Hamad Al-Salmi
Al-Jazirah
Not long ago, the video of a Saudi woman facing an embarrassing situation in Brussels, Belgium, was the talk of the town. The woman and her family were walking in the capital. She was wearing a hijab and a niqab and holding her baby in her arms. All of a sudden, Belgian police officers appeared out of nowhere and asked her to come with them to the police station. They were armed to the teeth and had police dogs. It was a horrifying scene, a scary one to the bravest of men. The Saudi woman was scared to death. The officers did not treat the woman well.
In our country, if a police station wants to arraign a woman, it will do so by asking her husband or relative, but never directly going to the woman. Apparently, there are cultural differences between the Kingdom and Belgium. The square where the woman was arrested is a favorite with tourists. The Belgian Parliament has discussed the effect of a law banning female tourists from wearing hijabs, while Muslim women currently residing in Belgium are not allowed to wear it. A Belgian woman had a similarly tough experience with police officers because she refused to take off the niqab. A Qatari woman had a similar experience and was taken by force to the police station.
In a nutshell, each country has its own laws, and every people have their own culture, values and ethics. France, which is said to be the country with the largest amount of freedom, has banned the niqab. So much for that freedom. What about Saudis, and our brothers and sisters in Gulf countries? Like others, we have our own religion, culture, values, ethics, traditions and laws. If anyone crosses the line, he will have to face the music.
For example, if someone eats or drinks during the day in Ramadan, they will be penalized, whether they are a visitor or a non-Muslim expatriate. It is our indisputable right to penalize them. If a Belgian woman walks out on the street of the Kingdom wearing full makeup and engaging in practices that are immodest, she will be criticized and many will disapprove of her actions. Security officers and members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) will stop and detain her, and never let her get away with such actions.
Therefore, what happened to the Saudi woman in Belgium is the same thing that would happen to a Belgian woman if she did not respect our values, ethics and laws. No doubt the Saudi woman was not aware of the Belgian laws, but if she knew about the laws and still acted defiantly, then she had it coming and deserved what happened to her.
We saw how some Saudi tourists acted savagely at public parks in Paris, Brussels, London and other cities over the summer. They were acting as if they were in Taif, Riyadh or Jeddah. They gave a negative image of our country to the world. Such practices must be stopped, because they have global repercussions. We must respect other people’s cultures, and recognize their need to take strict security measures to protect themselves against terrorists.
All countries are suffering from terrorism. Terrorists blow themselves up and kill people randomly, and, unfortunately, most of them claim that they are Muslims. Western countries have the right to take precautionary measures to protect themselves against such terrorists. The draconian measures taken by these countries send a message to those who try to force their traditions and culture down the throat of others just because they have a lot of money. We should realize that terrorists who appear on TV wearing heavy beards, or sometimes disguised in women’s clothes are suggesting to the West that Muslims are terrorists and have come to annihilate and engage in battles with Western countries.
I believe that our embassies abroad are doing their job, sending SMS messages to Saudi tourists and visitors to warn them against such practices. I suggest that the embassies print booklets and brochures explaining the laws of each country and the dangerous situations that tourists can face. This will provide us with safe tourism and happy vacations. We should respect others in their countries, and reflect our principles, values, and ethics by following our religion. If you do not want to respect others, then you had better stay in your own country and save yourself the trouble and embarrassment.
