Mohammed (not his real name). He is the author of the book titled: "The Illegitimate Child". Sameer himself was born illegitimate. He was columnist at the Dammam-based Alsharq newspaper about two years ago, but he refused to reveal his real name.



He was a fine writer and a very successful man both in his professional and personal life. He knew very well that if he revealed his real identity and told his readers that he was illegitimate, he would lose their respect. They might stop reading his articles and books completely. So he kept his real identity to himself.



Today I will tell you about the predicament of these people with the rules and regulations of employment and with society at large. This came to me in a letter from a noble man who told the story of an illegitimate girl whom he fostered. He wrote:



"Myself and my wife took into custody a parentless baby girl who was disabled. We became her foster parents. This was 23 years ago.



“We educated her properly and brought her up according to the Islamic values and traditions. She continued her education until she graduated from the university with honors. She obtained a bachelor's degree in history with an average of 3.34.



“She looked here and there for a job to ensure her future and protect herself against the risks of time but she could not. This girl has no one to help her except our government and our charitable men and women.”



“My question here is: Why is this category of people not exempted from all the rules and conditions of employment? Why are they not appointed in government or private jobs? Why do we side with their bad luck and miserable social circumstances against them? Why do we not help them to be good members of society?



“The judge who made us foster parents of this girl wrote in the custody deed that she was free and that her guardian was the ruler of this country.



“If the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques himself is her guardian, on equal footing with all the other Saudi citizens, why can she not get a job? Why would some government officials stand in the way of the parentless citizens and obstruct their employment?



“I contacted the Department of Civil Status in Jeddah several times about the employment of my foster daughter but the director told me that her papers were sent to the ministry's main office in Riyadh for processing. This has been his answer to me for years.



“How many parentless children do we have in this country? Probably they are not more than a few hundred, especially the university graduates. Why do we not employ them on an exceptional basis in consideration of their personal circumstances?



“We know that most of the charity activities are directed toward the orphan children. But what about the parentless ones who have nobody to take care of them? Are they not the most worthy of charity? They are alone with no mothers, fathers, relatives or tribes.



“We should look with respect and concern at the illegitimate children because they are not responsible for their own fate."



The letter of the noble man ended here. It pained me a lot. I appeal to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, the king of humanity, to take good care of the illegitimate citizens and provide them with jobs that will preserve their honor and dignity.