N.O.R.F Posted September 17, 2006 Begging menace continues to plague Saudi Habib Shaikh (From our correspondent) 16 September 2006 JEDDAH — The problem of beggars in Saudi Arabia persists and though the number of beggars had slightly declined in the last few months, it is set to increase with the impending advent of the holy month of Ramadan. The holy month of Ramadan is a perfect opportunity for beggars to earn money. In fact, many beggars who are dressed up as Saudis are in reality non-Saudis who flock to the kingdom on Umrah visas and end up overstaying, the Arabic daily Al Nadwa said in its recent issue. Speaking about the problem, Saad Al Shahrani, the head of the Anti-Beggary Department in Jeddah, said that Jeddah is considered to be the gateway to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, something that encourages overstayers to come and stay here. Al Shahrani blamed local people for the increasing number of beggars. "They either provide them with money or help them escape from the authorities. There are around 150,000 beggars in the kingdom. They are mainly concentrated in Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah and a few are in Riyadh and the Eastern Province," said Al Shahrani. According to official statistics released by the Anti-Beggary Department, SR700 million are spent yearly on beggars. Eighty per cent of the beggars are non-Saudis and the Coast Guard is able to arrest 19,000 overstayers each year. Many locals feel quite upset that major cities across Saudi Arabia are full of beggars. Hasel Abdullah, a Jeddah-based Saudi, said: "Beggary is horrible, it spoils the beauty of our cities and whenever a person walks; someone will stop him or her and begin a long story which is usually false. The very sight of beggars standing at traffic signals with horrible deformities makes people sick." Abdullah believes that the beggars operate in well-organised gangs and are taking advantage of Jeddah. "My children always ask me about these people: What do they do? Why are they missing a leg or an arm?" he said. Beggars tend to adopt a range of means to invoke sympathy. Some carry fake medical reports stating that they are in need of medicine and crucial operations. Others carry documents showing that their relatives are in jail and that they have to pay fines. Even mothers use "their" babies and handicapped children to gain sympathy. The problems related to beggars seem to be rather widespread and people across the kingdom complain of being harassed at traffic lights and outside mosques. Hamed Al Aseeri, however, said that nowadays most people think twice before giving charity to beggars. "The best way to stop beggary is to give money only to charity organisations that are supervised by the government," he added. Studies indicate that beggary is very much associated with stealing. According to researchers, the art of begging may turn into a habit that a person may find extremely difficult to quit. It is a new phenomenon that has entered Saudi society and has grown due to the negligence of the Passport and Anti-Beggary Departments. "It is becoming normal to see mothers holding their babies and elderly men, and disable people hanging around hospitals and traffic signals. What is worrying is that beggars are now knocking on doors to get money," complained Mosa Al Falaqi. Hasan Al Sabbi also expressed similar concerns about beggars knocking on people's homes while the men are at work. "There are more beggars coming to our homes while we are at work; this frightens our families. I'm afraid that a simple knock on our doors might end up in a robbery or a murder," he added. According to Khaled Al Thubaiti, Saudi Arabia has now become synonymous with beggars. "I have a friend in Kuwait who always tells me that it bugs him when he comes to the kingdom," he said. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naden Posted September 17, 2006 Originally posted by Northerner: .......The holy month of Ramadan is a perfect opportunity for beggars to earn money. In fact, many beggars who are dressed up as Saudis are in reality non-Saudis who flock to the kingdom on Umrah visas and end up overstaying...... ....... There are around 150,000 beggars in the kingdom. ....... Eighty per cent of the beggars are non-Saudis and the Coast Guard is able to arrest 19,000 overstayers each year. ......."Beggary is horrible, it spoils the beauty of our cities and whenever a person walks; someone will stop him or her and begin a long story which is usually false . The very sight of beggars standing at traffic signals with horrible deformities makes people sick ." .......Abdullah believes that the beggars operate in well-organised gangs and are taking advantage of Jeddah. "My children always ask me about these people: What do they do? why are they missing a leg or an arm?" he said. ....... Studies indicate that beggary is very much associated with stealing. According to researchers, the art of begging may turn into a habit...... ......."I have a friend in Kuwait who always tells me that it bugs him when he comes to the kingdom, " he said. Pity those Saudis, exposed to riffraff, cripples and the stench of poverty and the poor. Never mind the multiple mentions of giving to the maskiin and sa'el in the faith. While I think people who go there for Imra or Hajj and decide to stay should not be allowed to do so, they should at least have a way to appeal deportation and seek legal immigration. They probably are mostly economic migrants but aren't most people who seek immigration in the Western world? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnny B Posted September 18, 2006 It's sad that the stats dont show the percentage of the female beggars, female beggars are the only ones who can choose. :cool: seriously, don't they have charity organizations? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
