Kids at Taraweeh

Are young children allowed inside the masjid you attend for Taraweeh prayer?

I have been along to Taraweeh with my husband twice so far this Ramadan to one of the popular masjids in Riyadh – it’s the King Khalid masjid where Sheikh Khaalid Al-Jaleel now leads the prayer.

I left my older children at home since I am lucky enough to have a responsible teen and another who is almost a teen but I couldn’t leave the newest addition (8 weeks old) at home since she is breastfed.  I discovered at the first Taraweeh of this Ramadan that children are not allowed inside so I stayed in the courtyard of the masjid and prayed there and when baby wanted to be held or fed I just sat and quietly listened. I had the baby in the carseat so she was comfortable and so I could join in some of the prayer. I think she was mesmerised by the Qur’an as she was very settled! She’s probably used to the sheikh’s qira’ (recitation) as I have playing some of his Qur’an cd’s in the kitchen while I cook!

I have been to the same masjid before for other daily prayers and there was no problem taking children in but since this is Taraweeh prayer and the masjid gets very full and too many people take along small, unruly children, there is this rule for the month of Ramadan. Understandable really when you see the unruliness of the children – running around, throwing dirt, kicking and throwing water bottles and leaving the litter for others to pick up and so forth. It makes me wonder why people take such small children along to such a long prayer. The children will inevitably become bored and won’t be able to keep still – their antics only serve to distract their mothers and others from their prayer.

Goodbye England, hello Riyadh!

We have just returned from a few weeks break in the UK. It was a pretty hectic time and it was very tiring for me as my baby was only 3 weeks old when we flew out of Riyadh for London but we did some nice things with the kids like going to Alton Towers and ice-skating, we enjoyed some milder weather than that which we are used to here in Riyadh and of course we got to see family whom we had not seen in a year and half.

We were lucky to have day time flights both in and out of the UK for a change – we usually have night time flights which I don’t enjoy. I took my camera on the flight and took a few photos so it was:

Goodbye England:

… and hello Riyadh!

There is plenty I’ll miss about the UK but it’s nice to be back in the Land of Islam again – being Muslim is the norm here of course, adhan can be heard all the time and mosques are everywhere to be seen. It’ll be good starting our first day of Ramadan tomorrow back here in Saudi Arabia. Not so good to be back in the land of such extreme heat though particularly with air-conditioning units that are not working so well these days!

RAMADAN MUBAARAK to everyone! I’m hoping to blog much more again from now and blog about Ramadan in Riyadh but I’ve been having troubles signing into my WordPress account so I can’t promise!

Sandstorm in Riyadh

Just take a look at these photos of the weather we had in Riyadh yesterday afternoon! The day started out quite clear but just before midday the skies suddenly darkened, everything turned a eerie shade of orange and a sandstorm blew up! Visibility was extremely poor, even on the main roads we could only see a few metres ahead, if that. 

Today has been much better but we are left with a layer of fine sand on all outside surfaces. Even the bushes look like they are covered with ash and need a good hosing down.

You can also view a short video on the BBC website of the sand sweeping in towards the city centre. The video was taken from the 53rd floor of the Mamlaka (Kingdom) Tower.

All we need now is a good burst of rain to clear the air… let’s pray!

Antenatal testing in Saudi Arabia

At the weekend, I went to my local hospital for my first ultrasound scan of this pregnancy. I have never been one to accept screening and diagnostic tests during pregnancy and this pregnancy will be no different. However, I do like to have one early scan (around 14 weeks) just to check on the baby since I won’t feel him/her move until around 18 weeks, and also to check on the placenta. I was glad that I had been pre-warned by a friend that my hospital performs the Nuchal Translucency Scan so when the sonographer asked me to roll over so she could measure the baby’s neck I remembered what my friend had said and quickly asked her not to perform that part of the ultrasound.

I feel quite angry that the hospital performs this screening test without first informing patients and checking they want the test and understand the implications. A screening test is different from a diagnostic test in that it only gives a risk factor for certain conditions and NOT a definitive answer. If you are told that your baby is a high risk of having Down’s Syndrome then you will need further diagnostic tests such as amnioncentesis or CVS if you wish to determine for certain whether or not the baby you are carrying has Down’s Syndrome or some other chromosomal abnormality.

