Friday, September 29, 2006

Water Riots in Jeddah!

Since there are no rivers that run all year in Saudi Arabia, the government has built 30 or more de-salination plants on the shores of the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf [I've always known it as the Persian Gulf, but they prefer you to call it the Arabian Gulf. It's a bit like the French not liking us calling the English Channel by that name.]

There are some artesian wells, but they are not sufficient to provide water for Saudi's growing population. [Growing? - exploding is more like it. They've gone from some 8 million people in the early '80s to an estimated 21 million in 2005. There are also an estimated 5.6 million ex-pats living in Saudi Arabia.]

The Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf are, like the Mediteranean, land-locked bodies of water that are only connected to the oceans by a very narrow channel. They are therefore, naturally much saltier than the open oceans. The effect of huge de-salination plants pumping thousand of gallons of brine every hour into these seas is to excacerbate their natural salinity. Conservationists are concerned that, sooner or later, these seas will become too salty for marine wildlife and an ecological disaster will ensue.

The mains water supply that comes from these de-salination plants is quite brackish. It is suitable for bathing and other household uses, but not for drinking and cooking. In one compound where I lived, most of the taps in the house supplied water from the mains, but the kitchen had an extra tap that provided "sweet water". Sweet water is water that contains hardly any salt and is suitable for drinkling and cooking.

Sweet water is delivered to compounds and appartment blocks by small tanker lorries. The sweet water is obtained either by further de-salination of the mains water or from artesian wells.

Recently however, the supply of water has not met demand. The following article from Arab News does not distinguich carefully between ordiary mains water and sweet water.

Water Crisis Causes Fistfights, Frustration

JEDDAH, 26 September 2006 -- With Ramadan under way, an angry mob -- already frustrated by long queues and fasting -- gathered yesterday at the main water distribution center, located in Jeddah's Aziziya District.

Tensions erupted into fisticuffs last night among some people waiting in queue to get their water tankers after the officials announced that they would stop issuing coupons needed to get water trucks for the day.

"Come back tomorrow," the official told the crowd. The disappointed and angry crowd dispersed to the parking lot where cars were parked in haphazard fashion. Police finally arrived to help direct the traffic.

Water distribution has been in the news in recent weeks because distributors have been discriminating against non-Saudis, who have been told that they must return later in the day after Saudis have been served. Furthermore, Ramadan is a peak season for domestic water consumption as families spend more time at home. A rise in demand for water leads to water cuts in many parts of the city, leaving residents scrambling to obtain a water truck from somewhere in order to fill the tanks in their buildings.

Salman Al-Qahtani said he was standing in the queue since after the Asr prayers.

"There are 400 people in front of me," said Salman Al-Qahtani as he was entering his second hour waiting in line to get a coupon for a water truck.

One angry woman was seen nearby banging with a rock on the locked door of the water distribution office trying to get the attention of somebody with authority.

After several tries, Arab News was able to speak to a person at the media relations department of the water authority, who provided the number of a high ranking official. Several tries to contact this official were unsuccessful as there was no answer.

Police officers say that more than four fistfights were reported yesterday as residents argued about who was first in line.

"I saw three fights before Duhur (noontime) prayers and saw a fourth going on a few minutes ago," said Muslih Al-Fani, resident of the Al-Samr District, east of Makkah highway. "There is no excuse for this confusion."

"We are calling on King Abdullah to fix this major problem," said Mohammed Al-Ulayan, a resident of Al-Basateen District. "This is the second time that I have come this Ramadan. The first time I waited 10 hours."

Al-Ulayan said that the second time round he decided to arrive early and so showed up at the center at 11 a.m. It took him five hours to get a water truck. Local reports say that more than 15 districts in Jeddah have been without water for over a month, sending many of these residents to the black market were -- for a premium fee -- they could have water delivered to their cisterns.

Near the Aziziya distribution center several full tanker trucks were parked: the black market for sweet water isn't far away. A vendor there who didn't want to be named told Arab News the price for a truck delivery was SR500 ($133). The rate at the nearby distribution center is SR115 ($30). This markup is encouraging some truck drivers to simply fill their trucks under the pretense of making a delivery and parking nearby to scalp the water to those willing to pay the price.

Abdul Aziz Ali, a student at the Al-Thagher High School, said most of his classmates are experiencing water shortages at home.

