Research Programs

It has always puzzled me why I don’t hear anything about research programs in Arab countries. With all the money they have, how is that they don’t have laboratories in universities and private and public establishments carrying out original research in all fields of science and technology such as medicine, engineering, physics, agriculture and other related fields?

All I hear is of Arab governments buying arms — for reasons I cannot comprehend. So far as I can see, there is no enemy in sight. And the enemies they have are so powerful that they cannot be stopped with the weapons the Arabs are buying. Arms manufacturers, mostly from the West, are happy to sell these weapons and make billions. Arms are needed but weapons powerful enough to be effective against the real enemies of Arabs cannot be bought — they will have to be made. That also means research and development.

If the money that is now going into the purchase of weapons were spent on research and development, in a few years’ time, there would be a prosperous Ummah that could hold its own against any of its enemies. If only Arab governments were prepared to give this the priority it deserved, nothing would hold them back from real progress.

By Allah’s Grace, they have the funds needed to start these programs and to develop the human resources needed to run them. The whole thing cannot take off in a day. Vast amounts will have to be spent on education. In the beginning, this can be done in a small way.

The one thing that we all can be sure is that it will have to be done sooner or later. Our world may have become a global village but it is not a commune where everything is shared by everyone. It is a free-market where the haves kill and pillage to keep what they have and to take what others have. It is only the fittest who will survive in this village, and if there are no Muslim scientists to serve the Muslim Ummah and keep up with the rest, nature will take its course. It is science and technology that will determine who rules and who gets stepped on.

Niyaz Yoosuff • Colombo, Sri Lanka published 29 November 2004

Customer Care

In the journey of the Kingdom’s shoppers from the corner store through the supermarket to the hypermarket, they have gained many things — and also lost many. One of the latter is customer care. There is no awareness of customer value in the local market. I learned this lesson once again during the Eid holidays in a particularly painful way. I had ordered a birthday cake from the biggest name in sweets in Riyadh. Since it was covered in cream when I took delivery, I did not realize that it was different from the type I had ordered. It was only when it was cut I realized that it was all chocolate which nobody in my home liked.

The birthday was ruined for my son. The next day, I took the cake back to the shop and told them that it was not what I had ordered. They accepted the cake, but denied any responsibility for the mistake. They offered to make another cake for me, which I refused because it was of no use at that time; the occasion had passed. I demanded my money back. They were not prepared to refund it in full and asked me to take SR100 as a compromise amount. The issue was not the money. My demand was that they should accept their mistake. This experience was very different from the treatment I have received as a customer in the US. There, the customer is king.

Wasim Jamil • Riyadh published 29 November 2004

Obesity in Schools

Though the type of food is a factor in the worrying trend of obesity among Saudis, as Amir Al-Shahrani rightly observed in his article “Obesity in Our Schools (Local Press, Nov. 24) the real cause is that children do not get enough exercise and hence no opportunity to burn calories. Since children need to eat to grow, the solution should be sought not in restricting food but in giving them more exercise.

The point that needs to be remembered here is that children cannot be taught what their elders do not practice. They learn from their parents, teachers and society around them. The lifestyle in the Kingdom is such that people have no opportunity to move their muscles. All the action they get is walking from the front door to the car and from the car to the office door when working, and to the supermarket when going shopping. This is different from most other countries where going to work or market involves some walking. This requires that people go out for a walk. But this is not happening — maybe because of Saudi culture and tradition.

I join Amir Al-Shahrani in commending the Ministry of Health for launching a national awareness campaign in coordination with the World Health Organization to address the problem. The authorities should not stop with creating awareness; they should also create the conditions that would make it possible for people to put into practice what the awareness campaign has taught them — facilities to burn off their excess fat and maintain good health.

Candido E. Emmanuel, Jr. • Riyadh published 29 November 2004

Saudi Women

The report “Saudi Women Seek End to Home Abuse” (Nov. 25) is another telling example of how far Muslims have moved away from Islam and how religious authorities have failed in their role as teachers.

Islam gives equal rights to both male and female. But unfortunately Muslim males all around the globe have always succeeded in denying women that equality because women are unaware of their rights under Islam. I am sure if marriages (nikah) are performed observing all the conditions laid down by Islam and women are educated about their rights before the nikah, the problems reported in the article — such as hanging around courts for divorce decisions — will never happen. As far as I know, Islam allows women to impose conditions at the time of nikah.

