Pop-Saudi: Christmas in Jeddah

Dear Mohammad,

Thank you for introducing me to your country. You showed me a Saudi Arabia I didn’t expect.

2 months ago I decided to spend my Christmas holidays in Saudi. Every year I combine some down time – under the sun – with a learning trip. This time it was Saudi’s turn.

This year the inspiration came from a collaboration I started with Muslim charities in Europe. What makes Saudi an attractive destination is a combination of the Red Sea – heaven for scuba divers – together with its reputation. It’s the most slandered country in the world thanks to their unique mix of conservatism, fundamentalism and terrorism. At least the myth appeals to me!

However, it’s neither the Red Sea nor its infamy that make Saudi unique but the the fact we’re all bound to this country as the world’s top oil producer and heart of the second largest religion in the world – Islam.

Europeans in particular must pay attention. Europe has an ageing society and will have to ‘import’ up to 100 million foreign workers in the next 40 years. Those people will mainly come from Muslim countries, especially the Arab countries in the Mediterranean.

Such a massive migration flow (equivalent to 1/5 of the current total population of European) will increase the cultural conflict that is already spreading across the continent. At the same time  it will engender further integration between Europe and Arab countries with social and political impact on both sides.

Okay but that’s the long-term let’s get back to my trip. Before travelling I read a few books – such as ‘The Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette’ – and did some research on the Internet. The situation didn’t look simple. For the first time when travelling, I was concerned. I even left all my medicines at home for fear of being searched at customs. I wouldn’t have been able to explain the haemorrhoids cream in my bag!

But I passed the customs officer, who barely looked at my visa, and jumped straight into a taxi feeling relieved. From that point onwards my trip has been a revelation, leaving behind what I had learnt up to this point.

Your engagement with volunteers is remarkable – I was not expecting to see volunteering projects in Saudi – and you were an excellent chaperone for me and Darren. We’ve spent the last 5 days strolling through the narrow alleys of  old Jeddah, roasting under the sun and scuba-diving in the reef. We tried all types of local food and went to the gym to trade off. You almost convinced me to buy the new ‘pop thobe‘ (see the picture) which young Saudis have started wearing instead of the traditional white.

In a few days I have experienced the beauty of a country, which has moved from camels to Internet in less than 70 years. This makes me wonder about the meaning of development – as China did – and what this means for Western countries which pretend to have reached some level of perfection; the same they expect of the rest of the world.

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Christmas; understanding rather than consuming.

However, my liberal friends back in London are right when they express doubts about the status of women in the country. They’re all small, silent and wrapped in black cloth. I doubt you can keep them in such a condition for much longer if Saudi is really committed to modernization. It’s also true we could argue the same for the Vatican.

What struck me the hardest is the difficulties that NGOs face. Talking with leaders in the sector such as Dr Noor-Wali and Dr Badahdah – both from the World Assembly of Muslim Youth – I found the same passion for world peace and progress, and at the same time discomfort for international mistrust towards Saudi NGOs and Muslims in general.

I was touched by the words of these men who would just like to do good but are hindered by their religious identities. I feel there is a call for me and a role for Europe to play. Call me Filippo of Arabia from now on!