*Just a THOUGHT* * *
"EXCUSE Me, Ramadan is a Month of FASTING or Month of FEASTING" * * *Breaking fasts, breaking wallets — Ramadan meals will cost more this year* *Najah Al-Osaimi I Arab News* *http://arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=113523&d=29&m=8&y=2008* *RIYADH**: People will have to fork over more cash to break their fasts at special iftar buffets at area hotels this Ramadan. Waleed Haidar, assistant sales and marketing manager at the Sheraton Hotel in Riyadh, said their iftar buffet will be offered at SR155 this year, a 15 percent increase over last year's SR135. "We can't close our eyes to the global increase in food prices," he said.* Indeed, all food prices have gone up by around 30 percent in 2008 due to food shortages, high fuel prices and a weak US currency to which the Saudi riyal is pegged. *Area businesses that serve food reap annual windfalls during the Ramadan season as Saudis set out to break their daily fasts, which can include picking up food and taking it home or going out to eat. Hotels offer traditional foods in their dining halls. "We rely on Ramadan as a dynamic season to compensate for any slump in profits during the rest of the year," said Haidar.* Khalid Al-Edresi, marketing manager at Riyadh's Alfaysalia Rosewood Hotel, said prices will go up for special dinners by as much as 50 percent. Alfaysalia Rosewood offers entertainment in its fast breaking offer, which adds to the price. The hotel also recently renovated its Prince Sultan Grand Hall, which can seat 2,800 people in an enormous column-free hall. "Iftar and suhoor meals will start at SR275, plus service charges," he said. "This is an entirely new concept in Riyadh and the whole Saudi Arabia, because it's totally different from what guests normally expect during Ramadan," he said. Like the Alfaysalia Rosewood, many of Riyadh's boutique and international hotels are pulling out all of the stops to offer attractive venues for Ramadan fast-breakings. Consider this part of the Kingdom's overall strategy to promote Saudi domestic tourism. *Riyadh's Mariott Hotel, for example, flew in Syrian set designers to decorate their dining hall to resemble a scene from the popular Ramadan soap "Bab El Hara," a historical series that takes place in an old neighborhood in **Damascus** during the early 20th century French occupation. The hall will include an indoor children's playground and there will be activities to keep the little ones preoccupied as the adults chat after their meals and prayers. "The venue will represent an authentic **Middle East**, just as it's seen in the series," said Saleem Khan, Marriott's spokesperson in ** Riyadh**. * Khaldoun Hayajneh, Marriot's general manager, said that while the price for their Ramadan program will also increase this year, they will be offering special packages for stays in the hotel. "We want more and more guests to visit us and enjoy Ramadan in the glory of 'Bab El Hara,'" he said. *Runaway Maids are in High Demand During Ramadan* *Samah Ali I Arab News* *http://arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=113615&d=31&m=8&y=2008* MADINAH: *The high demand for runaway housemaids during the month of Ramadan is attributed to women wanting to devote more time to worship and an increase in the number of guests. Since there are no arrangements to bring extra maids into the Kingdom during the holy month, most families hire illegal housemaids who charge around SR2,000 and demand weekly holidays.* "I have been looking for a maid for some time. Most of the maids I've had have made difficult demands such as salaries of around SR. 2,000 and weekends off. If exempted from cooking, they may work for around SR. 1,800," said Umm Saeed, a housewife. She was finally able to hire a maid for SR. 1,000 through a middleman. "The maid couldn't speak Arabic and the broker took SR300 in commission," she said. Hanin Omar, a nurse in a Madinah hospital, said: "I have found an Ethiopian maid for SR2,000 to help my maid during Ramadan. Many of our relatives will be visiting us. We have to treat them well, because we meet only once a year." Umm Mahmoud, an old Saudi woman, said she expected plenty of visitors as the school holidays this year fall in Ramadan. "My regular housemaid would not be able to do all the cooking and other chores. I need extra hands," she said, adding that a maid agreed to work for her on condition she be given weekends off and paid SR. 1,500 a month. "She said she wouldn't do any kitchen work and warned she would leave if the work was too hard," she added. Fatima, an Ethiopian, said she had been working illegally as a housemaid for the past 15 years. "At the beginning I did not know how to cook or speak the language. A Saudi family employed me for very low wages. But they taught me how to cook and speak Arabic. After working with them for five years, I looked for a better job. But I was arrested and deported," she said. She added that after two months she returned to the Kingdom and worked for several families. "Now I earn SR. 2,500 a month because I can cook well," she said. Sarayati, an Indonesian maid who came to the Kingdom 10 years ago, said she was originally brought to work for a Saudi family in the Eastern Province. "After working with them for five years, I was sent to Riyadh and then to Jizan. Later I ran away and went to Madinah. A maid from my country introduced me to a man who found jobs for runaway maids," she said. "He took me to a place where I found several runaway maids. He found a job for me with a salary of SR1,500 a month. I had to pay SR200 in commission to the agent each month," she added. *Masyu runs an agency that supplies runaway maids. He told Arab News that, with the help of friends, he collects the telephone numbers of maids and then calls them to persuade them to leave their sponsors. "If a maid is willing to come, then I will meet her in a public place and take her home. She will stay there with my wife until I find her a job. I get a good commission from both the maids and their new Saudi employers," he said.* *Maj. Gen. Saad Al-Zayedi, a spokesman for the Passport Department in Madinah, said the department made regular checks on illegal workers and often received tip-offs from members of the public. "People who give shelter to illegal workers can be fined SR10,000 to SR50,000 and jailed for one month to six months," he said.* *Body of Slain Maid Sent to **Colombo*** * http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=25045 * RIYADH: *The body of a Sri Lankan housemaid found dead in the desert 10 months ago was finally repatriated to **Colombo** on Saturday night. "The body of Ihalagedarage Dayawathie, 28, was found by police in the desert in Al-Jouf on Oct. 21 last year," a Sri Lankan Embassy official told Arab News. The body had decomposed. * ** The official said the authorities subsequently arrested the maid's sponsor, Hamdan Ruwaishid, and his wife, Maryam bint Sadook, for the murder. He added that the Sri Lankan mission only received information about the death in early February and that the repatriation of the body was delayed as the mission had to wait for police to complete their investigations. "The motive of the killing is still unknown. However, the police released the body as soon as the preliminary investigations were over and after establishing a prima facie case against the alleged killers," he said. The mission is to take a power of attorney from the deceased maid's next-of-kin to proceed with a case of litigation. *Dayawathie — who is from Panselwatte, a village in Dodangaslande 150 km from **Colombo** — came to the Kingdom in March 2005. Her family had not heard any news from her six months after her arrival in the Kingdom. On receiving Dayawathie's body yesterday, police at **Colombo** **Airport**said the job agency which provided her with the job had contacted her family and informed them that she had died last year and that the Saudi police were investigating the death.*
