In the Saudi Arabia their are arount 1500 American are living, mostely in Duhran AL khobar, Riyadh. mostly living in compounds.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a Middle Eastern country that holds a large portion of the world’s oil reserves. It is the birthplace of Islam that contains the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The country is ruled by a king, and the laws of the nation are set by the holy book of Islam, the Quran. Saudi Arabia is an ally of the United States, and was a host country to US troops during and after the First Gulf War. It is a dry country, meaning no alcohol is allowed in the country, and harsh penalties come to those who smuggle alcohol or drugs in (CIA). Although all this is true about Saudi Arabia, a definition of the country alone is not appropriate to learn about it. To do that, one must study the people and the choices that they can make in their lifetime
The people in Saudi Arabia have many options in life, though some are limited to men of a high social class. The country has become a battleground for women’s rights and government reform. Society has begun to change as the globalization of society increases through international relations and internet contact. These changes face resistance by the government and the societal norms set by the Muslim religion, which requires modesty for women. The modesty, by Western standards, is an extreme control over women and the lives that they may be allowed to lead.
Women’s rights are an important topic on many Saudi blogs, both by men and women. Many of the issues mirror those of other countries, including the United States. Both countries have a situation where women aren’t as well paid as men, and women aren’t the breadwinners nearly as often as men. Some of the issues, such as creating women’s sports and increasing women’s education, have also become a major point of debate. Because some of the changes in women’s rights were only made a generation ago, the US people should be able to understand the difficulty and need for changes in Saudi society. Other problems, however, were changed in the Western nations so long ago that very few people remember the changes, so it seems as though things have always been the way that they are.
Globalization has done more than increased women’s sports and allowed them to speak out. It has also flooded the market with Western news, movies, games, and books. This provides the Saudis with information on what stereotypes we have about them, and it provides them Hollywood cinema-style stereotypes about us to them (Lulu). Although much of the media can provide a bad or false idea of what the US is like, some of it can provide understanding of the American culture. Music often uses a common routine or theme that many people can relate to. Even without understanding the words, people can often understand the emotion of a composer by listening to his music.The main areas where Westerners work in Saudi Arabia are defense, healthcare, and the oil industry. IT, telecommunications and banking are other areas that employ substantial numbers of Americans and Europeans. Many professional opinions have been offered that if all the Westerners working in these industries either went home or were forced to leave the country that the economy of the kingdom would come grinding to a halt. Saudis are more than happy to pay large sums of money to have others do their work for them. There has been in the last several years an attempt at “Saudization”, turning jobs traditionally done by outsiders over to Saudis to reduce the reliance on foreign labor, but there are a number of jobs that either require skills they do not have or are types of work that the affluent Saudis simply will not do.
Most of the menial and physical labor is done by Asian people such as Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi and Philippinos. The more technical work is done by Europeans and Americans, although the huge salaries and almost unlimited benefits of the 70’s and 80’s have been greatly reduced. Still, it can be quite lucrative to work for a few years in the kingdom.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a Middle Eastern country that holds a large portion of the world’s oil reserves. It is the birthplace of Islam that contains the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The country is ruled by a king, and the laws of the nation are set by the holy book of Islam, the Quran. Saudi Arabia is an ally of the United States, and was a host country to US troops during and after the First Gulf War. It is a dry country, meaning no alcohol is allowed in the country, and harsh penalties come to those who smuggle alcohol or drugs in (CIA). Although all this is true about Saudi Arabia, a definition of the country alone is not appropriate to learn about it. To do that, one must study the people and the choices that they can make in their lifetime
The people in Saudi Arabia have many options in life, though some are limited to men of a high social class. The country has become a battleground for women’s rights and government reform. Society has begun to change as the globalization of society increases through international relations and internet contact. These changes face resistance by the government and the societal norms set by the Muslim religion, which requires modesty for women. The modesty, by Western standards, is an extreme control over women and the lives that they may be allowed to lead.
Women’s rights are an important topic on many Saudi blogs, both by men and women. Many of the issues mirror those of other countries, including the United States. Both countries have a situation where women aren’t as well paid as men, and women aren’t the breadwinners nearly as often as men. Some of the issues, such as creating women’s sports and increasing women’s education, have also become a major point of debate. Because some of the changes in women’s rights were only made a generation ago, the US people should be able to understand the difficulty and need for changes in Saudi society. Other problems, however, were changed in the Western nations so long ago that very few people remember the changes, so it seems as though things have always been the way that they are.
Globalization has done more than increased women’s sports and allowed them to speak out. It has also flooded the market with Western news, movies, games, and books. This provides the Saudis with information on what stereotypes we have about them, and it provides them Hollywood cinema-style stereotypes about us to them (Lulu). Although much of the media can provide a bad or false idea of what the US is like, some of it can provide understanding of the American culture. Music often uses a common routine or theme that many people can relate to. Even without understanding the words, people can often understand the emotion of a composer by listening to his music.The main areas where Westerners work in Saudi Arabia are defense, healthcare, and the oil industry. IT, telecommunications and banking are other areas that employ substantial numbers of Americans and Europeans. Many professional opinions have been offered that if all the Westerners working in these industries either went home or were forced to leave the country that the economy of the kingdom would come grinding to a halt. Saudis are more than happy to pay large sums of money to have others do their work for them. There has been in the last several years an attempt at “Saudization”, turning jobs traditionally done by outsiders over to Saudis to reduce the reliance on foreign labor, but there are a number of jobs that either require skills they do not have or are types of work that the affluent Saudis simply will not do.
Most of the menial and physical labor is done by Asian people such as Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi and Philippinos. The more technical work is done by Europeans and Americans, although the huge salaries and almost unlimited benefits of the 70’s and 80’s have been greatly reduced. Still, it can be quite lucrative to work for a few years in the kingdom.
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