Wag the Tail

In one of my articles, in a comment - someone wrote that we Asians are treated like dogs in the Middle East. How True.

Here, in Saudi Arabia - there is 1 million Pakistanis, 1.6 million Indians and an equal if not more number of Bengalis. And we are treated like dogs. Yes. Why? Why would anyone treat you like a dog anywhere? Because they are oh so bad? My question got an answer recently - a very good answer. The answer is: Because we behave like dogs.

Let me explain that. A dog you see, sticks his tongue out weather you feed him or not. He hardly protests. And even if the master beats the heck out of it, it wags its tail. Now, what do we do here? The same. As does the dog, we look for places where we can find security and food and we look at the other "dogs" as an intrusion so we bark at them , bite them and make them runaway - or, they make us runaway.

There are people who do not receive their salaries for months, and they do complain - in social gatherings. They will criticize and blame to no end. But they will not DARE to take corrective action. Why? Then comes along a crazy man like me and tells them that HEY! If your employer is being a JERK. PROTEST! Do not go to work! Oh, they say, then they will replace us. So let them. Go back home. Sue them. OH, but we need the money. Yes, of course you do. We all do. But to get respect in this world, you must sometimes sacrifice some luxury! Are you willing to? Oh, well.. God will fix it. Then everyone has dinner, wag their tails and go home. Why would we not be treated like dogs?

Don’t pay an American his salary and he will raise hell. He will shout, he will write and he will complain to the whole world. His embassy will ACT. All hell will break lose. Oh but not us. We fear that our embassies wont act. What is in the embassy? People. Asians. Pakistanis. Indians. People like us. You and me are the embassy, the country. What can anyone do IF 100,000 people decide not to work for the week. Who can bear the loss in this day an age? No, we will wag our tails - give a small bark and be back on duty.

Apart from not receiving salaries on time - there is loads of other things : not allowed to have family here, not allowed to travel before two years - scrutinized for seeking pleasure of any kind - definitely being treated like a dog. Life in a Kennel. Thats labor life here. Unfair trials and Jail for years for no reason whatsoever. The embassy? Asleep. Well fed employees- sleeping.

Fear. Thats the loyalty of a dog. Sincerity - thats the loyalty of man. Sincere, honest people do not take injustice or allow anyone to control them and dictate to them. They sacrifice anything to live with honor on earth. But, we wont do that. We will never act in unity. We will never stand up for our rights. Because we fear loss. Yet, we are loosing everything thinking that we are so secure.

What if all Pakistanis living in KSA simply say that for this week - we will not work until this country gives us our rights and respect. The country, and I kid you not, will probably collapse!

God will fix it! I have heard that so many times. So if God will fix this, why would he not provide for you if you walk away from injustice? Because he wants you to behave like a dog? Is that what God wants or is that what your acquired fear has reduced you to?

And from us are the Ambassadors, Presidents and Ministers. The embassy will run out of business and will not know what to do, if the people decide its not really helping them. No, we will not do anything. We will just crib about it in a social gathering. Rules, designed to make you feel like a dog, can be changed when you decide NOT to be a dog anymore. The reason these countries have large expatriate populations, is because they are unable to carry out many tasks on their own.

If one of us decides to protest, the foreign party will listen and may even give in to some people - but his own will condemn him and call him an idiot for getting in this mess! We are poor people from a poor country, we need this work. Why do we believe this nonsense?

So here is why we are treated like dogs. We have no unity - we have too much resentment for the various sects and races amongst us. We do not have a voice anymore - and then we have so many fears. How can we not be treated like dogs is the question I ask!

My sponsor’s henchman came to my house the other day and was talking about me possibly becoming a citizen here since my family has lived here for so many years. He, claiming to be a great friend, asked me if I could provide letters from all the homeowners we have rented homes from and from my school proving that I was raised here. Then he said, this is a great favor. How ? I asked. I never asked for citizenship. I never worked a day for anyone here - I have a business for which there is no legislation in this country anyway and I am here only for family. So how was he doing me a favor? Oh, your future will be made! Man but HOW? Is this not what all Pakistanis want? He said. I had to give him a two hour lecture explaining the above to him. I also informed him and reminded him how I had left the place in 3 days just because the renewal of my id was delayed a few days. No dear, I told him - I do not need or want the citizenship. The reason is, I will lose my original nationality because by law here, I cannot keep both. I felt that since I was an untamed one, I had to be put in the pound and turned into a local bhonkoo. This totally shocked him. Many people here, according to him, thought that since no one from our countries protests here or makes any REAL noise about violation of their rights - we must be really in need. A shame!

A Pakistani labor works for not less than SR 1000. In comes an Indian labor, and he says oh yeah? I will work for SR800. The Bengali follows by accepting to work for SR400. And these 3 will then take any other injustice that comes their way and vent all their anger and feelings at each other. Wag the tail!

Even the dogs in some homes get better treatment!

Our leaders will never act against this. It is politically incorrect and we may not get the loans we get - wag the tail buddy!

This our labor here. I have countless other cases of educated people in good positions suffering the same. One such case was referred to the embassy, where the sponsor was CLEARLY wrong and in fact violating the right of his employee. The embassy found a million faults in the citizen! The case was even put in the newspapers and talked about almost every week - nothing happened. The professional left the country without getting any of his rights! He chose not to wag the tail - but his superiors in his country did. The Ambassador himself could not find the guts to tell the local foriegn minister to do something. He was too busy attending some ceremony!

Once again, why would we not be treated like dogs?

Hats off to those Indians and Pakistanis who take the initiative on their own and make their point. They may not get their rights, but they leave honorbly and live with their dignity - and then life DOES reward them elsewhere.