http://www.arabnews.com/?page=13§ion=0&article=100663&d=2&m=9&y=2007&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Local%20Press
Saturday, 1, September, 2007 (19, Sha`ban, 1428)
Jeddah and Its Bad Reputation
Abdu Khal . Okaz
We hear often that Jeddah is a corrupt and degraded city. These
accusations are made especially during the vacation season when thousands of
people come to the city from other parts of the Kingdom. However, it is weird
that the actual residents of Jeddah do not see the corruption or the immorality
that they supposedly live in.
So the question arises, why do people visiting Jeddah have such a view?
Before looking for an answer, I want to share a story about a friend from the
Southern Region of the Kingdom. He had been brainwashed with this idea and
thought he was coming to visit a European country.
My friend told me that he thought the minute he sets foot in Jeddah he
would find everything his heart desires. On arrival, he told me that people
visiting the city have a tendency to spread such rumors.
However, life is no different in Jeddah than the rest of Saudi Arabia and
each person has it different according to his lifestyle.
The Hijaz has always had a different social routine that differs from
that of the rest of the Kingdom. Cities of the Western Region have visitors
from all corners of the world, who bring their different cultures and
backgrounds.
The different types of people have colored these cities' atmosphere with
special social standards that distinguish them from other Saudi regions. Jeddah
also is the principal gateway to Makkah, the holiest city of Islam, visited by
millions of Muslims each year for Umrah and Haj.
However, that still does not justify why some shortsighted people, who
know nothing about the history of Jeddah, its environment and people, promote
negative images about the city. Do we understand that different social groups,
when put to live together in one surrounding, must respect and value the
traditions, cultures and behaviors of the other instead of simply resorting to
defame it?