"Today our teacher asked the students suffering from lack of water at their homes to raise their hands. Only two students out of 30 didn't raise their hands," he said.

This could be the beginning of the end for the house of Saud. If the supply of drinking water does not keep up with the rapid growth in population, then I can forsee more and worse rioting This could eventually result in the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy.

Of course, if the house of Saud falls, then it will in all probability be replaced by a theocracy comparable to the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The idea of a Taliban-like regime with their hands on the revenues from Saudi Arabia's vast oil reserves hardly bears thinking about!

abuTrevor

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Ramadan in Saudi Arabia

Since Ramadan started a few days ago, I thought it would be appropriate to say a few words about what it’s like to be in Saudi Arabia during Ramadan. It has, however, turned into quite a long post. It is difficult to convey in only a few words or sentences what this country is like during Ramadan. A westerner who comes to work to Saudi Arabia may, after a few months, think that he is beginning to understand the country. Then comes Ramadan and everything he thinks he knows no longer applies..


The most obvious thing that changes is the opening times of shops and restaurants. Normally, shops open at 8 or 9 p.m. and stay open its time for the noon prayer. They re-open at 4 p.m. and stay open until 10 p.m., apart from two 30 minute breaks for prayer.


The weekend here is Thursday and Friday. I well remember going to the downtown shops one Thursday afternoon, shortly after I'd arrived, and finding them all closed! This is like the shops back home being closed on Saturday afternoon!


Well, you get used to this and then comes Ramadan. During your first Ramadan, you may drive to the shops in time for them to open at 4 p.m., only to find that they have just closed! In Ramadan, shops will open at about 10 a.m. and close at 3 or 4 in the afternoon. They will re-open at 8 p.m. and stay open until midnight or even later. Restaurants may stay open all night!


Just to keep you on your toes, the last prayer is now two hours after sunset instead of 90 minutes after sunset. Did I mention that all shops are required by law to close at prayer time? This would be tolerable if the prayer times were fixed, but they are not. Since the prayer times are related to the Sun, they move about with the seasons. The last two prayer times, for instance, are at sunset and 90 minutes after sunset. At certain times of the year these prayer times can change by several minutes a day, so it’s easy to loose track. The annoyance of driving to a shop or supermarket and finding that it has just closed for prayer is something that you just have to get used to.


It is easier to understand what's going on in Ramadan if you know what the locals are doing. They are abstaining from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to dusk, as are all the non-Saudi Muslims. In fact, it is against the law here for anyone to eat, drink or smoke in a public place - that includes offices – during the hours of daylight. You can be arrested and will probably be deported if you are caught breaking this law.


It used to be that companies had a special "Ramadan room" where non-muslims could eat and drink out of sight of the fasting Muslims. With increased Saudization this practice seems to have disappeared. Fortunately,I live near enough to where I work to be able to go home for lunch.


Another feature of Ramadan I want to mention is due to the Hijra calendar. The Hijra year is about 11 days shorter that the solar year. Ramadan, and all other Islamic festivals, thus occurs approximately 11 days earlier every year. Over the past few years Ramadan has fallen during either the winter or late autumn. However, this year it has started during September when temperatures still reach over 40C. In the next few years Ramadan will move progressively into the hotter months of summer.


Many manual workers who work outdoors in Saudi are recruited from the Indian subcontinent. The hardships for anyone working outside during these months and who is forbidden to eat or drink, hardly needs to be stated.


Having fasted all day, the Saudis and the other Muslims may have a small snack at sunset just before performing their prayers. They then have a special meal called "Iftar" (
literally "breakfast"). This is often a huge banquet shared with friends and family. Most companies will arrange an Iftar for employees and clients at least once during Ramadan - a bit like UK companies organizing a Christmas dinner for their employees. Now you see why last prayer is delayed by 30 minutes during Ramadan - it's to allow more time for the Iftar meal.


Another thing you become aware of during Ramadan is how dangerous it is to be on the roads just before sunset. Anyone who isn't already home is hurrying to get there in time for Iftar. You can imagine that many drivers, having fasted all day, are beginning to feel a bit light headed. Coupled with the urgency to get home and a growing disregard for traffic signals as sunset approaches, this makes the roads extremely dangerous.


