I have been in KSA for about a couple of years now and as a keen observer of social behavior, I look at Saudi society with microscope. Without any doubts, there are many aspects of Saudi society that are required to be rectified. However, there are number of things related to Saudi culture and way of life, which I really love and admire. Following is a brief narrative of those highlights.
It’s Salah Time – Shut everything down!
It doesn’t matter if you are having a discussion with sales boy at Audi store or having desi-tea (chaey) at some roadside tea stall; everything will be shutdown once Allah-u-Akbar is raised from the area mosque. Even the most modernized of shops and stores are closed down for ‘Salah Time’. All sales activities and businesses are put to halt for 20 to 30 minutes and Police patrols business areas to make sure that this law is followed by all. It allows shopkeepers and buyers to perform prayers with ease and comfort, and for me, this is the loveliest practice of Saudi society.
If someone is shouting ‘Siddiq’ or ‘Muhammad’, he may be calling you!
It is said for successful managers that they are good at remembering names of people they met. Even if they haven’t met a person for some time, they have ability to readily call him with his name. This is a wonderful trait to possess, however, there are situations where you forget the name of a person standing right in front of you and while shaking hands, you are trying hard to recall his name. If such situation happens in Saudi Arab, you can call him ‘Siddiq’ or ‘Muhammad’; both the names have great respect in this society and are often used when you don’t know the name of other person. So if you are wandering around outside and you hear somebody shouting ‘Siddiq’ or ‘Muhammad’, it’s better to stop and take a look, he might be calling you.
Girl & Boy at a hotel; they are considered married.
This will be really interesting for all those who want to understand the importance of social behavior regarding accepting or rejecting a particular norm. I have been to shopping malls and restaurants many times with my wife, and, not even a single time, either some police official has asked me for marriage certificate or somebody has given me sarcastic look of being on ‘date’ with my ‘girl friend’. If a boy and a girl are roaming around, it is understood that they are in Islamic relationship. It’s just embedded in the society and it is the way the whole society looks at any couple. I understand that there might be some unmarried couples around also who exploit this opportunity, but this consideration doesn’t exist in society. Society doesn’t recognize an unmarried couple and it is considered a heinous social crime here. Definitely, there are reasons why Saudi Arab has lower crime rate than many ‘modern’, ‘civilized’ and ‘enlightened’ countries.
As I stated earlier, Saudi Arab doesn’t offer a perfect society, neither have I considered it an ideal one. What I have stated above is based on my personal experience and observation. With all mentioned positive aspects, there are, definitely, many problems with this society that need to be addressed.
However, whenever you plan to visit Saudi Arab, you will definitely appreciate these positive notes of Saudi Society.
