Saudi’s Stark Employment Imbalance: For Every One Saudi, 15 Expatriates Hired
CROSSROADS ARABIA: These jobs are all critical to society – they are honest jobs. The one thing they don’t carry, however, is status.
Foreign Workers Feel The Heat in Saudi Arabia
CROSSROADS ARABIA: The Saudization plan is in place but it appears that foreign workers are being actively demonised in the Kingdom.
Saudi Universities Producing ‘Unemployable’ Graduates
CROSSROADS ARABIA: There is a huge problem with third level education in the Kingdom. But will anything ever be done about it?
Saudi Arabia: “The Female Body is a Battleground in the War to Stem Reform”
ROB L. WAGNER: An online battle between conservatives and reformers following the Saudi Intellectual Forum illuminates their diverging opinions…
“The Devil’s Seeds”: Life’s Grim For Illegitimate Saudis
ROB L. WAGNER: It wasn’t always this way – illegitimate children were in times past absorbed. The stigma today inflicts generations of damage.
Saudi: The Fundamentalist Mindset that Halts Change
EMAN AL NAFJAN: In September the King announced women could vote in municipal elections. Conservatives are fighting a rearguard action.
Christmas in Saudi Arabia: Quietly Festive
ROB L. WAGNER: If you’re subtle you can enjoy a surprisingly festive Christmas in the Kingdom. Many Saudis also quietly acknowledge Christian friends’ celebration.
Learning English in the Kingdom: ‘Could Do Better’
CROSSROADS ARABIA: English is vital in today’s interconnected world. The problem: in Saudi teaching it is not treated seriously.
Makkah: Pace of Commercialisation Quickens
AMERICAN BEDU: Several thousand families will have their homes razed for villas and apartments in central Makkah. Has commercialisation gone too far?
Saudi Water: Time for Everyone to Pay?
CROSSROADS ARABIA: It’s a matter of great sensitivity for the authorities but it appears that the time is drawing close when everyone in Saudi Arabia will have to pay for this precious resource.
Deadly Blaze Throws Spotlight on Saudi Girls Schools
ROB L. WAGNER: A teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there are significant differences in safety features between boys and girls schools.
Time for GCC Citizens to ‘Walk the Walk’?
ABU MOHAMMED: The initiative to limit the amount of money expats can send home is another diversion away from the real issues.
Al Farabi: Making Sweet Music in Saudi Arabia
AMERICAN BEDU: It’s an issue that is constantly debated – whether music is haram according to Islamic principles. A new fusion of poetry and musical instruments is, however, making waves.
Jeddah Residents: ‘Rain, Rain Stay Away’
SAAD AL DOSARI: After the floods of the last two years Jeddah residents have developed a compulsive disorder – constantly checking for rain.
Twitter and Mothers: Breaking Saudi Tradition
CROSSROADS ARABIA: This is how customs change: People simply refuse to honor them. Women not driving will go in the same way…
Saudi Arabia: A Glimpse Through the Myths
STEVE ROYSTON: Received wisdom portrays a backward, oppressive society, dominated by religious extremists and a monarchy whose main mission is self-preservation.
Saudi Education: The Power Struggle Heats Up
ROB L. WAGNER: A new secondary school textbook highlights the struggle between liberals and conservatives within the Saudi Ministry for Education.
Saudi Elections: What Exactly Was the Point?
CROSSROADS ARABIA: This was the election before ‘the Big One’ – the 2015 Municipal Elections where women can vote and stand for office. So was it a damp squib, as some have suggested?
Saudi Schizo: Votes One Day, Lashes the Next
LAYLAH: The decision to allow Saudi women to vote is truly historic. A pity that celebration was interrupted by a very strange announcement.
A Surprise Announcement But Is it Enough?
CROSSROADS ARABIA: King Abdullah’s announcement seemed to catch everyone by surprise. It’s clearly a very welcome step but will women in the Kingdom be satisfied with what they’ve been granted?
