We arrived some hours ago at the Saudi-Arabian
border. Because of the recent events the Saudis (or anyway their customs)
didnt really want to let us in. Finally they agreed to let us pass, we had to
bribe them; a clear example of the prevailing mentality.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a Muslim
country in the Middle East with a population of 26.2 million. Other religions
are not allowed (they are extremely radical on this matter).
Geographically, Saudi Arabia is bordering
Yemen and Oman (south) also Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (east), Kuwait,
Iraq and Jordan (north). All of these countries except Jordan and Iraq make the
Arabian Peninsula.
It is a Kingdom ruled by the Saudi royal
family, also called the House of Saud.
Like I told before, a big part of the
worlds crude oil supply comes from Saudi Arabia, that
emerged from being an underdeveloped desert kingdom to become one of the
wealthiest nations in the region thanks to the vast oil resources. What happens to profits
made by the oil business?!
Everything goes integral to the royal
family which becomes wealthier and wealthier. This results in poor families
getting even poorer.
Saudi Arabia has cities that are important
to the Muslim religion (Mecca and Medina). Many Muslims from around the world visit
Mecca. One time in their lifetime Muslims have to undertake a pilgrimage. The
pilgrimage is one of the pillars of the Islam. They call it the Hajj in the Arabic
language. If you arent a Muslim youre not allowed to enter Mecca.
Next to this holy sanctuary, Saudi Arabia
is home to the largest mass of sand on earth. This desert carries the name:
Rubal Khali desert. It speaks for itself that temperatures are extremely hot.
Most people speak the Arabic language and
this country employs a lot of people from other countries.
What about Saudi Arabia and todays situation?!
·Saudi Arabia is one of the main players in the Arab
and Muslim world.
·Its rulers face the delicate task of responding to
pressure for reformations while having to combat against a growing problem of
extremist violence.
·The Al Saud dynasty holds a monopoly of power;
political parties are banned and the opposition is organized from abroad.
·Rapidly growing unemployment is a major challenge.
With this I end my blog. Im exhausted and
maybe I bit tired off foreign habits. I can no longer imagine how it feels to
sleep in my own bed.
In a couple of hours Im heading back
home, back to Belgium, land of opportunities.
