Research done by a Saudi woman from King Saud University in Riyadh has shown that 37 percent of Saudis suffer from some kind of hearing problem. The problems range from total deafness to partially impaired hearing. The study described the figure as the highest in the world and goes far beyond the 18 percent worldwide figure from the World Health Organization.
My impression based on the results is that many among us tend to say the opposite of what we actually hear. This can be attributed, as the researcher says, to a fundamental discrepancy with the auditory system. The problem becomes even more worrying when we realize that Saudis are more likely to listen than to read.
When one-third of the population has problems comprehending and communicating what they hear, this goes some way to explaining why we so often encounter varying versions of the same piece of news and why rumors spread so quickly. Letters and words are confused with each other when they travel from one person to another and when the one-third of the population with hearing problems is factored in, the result is what I call a culture of impaired listening and comprehension.
It is this culture of impaired listening that is taking us into dangerous areas with letters altered and words taken out of context. Some of those with hearing problems, especially those who have negative feelings toward ulema and preachers, will change the Arabic word “mufakkir” which means intellectual into “mukaffir” which means one who declares others infidels. The word “wasati” which means a moderate person becomes into “sultwai” — one seeking power and influence. People who promote virtue are even called the promoters of vice. Rumors spread because people rely on hearsay with information from someone who quoted another who in turn was told by a cousin or distant relative, a neighbor or an old friend and schoolmate whom he has not seen for years.
A friend who is an ENT specialist once told me that nine out of ten of the patients who come to him complain of problems relating to tonsils, throats and vocal cords and that only one in ten complains of an ear problem. If our tongues are as overworked as this indicates, it is no wonder so many complain of problems related to the vocal cords.
