I live in Saudi Arabia. AMA!

[Shmithecat]

I still hear so many daft claims about certain aspects of living in KSA. Happy to confirm or deny what you've been told!

Let's try this OP how do you feel about living in a country that beheads people in public? Personally, all the money in the world would not get me to over look that one.

It's capital punishment. Same as 50 odd other countries still use. Why is the method so important? Is there a more civilised way to do it, public or not? It's not nice and I don't like it (who does?!)

OP do I understand correctly that hijabs/niqabs etc aren't allowed in your compound? What happens if a Saudi friend who usually wears one visits? Do they have to take it off?

I did delph!

Thanks for the thread OP. Having had no interest in the ME ever, I'm now interested as a friend and her family are going to live in Dubai later this month for the foreseeable.

Can you please tell us if you gave birth to your son in KSA and if you did, tell us about it please?

thisonehasalittlecar
OP do I understand correctly that hijabs/niqabs etc aren't allowed in your compound? What happens if a Saudi friend who usually wears one visits? Do they have to take it off?

Hijabs are allowed. Nothing more than that though so yes, Niqabs would have to be removed.

charityhallet
Thanks for the thread OP. Having had no interest in the ME ever, I'm now interested as a friend and her family are going to live in Dubai later this month for the foreseeable.
Can you please tell us if you gave birth to your son in KSA and if you did, tell us about it please?

No, I gave birth in the UK. I wanted to be near my mum/have more family support in the first few weeks. Although the majority of my prenatal care was in Saudi and it was fabulous. But when you're paying for it, so it should be!

Hi OP

I am finding this thread quite unsettling tbh. You have given some pretty disingenuous answers to the questions that aren't about 'shopping or hedgehogs'.

For instance, you stated that you'd miss your staff as they are valued members of your household, yet you don't know what your driver does on his time off from driving.

Also, asked what law you would change, you mention something about citizenship! Not the really obvious laws that we all know about.

I think you know very little about the country you stay in. You don't really live there, you inhabit a kind of city-embassy which isn't quite the same as living in the country at all. You are happy to take the money and will willingly propagandise on its behalf. I don't think you understand the KSA at all, nor even care.

It's all well and good for Saudi women to be able to drive - how progressive - to be able to drive themselves to watch a friend being stoned for 'adultery', or for the 'crime' of being raped.

For all your talk of the Crown Prince being such a reformer, he could put an to these barbaric practices which continue to be carried out under his rule in a lot less time than it's taken him to get women behind the wheel of a car.

It's pretty sick, you and your OH could be here at home, both working if you chose, or even with you as a SAHM and your son would still have a really great start in life. But sure, you tell yourself that he can only have that by you working to prop up this misogynistic and barbaric regime. Great financials, morals, not so much.

Did you really ask if it is more civilised to execute people in public or in private?

Really? Good grief.

How about this one. Children over 15 are tried an executed as adults.

Stoning is still legal.

And to answer your question I hate and abhor all forms of capital punishment but yes public beheading is actually worse.

Last public beheading in the U.K. was in 1747.

Most of the people executed are foreign nationals, not Europeans by the way, but exploited workers from developing countries. You probably only meet them when they are cleaning or driving.

OnThisHill
Hi OP
I am finding this thread quite unsettling tbh. You have given some pretty disingenuous answers to the questions that aren't about 'shopping or hedgehogs'.

What answers would you like me to give? Shall I pm you to confer before I answer the next question asked of me?

For instance, you stated that you'd miss your staff as they are valued members of your household, yet you don't know what your driver does on his time off from driving.

I don't know what my best friend does all day when she's not with me and I've been her best friend for over 30 years. I'm just not that nosey.

Also, asked what law you would change, you mention something about citizenship! Not the really obvious laws that we all know about.

I was asked about choosing one law, so I did. No where did I state it was the only law I would change. Which law would you have preferred me to choose?

I think you know very little about the country you stay in. You don't really live there, you inhabit a kind of city-embassy which isn't quite the same as living in the country at all. You are happy to take the money and will willingly propagandise on its behalf. I don't think you understand the KSA at all, nor even care.

No, I do live there. I don't live anywhere else . What's your experience of KSA? What don't I understand about it that you do? Always happy to hear from other peoples experiences.

It's all well and good for Saudi women to be able to drive - how progressive - to be able to drive themselves to watch a friend being stoned for 'adultery', or for the 'crime' of being raped.

I too think that the way the judicial system deals with rape cases/ victims is abhorrent. But I'm not quite sure why you're so angry with me about it?

For all your talk of the Crown Prince being such a reformer, he could put an to these barbaric practices which continue to be carried out under his rule in a lot less time than it's taken him to get women behind the wheel of a car.

Maybe he can - I don't honestly know. What would be your advise to him? I am commenting on what I know - which is that MBS has done more in the past year in favour of women's rights in Saudi than has been done in the past 80 years. These small reforms in your opinion are not small for Saudi. They're huge. Monumental. But I understand this as I live there. You won't because you don't.

