Job Offer from Qatar and Saudi

Unless we can find a beach where...

Same cmpensation, then Saudi isthe place.. The cost of living is much much lower. However, it is a very closed society. No Alcahol (in the market), no clubs, no bikinis, must wear an abaya..BUT YOU SAVE MONEY.

Can you live with yourself working in a country like Saudi that treats people this way. If people stopped working in countries like Saudi until they addressed their numerous abuses, they may be motivated to change.

If you go work in Saudi, I feel her blood is also on your hands by supporting a government like this:

US-based Human Rights Watch has slammed a Saudi Arabian court decision to drop charges against an employer accused of abusing an Indonesian maid so severely she lost her fingers and toes.

HRW said Nour Miyati had been beaten daily and forced to work long hours without rest for her Saudi employers, knocking out a tooth and damaging one of her eyes.

A judge who reviewed the case in Riyadh on Monday awarded Miyati around $670 for her injuries but dropped charges against the wife of her employer, who had earlier confessed to abusing the maid and had been sentenced by a lower court to 35 lashes.

"This outrageous ruling sends a dangerous message to Saudi employers that they can beat domestic workers with impunity, and that victims have little hope of justice," said Nisha Varia, senior researcher in the women's rights division at HRW.

Saudi officials were unavailable for comment on the report.

Miyati had earlier had her fingers and toes amputated because of the delay in receiving care for gangrene and malnourishment, the group said.

There are over a million domestic maids working in Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter where many families employ foreign home help.

Rights organisations say many domestic maids work in difficult circumstances, do not know Arabic and often suffer from abuse by their employers.

The Labour Ministry has acknowledged that there are problems with workers' rights, but the government also often says that Islamic law ensures protection for both Muslims and non-Muslims and reminds foreigners that they are guests in the country. (Reuters)

hi all thanks again for your opinions

Wow...it sounds like more women accepted/enjoyed living in Saudi than I thought. A women's enjoyment of living in Saudi may depend on her strength of character and dignity. A woman who can see the bright side of all things may do better than the woman who gets easily stressed by the challenges (mandatory abaya, no driving, salah closing of stores, burdensome beaucracy).

well helpneeded, muslims usually look forward to saudia for the numerous umrahs and hajj that they can perform at free will, not to mention at minimal cost.We are encountering various difficulties for hajj (from qatar) and would love to move to saudia if given a reasonable offer.

i guess all those ladies belonged to the compounds alexa mentioned.

everyone I know (females) enjoyed living there!......There must be something about the place!

"It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid."

- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Well, helpneeded, I've lived in Qatar for 4 years. Now I am planning to move to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia with dw (darling wife) and dd (darling daughter).

Now dw is getting cold feet (just the day before I need to pay for the airplane tickets and sign the contract). I thought we had resolved this one month ago. Now I am rather lost and uncertain what to do.

So...if you're married and you choose Saudi, make 1000% SURE that your wife TOTALLY agrees with going there. If you're not completely convinced, then go to Qatar. Except for Alexa, I haven't heard any women who actually enjoyed it -- let alone choose it over Qatar.

thanks all for the replies and it surely will help me to decide where to go

Thanks again

try expatsinsaudiarabia.com its a similar yahoo group and you would find useful members and information.

You would for similar salary easily save more in KSA as compared to Qatar. however thats only one part of it all.

The living conditions are extremely different as compared to Qatar - the segregation of sexes is enforced strictly and restaurants, etc will have separate entrances/enclosures for single men and families.

if you are going to be living in KSA with your family, then it wouldnt matter much, your wife would need to wear an abaya.

Trust this helps.

Saudi is an open prison