It is understandable, given the heat of the day, that many Saudi tend to shop and socialize during the evening hours. This tendency is enhanced during Ramadan when wives and children will sleep as much as possible during the day. They then stay up most of the night, shopping, eating and socializing with friends and family. This, however, is tough on those who have to go to work or school the next day. Offices, shops and other workplaces will start work later (9 or 10 a.m. instead of 7 or 8 a.m.) and will close earlier. Nevertheless, it is noticeable that the efficiency of any Saudi worker gradually decreases during Ramadan until, by the end, he's almost a zombie.


How much this affects the Saudi economy can hardly be guessed at. And how much a Saudi child learns at school during Ramadan is also very questionable.


Finally, I want to mention that Islam has many exemptions to the rules of fasting, e.g. children, nursing mothers and the sick. They are, however, applied far more liberally in other Muslim countries, or so I am told. Also, much more consideration is given to non-Muslims in countries such as Egypt. where you will find some restaurants open during the day so that non-Muslims can eat.


abuTrevor

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

A Cure for Diabetes and a Forced Marriage?

Saudi Arabia has (to my knowledge) two english language newspapers: "Arab News" and "The Saudi Gazette".

The Arab News is nicknamed the "Green Truth" - "green" because the outer sheet is printed on green paper. The "truth" bit is sarcasm; it refers to the censorship imposed on the media by the Saudi government. Of late, however, I believe that I've noticed a slight relaxation in this censorship and a willingness by Arab News to print articles that are slightly critical of at least the Saudi way of life, if not the government.



Let's leave this sidetrack and move on to the main issue of this post. Two days ago, Arab News published the following short article on it's back page:-

Man Gets Bride by 'Curing' Diabetes

Arab News 24/9/06

JEDDAH - An elderly man in Renya was so ecstatic in his belief that another man had cured his diabetes with an herbal remedy that he offered the medicine man a gift: His daughter. Now the medicine man is off on a honeymoon, and for the time being isn't able to offer his patients a cure that all the science in the world has been unable to discover, but is allegedly locked a secret herbal recipe "discovered" by one man in Jeddah, the daily AI- Madinah reported yesterday. Great! So as soon as the man returns from his honeymoon, Ministry of Health officials should pay him a visit so that Saudi Arabia can give to the world a cure that has so far eluded the brainpower of the world's scientific community. (Either that, or the old man should go immediately to a hospital before he dies believing that his potentially fatal blood sugar condition has been cured.)


Despite the jocular tone taken by the reporter, there is a serious issue here - how did the daughter feel about being married off to this quack? How did she feel when her father came home and said "Wonderful news! This clever man has cured my diabetes amd I want you to marry him"? Did she think to herself "This man who has cured my father is so wonderful that I want to marry him" or was she perhaps forced by her father to marry him?

Back in April last year the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh issued a fatwa saying that forced marriages were un-islamic and that fathers who force daugthers into unwanted marriages should be imprisoned. A CBS report on this item said:-

The high number of forced marriages is believed to be the main reason behind the sharp increase in divorce. According to Saudi newspapers, about half of all marriages end in divorce.

Now anyone who has lived in the Middle East knows that appearance is much more important than the reality. Despite the fatwa issued last year, I strongly suspect that forced marriages are still a fact of life for many youbng women in Saudi Arabia, especially in small towns and villages away from the large cities.

abuTrevor

What's it like in Saudi Arabia?

Welcome to my Blog!

I'll use my first post to explain why I'm writing this blog. Occaisionally, when I'm back home in Blighty, I get asked "What's it like in Saudi Arabia?" At first I was left speechless by this question; it's very difficult to describe how stange some aspects of this country are to a westerner. Later I would reply with another question: "How many hours have you got?" This, I hoped, would give the (correct) impression that Saudi Arabia is very different to anything they are used to and it would take several hours to answer their question.

This blog is an attempt to take the answer to the question above a little further.

Many times in the years I've been here I've personally experienced events, or heard from friends about events, or read in the local press about events, that would help to give someone who doesn't know Saudi Arabia, some idea of how different this country is. From now on, as I come accress such events, I will be able to record them here.

Of course, I'm an opinionated so-and-so or I wouldn't be arrogant enough to think that people might want to read something that I've written. So, from time-to-time, I will take the opportunity to express my opinion on some World event that I feel strongly about.

I do hope you will continue to read my blog.

Regards,
abuTrevor