It's pretty sick, you and your OH could be here at home, both working if you chose, or even with you as a SAHM and your son would still have a really great start in life. But sure, you tell yourself that he can only have that by you working to prop up this misogynistic and barbaric regime. Great financials, morals, not so much.

We were both working. And we were ok but not ok enough to give our son the start in life that WE want for him. I'm a bit bewildered at how you think you know better than we do.

Again, I'm ok with where my morals are. But thanks for your insight into my life.

Moussemoose
Did you really ask if it is more civilised to execute people in public or in private?

Yes

Really? Good grief.

Really.

How about this one. Children over 15 are tried an executed as adults.

I know.

Stoning is still legal.

I know

And to answer your question I hate and abhor all forms of capital punishment but yes public beheading is actually worse.

In your opinion. I don't agree. Any form of capital punishment is pretty abhorrent and it all ends the same way. I can't reconcile one method of execution over the other.

Last public beheading in the U.K. was in 1747.

Your point is?

Most of the people executed are foreign nationals, not Europeans by the way, but exploited workers from developing countries. You probably only meet them when they are cleaning or driving.
You seem to know as much as OnTheHill does about my life. I'm not sure why you keep on asking questions of me really, if you already have the answers? What is your objective on this thread?

This is an AMA thread I am asking you about your opinions and thoughts on the human rights issues in the country that you live. I know what I think my question is what do you think and how do you sleep? I'm asking it again because I find it really difficult to get my head around paying tax to a regime that publicly beheads people.

I know nothing about your life apart from the fact you live and work in a country with an atrocious human rights record. You know this and can not see how it might be morally repugnant to make money from this.

It is not just a human rights record that is a bit dodgy, restricting freedom of speech or freedom of expression. It regularly executes children in public.

If you are born into that country then you stay and fight to change it. If you have some cultural links to a country with a record like this you may want to work to improve the situation. You, however, actively choose to live there. You made a positive decision to bring up your children in a country that allows public beheading and you did this because you get lots of money.

I could not countenance living, supporting and paying tax to a regime that behaves this way. So I have asked you if you have any moral qualms about living in a country where stoning is legal?

Your response is your son will get lots of money.

There are some things money can't buy and it would seem a conscience is one of those things.

We don't pay tax....

You've asked questions. I've answered them. You don't like my answers because they don't conform to your ideals and start throwing insults. Again, I'm not really sure what you're getting out of this thread?

There are extreme punishments, but they do serve as a good deterrent and as a consequence I feel quite safe!

Yes, like repression of political dissidents.

Do you get paid for this?

DistanceCall
There are extreme punishments, but they do serve as a good deterrent and as a consequence I feel quite safe!
Yes, like repression of political dissidents.
Do you get paid for this?

No.

I could not countenance living, supporting and paying tax to a regime that behaves this way. So I have asked you if you have any moral qualms about living in a country where stoning is legal?
Your response is your son will get lots of money.
There are some things money can't buy and it would seem a conscience is one of those things.

Yes you've made your point multiple times, it's clearly frustrating to you that you're not getting the argument you clearly crave - what would you like the OP to do, tell her husband she's out of there and come back to the UK with her son?

what would you like the OP to do, tell her husband she's out of there and come back to the UK with her son?

Because that would be inconceivable, of course.

I thought that only Saudi women were legally in thrall to their husbands. Not British ones.

And as a SAHM how would she support herself?
Seriously, someone posters need to realize that life isn't quite as black and white as they decide it should be.

Stroke
Yes you've made your point multiple times, it's clearly frustrating to you that you're not getting the argument you clearly crave - what would you like the OP to do, tell her husband she's out of there and come back to the UK with her son?

I think so....

I thought that only Saudi women were legally in thrall to their husbands. Not British ones.

😂😂😂. He wishes.

Moussemoose

I’m not sure an AMA thread is the correct place to vent your anger about human rights abuses. The OP has made her position clear. You find her choices morally reprehensible. Why badger her?

(The hypocrisy and utter irrelevance of a UK-based Brit - assuming that’s what you are - asserting some sort of moral high ground over an expat Brit choosing to live in KSA is totally mind-blowing, btw. I think you should check you hectoring for this alone; you look a complete tool).

Moussemoose

I'm no fan of Saudi Arabia's human rights history, but could you tell us what country you live in that has the moral high ground? I live in Mexico and the government is appalling. The UK is the second biggest arms exporter in the world, while the US has the death penalty and police going into primary schools.

The OP is right when she says it isn’t black and white. The UK has sold a huge amount of weaponry to the Saudis. Our government is complicit in their regime. Prince Charles is also a great friend of their royalty, some of whom he went to school with.

We don't pay tax....

And there’s the answer for you Moussemoose

The people defending KSA seem unable to understand that people do exist who, even though they scrape by and dream of the best in life for their children, over their dead body would they go and work in such a place. Money before morals.