RE: job offer from SAUDI ARABIA

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Brian MacLean [mailto:bmaclean_at_vcommerce.com]
>
>Read the following excerpt and follow the links, and "Be Very Very Afraid".

...

One of my former colleagues worked in Saudi Arabia and said that the life there was very quiet and much different from our western lifestyle. However, in his opinion, if you made the effort to respect the local traditions, you could live there and tour the country with not too many difficulties. The important thing was to be prepared for their customs. He did however leave his family in the USA because he thought it would be too disruptive for them (he had two children in grade school) to adapt to such a different country for two years. He would return to visit them on holiday. (Note: this former colleague was a tee-totaller, i.e. did not drink alcohol, and an avid reader, so the lack of cinemas/bars did not affect him.)

The Lonely Planet travel guide has some suggestions on books to read. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/middle_east/saudi_arabia/read.htm

As far as the Amnesty International report goes - the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia is of course not perfect, and it would be a good idea not to run afoul of the law whilst in that country. But you should be aware that Amnesty International reports are not intended to be tourist guides.

In the interest of a comparison (NOT trying to start a discussion here), you could also read AI's report on the USA http://www.amnestyusa.org/rightsforall/index.html and then reflect on if you would use only this as a description of the USA for someone intending to live here.

P.S. I am NOT saying that AI's reports are inaccurate. For the record, I have been an active member of the Amnesty International local group in Irvine, California for approx. 15 years. Received on Wed May 16 2001 - 13:21:22 CDT