What I don’t understand is why this test is routinely performed in Saudi Arabia – it gives only a risk factor, chromosomal abnormalities cannot be fixed before or after the birth and termination of pregnancy is not available here. From my point of view, I prefer to find out about any problems after the birth rather than having a diagnostic test that carried it’s own risks (1/100 risk of miscarriage after amnioncentesis; 2/100 risk of miscarriage after CVS). I put my trust in Allah that He knows what is best for me, I make du’a to Allah throughout my pregnancy for the best outcome.

I wonder if I am on my own here or if there are others who feel the same way about screening and diagnostic tests in pregnancy.

Buying lingerie in Saudi Arabia

The Arabnews has run an article today* about a petition targetting lingerie store owners in Saudi Arabia with a boycott being the second step of the campaign.

Currently the vast majority of salespeople in lingerie shops and departments of larger stores are men. Many of the shops sell items that leave very little to the imagination so buying these items from a man, even going into a shop to look at lingerie can be the height of embarrassment, particularly when the salesmen are always so eager to help.

There has been talk for a good couple of years of more about lingerie shops bringing women in as salespeople but there has thus far been no progress made.

RIYADH: Who should sell women’s lingerie in the Kingdom? The question resurfaced after a Saudi woman initiated a boycott campaign against lingerie stores aiming to put pressure on shop owners to replace salesmen with women.

[...]

“It’s really strange that Saudi Arabia is the only country where you see men selling women’s lingerie,” she said. “Women walk around covered from head to toe, and yet they have to discuss the size and material of their undergarments with strange men. Isn’t this odd?”

Unless it’s a women-only place, Saudi women, who are required to cover up in public, can only buy their most intimate clothing items and cosmetics from men.

Read the full article here.

* Technically the article was actually run yesterday (Oct 15th) since I am writing this post after midnight!

Poverty in Saudi Arabia

When most people think of Saudi Arabia they think of the vast oil riches of the country and the life style that goes with this; huge villas, brand new American cars, the latest in technology, designer brands on display in the countless malls to be seen across the cities etc. It is true that there is much ostentatious wealth in this country and some of the villas I have seen in Riyadh are breathtaking however, the reality for many Saudis is very different. 

According to this article from Arsharq Al Awsat, a study has revealed that 1600 Riyals ($427/£244) is the breadline in Saudi Arabia and those who earn 1200 Riyals ($320/£182) per month or less are below the poverty line. The article mentions that there are some public sector employers who exploit workers and fail to set a minimum wage. Many workers are earning 1200 Riyals or less per month despite working long hours and they receive no health cover. When considering low wages in Saudi Arabia and the poverty in which many live, one must also remember that that families on average are much larger than in countries such as the US; families tend to have 4 children or more. According to this article from the Gulf news a staggering 30% of Saudi nationals are are living in poverty.

“Thirty per cent of Saudis earn less than SR 1660 and thousands of them like Ahmad, the watchman, earn less than SR 1200,” said Dr Al Fasi. “Around half of all Saudi families don’t own their homes, with a considerable percentage of them living in shanties like those whom King Abdullah visited six years ago,” she said.

Official figures for unemployment in country are 9.8% although researchers suggest that the figure could be as high at 25%.

Thus far, efforts to reduce poverty in the country have failed and as Dr Al-Nuaim says, education and changing attitudes is an important factor in this battle:

Dr Aziza Al Nuaim, a professor at the King Saud University in Riyadh who specialises in poverty studies, said the picture of poverty in Saudi Arabia is bleak but there is some hope in a solution if proper measures are taken.

She said part of the poverty problem lies with values instilled in young generations through the education process while another part lies with social norms that rich people are the only people are the ones who should fight it

“Some families who lack the very basic necessities for modern life might spend all the donation money on buying an expensive set of mobiles or a new TV set when they don’t have a hygienic toilet,” Dr Al Nuaim explained.

“There is a strong tendency by poor people to imitate rich people’s behaviour whenever they get their hands on extra resources and that has a catastrophic impact on their lives.

Rich people, not only in Saudi Arabia but in different Arab societies, need to lessen their showy lifestyles and educators should pay special attention to setting genuine priorities in the minds of youths instead of leaving room for commercial advertisements to set the priorities of poor people.

