Job Discussion Forums

[titanicman]

I'm outta here. I've only been here 1 academic year but enough is enough. Things are goin' nuts...no city is safe. The law of averages is in our favour...there's so many foreigners that the chances of one of us being hit is slight. But we are not robots...we don't work by the law of averages, neither do those people doing the hitting. They work by the law of what's the most spectacular.

Plus, I've got a pregnant wife to think about (expecting July 20). I sure wouldn't want to bring a baby into this country.

Is there any chance of this stuff spilling over into neighbouring countries like Oman, Qatar, or the UAE?

Thanks. Titanicman

[Bindair Dundat]

[veiledsentiments]

Titanicman,

I've given quite a bit of thought to this question and I think not. Certainly there is a chance of random acts by someone - and they have occurred here and there. But, I feel that they are all still as safe or safer than most countries.

The political, religious, social and economic situation is quite different in Oman, Qatar, and the UAE. Qatar is also Wahhabi, but has no discontented group of locals who feel that they have been left out of the wealth. Oman is Ibadhi, a sensible group altogether.

If I have any concerns, the UAE could have some problems when Sheikh Zayed passes. Up to this point, he has had broad political support and respect from all the tribal groups and the wealth of the country has been shared generously. But, you have details like the fact that Sharjah is heavily funded by the Saudis. But, thus far I would still recommend it as a safe place.

The two countries which I find the least stable are Bahrain and Kuwait. Both have statistically large tribal and/or religious groups who feel that they have been unfairly treated by the ruling tribes. If someone were offered a good position in one of those countries, I wouldn't tell them not to go, but I would tell them of my concerns.

VS

[james]

Hey Titanicman,

While I believe everyone must make up his or her own mind about whether it's time to go or not, I certainly concur with you. I've been here a number of years with my family and we've made many friends during our time here, but I just don't feel safe anymore. Like you, I am mindful that the chance of being the victim of violence is remote. However, with people on the prowl whose sole mission in life is to rid the Kingdom of foreigners, one would be bereft of any common sense to dismiss entirely the risk which now faces foreigners living here.

If I were a bachelor or married with no children, perhaps I would think twice about packing my bags. My decision to stay would only put me at risk of harm as a bachelor, or if married my wife, as an adult, would be able to express her feelings on the subject.

With children, though, the situation is entirely different. My personal opinion is that we do not have the right to expose our kids to a known risk when they are unable to avoid it themselves.

For me it is similar to seatbelt laws in America. If I choose to drive with no seatbelt and I end up killing myself, no one suffers from my decision, but me. If, however, I put my child in the car with no seat belt or safety seat and I end up killing him, I am entirely to blame. I do not have the right to endanger my child's life in any situation. Whether driving a car or staying in the Kingdom, it is incumbant on me to do whatever I can to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm to my child because he cannot do it himself. Consequently, we are out of here.

I know I'm rambling, so I'll close with one final request. I would urge every parent of children living in the Kingdom to think long and hard about the risk that your children may be exposed to if you make the choice to stay for the money. We can replace money, but we can't replace those near and dear to us that mean more than all the money in the world.

Peace,
James

[scot47]

Last night's murder of an Irish tv cameraman in Riyadh is just the latest outrage.

It is open season on non-Muslims. And I think the targets are non-Muslims not "foreigners".

[Gordon]

[james]

Dear Scot,

I think that you are [b]partially[/b] correct, but not entirely. It's not just non-Muslims who are being targeted. It is any Westerner that has the [b]appearance[/b] of being a non-Muslim according to certain criteria established by these criminals. I imagine they have a fixed idea of what a Muslim should look like and anyone who doesn't fit their preconceived profile is a legitimate target as far as they are concerned.

If as in Khobar victims are first asked their religion before being murdered, then you are absolutely right. If, on the other hand, the murder is random as in the case of the German Muslim in Riyadh two weeks ago then you aren't entirely right. The man in Riyadh was killed because he was a Caucasian foreigner. No one asked him anything about his religious beliefs before taking his life. He was killed for being a westerner not a non-Muslim.

I am a Muslim with greying blond hair and blue eyes from the good ole US of A. I wear jeans and polo shirts 99% of the time along with a baseball cap. I look like what I am, a westerner.

Neither my wife, of 25 years, who was born a Muslim, nor I feel safe here anymore, for ourselves or for our child. We look like any other westerners. The people who are committing these crimes will shoot us based on how we look, and then once we're dead, perhaps pull the green iqamma from my pocket and offer a belated apology. In any event I won't be able to reply as they will have already dispatched me. Dead is dead!

Of course one could always elect to don a thobe, as some ELC teachers who are not ethnicly Arab at UPM do daily, but I have always been comfortable wearing clothing that one normally associates with westerners. This is what I am after all. These killers would shoot me, just as fast as they would shoot you. They live by the motto, you CAN judge a book by its cover....especially with Caucasians.

Peace,
James

[james]

Dear Scot,

I would like to add something to my previous post that I feel was lacking.

I in no way, shape or form condone what these killers are doing in attempting to target only non-Muslims. I feel that I left the impression in my previous post, that as long as the killers leave Muslims alone that the atrocities they were committing were somehow less evil.

I do NOT feel this way and I do not wish to leave any such impression. I do not make a distinction between people based on religious beliefs. Westerners are taught from an early age to respect other people's right to believe or not believe in whatever they choose. I cannot and do not wish to divorce myself from these teachings.

When I said that these murderers live by the motto of being able to judge a book by its cover, I miserably failed to express clearly my feelings. The people committing these outrages DO NOT have the right to judge any one of us. Their crimes are NO LESS heinous simply because they have taken the lives of non-Muslims. Every life deserves the same degree of respect.

I shall leave this country very soon because it is not safe for me, my family, for you and for any westerner; Muslim or non-Muslim. What the degree of risk is to other foreigners who are not ethnically of European origens, I do not know. All I know is that even as Muslims, my wife and I feel quite vulnerable. We don't want to live like this and we don't want to expose our little boy to the avoidable risk of being randomly assaulted or killed. The money simply is not worth the worry...at least not for us.

Peace.
James