Summary of the Book
Following titles are included in this set:
1. Slaves Of Saudis: Terrorisation of Foreign Workers
When you applied for work in Saudi Arabia, didn’t you think you would work for a few years, make a pile, marry off your daughter or sister, build a home, retire to the good life? When you paid the huge commission to the recruitment agent and a large fee for your visa, did anybody tell you the bad news? That your contract may be ‘renegotiated’ once you land in Saudi Arabia. You may not be paid your salary for months. You may have to sleep in chains. You may be falsely charged, perfunctorily tried and jailed. You may be threatened with sacking or your salary may be withheld if you spurn your employer’s ‘suggestion’ to convert to Islam. If you are a maid, you might be raped. If you are a male you may be thrashed by your boss for even a minor bungle. The dangers foreign workers face in Saudi Arabia are manifold. Yet the foreign embassies behave like ostriches, leaving the vulnerable employees to Saudi mercy. Meanwhile, thousands continue to queue up with job agents in New Delhi, Mumbai, Karachi, Dhaka, Colombo, Manila and other cities... lured by the petrodollars that they believe will fulfil their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families.
2. Mutawas: Saudi Arabia's Dreaded Religious Police
The mutawas, the dreaded religious police of Saudi Arabia, consider themselves the supreme guardians of public morality. They are keepers of their faith… the way they see it. They have the backing of the Kingdom and they are watching you - everywhere, all the time.
And, they are ruthless with anybody who does not conform to their concept of what is right and wrong.They will come for you if you drink. If you grow your hair long. If you are seen with a female who is not a blood relative. If you are a female and don’t wear the abaya or expose your hair or face or legs. If you are a female and drive a car. If you worship your own God in the privacy of your home or carry any symbol at all of your faith. Or if you are a Muslim and miss even one of your ritual prayers.
They will target you if you are a Shia, Ahmadiya or a Sufi or even a liberal Sunni or, for that matter, a Muslim from any other Islamic sect different from theirs - for they believe they are the ultimate upholders of pristine Islam. They are the bane of all expatriates in Saudi Arabia but you need to be doubly careful if you are a Hindu, a Sikh or a Christian. In which case, they will use every opportunity to coerce, cajole and bribe you to convert to their faith.