“Poor people are vulnerable and have very little immunity against such impressions and government programmes aimed at addressing the problem should not ignore the psychological side of poverty,” she said. *

Salaam Park, Riyadh

Now that the weather in Riyadh is cooling down and becoming more pleasant, we decided at the weekend that it was time we took the children to Salaam Park in Riyadh to play and have a picnic and generally to have a nice afternoon out away from the malls.

Salaam Park is on the Southern side of Riyadh close to the Dirah and Bat’ha Souqs. The whole area is much greener than other parts of Riyadh and as we were driving along the motorway, I could’ve been forgiven for thinking I am back in the UK what with all the trees on either side of the road.

We arrived after ‘asr time; it must’ve been about 4pm. Look at the lovely empty carpark (this is the ‘before’ photograph).

There are many ladies and children outside the park selling picnic mats, inflatable balls, drinks and all the other picnic and play essentials for a day out at the park.

One of the mosques in the park, I noticed two although I’m not sure if you can actually enter this mosque from the park or if you need to go outside.

There are horses and donkies for the children to ride; my 4 year old son was over the moon to see donkies as he LOVES them!

The boating lake; there’s a fountain in the distance if you look closely and also there are 2 types of boat for the children to go on, life jackets are provided. ‘Mamnou’ (forbidden) for ladies to go on the boats though – imagine the fitna.

Nice grassy areas to sit and trees all around: 

There are also several play areas with swings, slides, climbing frames etc; there is a ‘train’ that takes the children (and their parents) for rides around the park. When you hear the song “Ya Taybaa” blaring out, you know that the train is nearby! There are also some bouncing castles, inflatable slides and play areas you can pay to use and of course there are vendors all around the park selling drinks, sweets, french fries and other greasy snacks.

Not a very good photo, but that’s another masjid on the other side of the water:

Remember that empty carpark? Not anymore! By nightfall it is packed to the brim with double parked cars and you are lucky if you can make an easy exit! 

On our way home we passed by Olaya street, the Oxford Street of Riyadh and I noticed the Eid lights are still up; very pretty!

We’re all looking forward to going again soon; it’s nice to get out of the house and wander around in the open without roasting under the sun! The weather is slowly cooling down in fact the mornings are now quite fresh. Alhamdu Lillah!

Beautiful recitation

This really is a ‘must hear’ recitation, masha’Allah Tabaarak Allah! Sheikh Adil Kalbani is the imam of the mosque my husband usually goes to for Taraweeh but at some point in the month the sheikh went to Makkah where he was leading some of the Taraweeh prayers. Sheikh Khaalid Al-Jaleel took over in the sheikh’s absence. We bought the, thus far, only available cd with his recitation and we are both hooked! Thanks to the beauty of the internet I have managed to find out that Sheikh Khaalid Al-Jaleel prays at the Masjid Al-Khayr in Riyadh so insha’Allah my husband can visit that mosque and *if* (read previous post, grrr!) there is a ladies’ section I can also go insha’Allah!

Do click on the videos below and listen. You won’t be disappointed. The surah being recited is Surah Ibrahim and it is in two parts, hence two videos.

Eid and Jumu’ah

Eid was good alhamdu Lillah. Not that we really did a lot but going along to Eid prayer made a huge difference to me. It gave me that Eid feeling and set me up for the day so everything just went swimmingly.

I haven’t been to Eid prayer for a few years due to having small children but felt that this year, since we would only be gone about forty-five minutes my eldest daughter would be able to keep the youngest (nearly 2 years) occupied. And she did alhamdu Lillah.

I woke for fajr at 5am, prayed and then proceeded to get ready to leave the house. I had a shower as is sunnah before going to Eid prayer and since I have a new abaya I decided it would be appropriate to wear that, (pyjamas underneath but, shhhhhh, don’t tell anyone. It was a clean pair!) We had to leave the house by 5:45am as here in Saudi Eid prayer is performed immediately after Shurooq (sunrise). We arrived at the mosque at 5:55am just as the Imam was making the first Takbir. It was a really beautiful, calming feeling being in the mosque, praying behind the imam, listening to his recitation and then after the prayer quietly listening to the Eid khutbah and trying to pick out parts that I might understand.