Shahid Khan • Jeddah published 29 November 2004

Saudi Women [2]

We in America used to have a system where divorce was uncommon. The laws were strict. Those who sought it had to prove drug or alcohol abuse, infidelity, or physical abuse in the partner. Then the laws were liberalized gradually until it has reached the other extreme end. However, it seems to be slowly returning to a more common sense view. Laws should not create problems, but solve them. This applies to all cultures.

Phillip L. Standley • United States published 29 November 2004

Saudi Women [3]

As a person who lived in Saudi Arabia for some years and knew many such personal tragedies, I would like to say that the issue of women’s situation in the Kingdom needs urgent attention. The authorities and religious leaders need to look into the matter and ensure that rules are interpreted as liberally as possible so that women can be freed from unnecessary unhappiness. I believe women’s causes are more important and deserve more focused action than cellular phones with camera. Hopefully, all such misery will end when women, who are seeking to end these abuses, get a voice in policy-making. That will happen when they can run in elections and win seats in lawmaking bodies.

Carmencita Perez • United States published 29 November 2004

Saudi Women [4]

I don’t understand why this policy remains in a society that claims to follow the Islamic law of Shariah. Islam gives full rights to women and lays down rules that will ensure them physical, financial, emotional and psychological security. What is the problem here? A husband comes home in the middle of the night drunk, and beats up his wife. What does Islam say about this? We don’t need the West or the UN to do something about this when Islam has all the provisions to protect the rights of women. Where are the scholars who should be speaking up when Islamic laws are being violated as a policy? I really don’t understand.

Magdalene Madhoun • Dhahran published 29 November 2004

Saudi Women [5]

This is such a sad situation. But think how bad it is for the expat wife of a Saudi. She has no family to support her and, once the husband is unhappy with a foreign wife, his family supports him; they too abuse the woman or simply look the other way. Further, approaching the law is no solution. The police tend to side with the man. That puts the woman in real trouble because she has to return to the home of the abuser. Society must speak out against domestic abuse. It is not uncommon that once a man begins abusing the wife, the children also are abused. The physical abuse is awful, and the emotional and verbal abuse is just as damaging. Saudi men must be taught that abuse is unacceptable and that abuse reflects on the type of person he is and the type of family he is from.

Mary Gant • Jeddah published 29 November 2004

Saudi Female Pilot

It was fantastic to read, in your report “First Saudi Female Pilot Lands Job With Kingdom Holding” (Nov. 24), about Capt. Hindi’s triumph and Prince Alwaleed’s bold move in hiring this very capable person to move people and things through the sky. It was also sad to imagine that this same person would then be driven by a male from one place to another on the ground. Ironic — isn’t it?

Usman Madha • Culver City, CA, US published 29 November 2004

Zardari’s Release

The release from jail of Asif Zardari, husband of Benazir Bhutto, has made a mockery of the judiciary in Pakistan. Obviously, as usual, power centers, not judges are taking decisions. It is impossible to believe that justices, acting on their own, would have agreed to free a man guilty of looting Pakistan and killing many people. The release is a clear attempt to please the People’s Party.

The likes of Benazir Bhutto, Zardari, Nawaz Sharif and Altaf Hussain should be banned from holding political office because of their record of misrule. Such a thing, however, is unlikely to happen in Pakistan. It is against our country’s political culture. We act as though as soon as politicians are out of power, they become very good democrats.

Our politicians may not admit it, but our country was rescued from the brink of collapse when they were driven out of power. Pakistan is a developing country and needs development projects and progress, not political machinations and intrigue. Leaders must realize their responsibilities and show political maturity, learning lessons from their dismal performances in the past. As of now, there is no one in today’s Pakistan in whose leadership people have confidence or trust.

Whenever the present government takes initiatives that will help people, those efforts are thwarted by interest groups with mass rallies, shutdowns and strikes. Though they are democratic rights in mature democracies, these actions are abused in Pakistan for political gain. Every country in the world has unemployment and hardship. There is no magic wand that will create prosperity. Only hard work does it; rallies don’t. In the interest of Pakistan, the likes of Zardari should remain in jail and the key thrown away. If he can’t be kept in jail, he should be sent out of the country — and kept there.

Zafar Raja • Alkhobar published 29 November 2004