In meinem zweiten Jahr auswärts

Just a brief reflection on life in Saudi Arabia.

Having lived here over a year now, I thought I'd share a little tidbit regarding their unique brand of hypocrisy. I don't mean to be entirely negative about the country, there are definitelyi positive elements that I may go into at a later date, but the negative stuff is always so much more intriguing.

To say that Saudi is a conservative country is not particularly groundbreaking. Both the consumption and possession of alcohol is strictly forbidden and punishable by jailtime and deportation, in the case of foreigners. Possession and/or use of drugs is even more severe, being punishable by death. Romantic relations are strictly policed by parents and singles are forbidden by the Vice and Virtue Police, aka "Mutawa", from congregating together in public. Certainly, infidelity is a grave offense, particularly for the woman.

Now, this is all very well and good; it's a strict life, but if you're not addicted to the sauce, dependent on a joint or hit of coke to get you through the weekend, or some sort of sex-addict requiring illicit relations in public places, you can get on pretty easily here. Life, as a result, can be a good deal less interesting without any of these things. The thing is, however, that life for many Saudis remains interesting anyway because they simply get these things elsewhere. The philosophy, I'm told, is that Saudi Arabia is sacred ground because Mecca and Medina both fall within its borders. As a result, no one wants to go against the dictates of the Qu'ran here. In other countries where drinking, drugs, and "interesting" sex are either legal or at least not as difficult to find, like Bahrain (which is a short drive across a causeway from where I'm sitting now), Sri Lanka, Thailand, and many more, you'll find stories from the locals about the Saudis who flock there on their time off (which can be considerable) and partake quite liberally in the party scene. Mostly it's the Saudi men, sans wives that do it most. I was informed by a gentleman working at a resort on one of the beaches in Unawatuna, Sri Lanka, that many Saudi fellows often visited that way and took full advantage of the abundance of drink, drugs, and prostitutes. I was further witness to a hotel bar in Bahrain, at 9:30 in the morning, that literally did not have a single seat available because they were all occupied by Saudi gents who'd been there getting their drink on since the previous evening. So, I suppose, as long as the sacred ground is unsullied by the corruption of the flesh, many deem it fair game to go about ground-sullying abroad and come home pure in spirit.

I should make a very important point that I am quite confident that not all Saudis hold with this philosophy, and also that by Saudis, I mean people from Saudi Arabia, and not Muslims in general. My experience with "Muslims In General" is that they are as diverse a bunch as "Christians In General" and are largely undeserving of the heaps of bullshit attributed to them by the Western media.

Thoughts are welcome.