For the rest of the day, I felt so contented all due to the fact that I had prayed in the mosque so I talked to my husband about going to Friday prayer (Jumu’ah) a few days later and we agreed that I would go and my eldest daughter would again keep my youngest daughter occupied.

Friday came (yesterday) and I woke up a bit later than planned but I jumped out of bed, took a very quick shower and got dressed and was ready to leave the house within ten minutes. We decided to go to the same mosque that we had visited for Eid since we knew that there was a ladies’ section, we parked and walked around to the entrance. I said salaams to my husband as he went in the main entrance and I proceeded to walk around to the side entrance… locked. I couldn’t believe it, I really was devastated. My husband was already inside the mosque so there was no way of calling him. I didn’t have my mobile phone and assumed his would be switched off anyway. I never felt so marginalised and unimportant; I just sat on the marble step to the ladies entrance and the tears flowed. I listened as the imam made his khutbah and then I heard the shuffle as all the men stood up to begin prayer. I listened as the imam recited Ad-Duha (surah 93)… “Maa wadda’aka rabbuka wa maa qalaa” (Your Lord [Oh Muhammad] has neither forsaken you nor hates you). I truly felt forsaken by men at that moment though.

After the uplifting Eid prayer that had made my day, the experience of going to the mosque for jumu’ah was such a kick in the face and made me feel low for the rest of the day. I just ask myself why?? It doesn’t take that much effort to unlock the door for ladies even if it turns out that no ladies come. Two minutes extra time if that.

We will have to go to a more central mosque next time and I will ensure that I do have my mobile phone with me!

Living on a compound

Often I mention to online buddies and friends back in the UK that I live on a compound in Saudi Arabia and people don’t always understand what that means. The term sounds a bit austere perhaps or army-like. So what is a compound and what are the benefits?

As an expatriate living in Saudi Arabia you either live in a privately rented villa or appartment or your employer will be able to offer you compound housing. A compound is a entirely private set of villas surrounded by a perimeter wall and has security guards monitoring cars entering the community. Only the cars of residents are permitted to enter and visitors are restricted. Within the confines of the compound as well as homes there are likely to be other numerous facilities available to residents. Due to the nature of life in Saudi Arabia there are many benefits in living on a compound.

• Ladies are prohibited from driving in KSA which means husbands or taxis/drivers are the only means of transport when a woman needs to go about her daily business. Compounds usually provide daily shopping buses for residents and have their own cars and drivers for residents needing taxi drop-offs.
• The compounds usually provide school buses dropping/collecting children to/from the major schools
• KSA is not the country where it is normal for women to take an evening stroll – the closed environment of the compound allows women to enjoy a little more freedom and be able stroll in the evening and easily visit other friends she has made on the compound.
• For non-Muslims who feel somewhat restricted by the necessity to wear abaya in all places when out and about, they can enjoy more freedom and wear their Western dress when inside the confines of the compound.
• Inside the compound children have the freedom to go out and about and play, they have a playparks and wide, empty roads on which to ride their bicycles, or go roller-blading. These are activities girls in particular will miss out on if they don’t live on a compound.
• Some compounds have an on site pre-school.

• All the compounds I know of have at least one swimming pool. There are no public swimming pools in the country apart from those in private male or female health clubs which are likely to be very pricey.
• There may be other sport facilities on the compound for residents’ use such as tennis courts, basket ball courts, gym, bowling alleys and even a golf course.
• The vast majority of compounds also have a minimarket on site where the essentials can be bought.
• The summer months in Saudi Arabia are extremely hot and this can restrict people, particularly children in the available activities. Many compounds will have a recreation department organising activities and trips for the children at weekends.
• For those who are expats in the country with no family here and arriving knowing no-one, compound living provides opportunity to get to know others quickly and easily.

From my point of view I find the compound invaluable. My husband’s job is one that takes him outside of the country or outside of Riyadh frequently so I need to avail myself of the facilities on the compound. The school buses are vital to me even when my husband is in town as he starts work at 7:30am and the children start school at 8am but his work is 45 minutes away from the school; it would be impossible for him to drop the children at school at a reasonable time.