WASTA is a way of life in Saudi Arabia as well as most of the GCC region. It is the tradition in which many Arabs do business and other interactions, both men and women alike. So what about the foreign women in Saudi Arabia? Do they have WASTA? Are they perceived to have WASTA?
There seems to be a common assumption that if a western woman has married a Saudi and is living in Saudi Arabia, then her husband’s WASTA has carried over to her. That is, quite frankly, a misnomer. The Saudi husband may indeed have WASTA but unless he chooses to extend it to his wife and his contacts are also aware of his good nature in this regard, then it does not matter if the wife tries to apply WASTA through her husband’s contacts. It is a man’s world and if she is attempting to use his WASTA on her own recognizant without intervention or known sanction from her husband, she could just as well be invisible. WASTA is something that is carefully guarded and selectively utilized when a request, transaction or facilitation is complicated or considered a major request. One may have friends who are known to have “major” WASTA but WASTA is something that is carefully guarded and not offered out to others.
But back to the original topic of this post on whether foreign women have WASTA in Saudi Arabia. Much of course depends on their position, where they are, who they are and of course what they are asking for requiring use of WASTA. I know of several western women who are married to Saudis and have been in the Kingdom for more than 25 years. They not only are married to prominent Saudis but they also are successful and influential in their own rights. These women certainly do have their own WASTA network. They have shared that they do need to be watchful of who approaches them. It is not unusual for others (men and women) to seek such women out not for who they are as an individual but due to the perception that association with such women raises their own status in the Kingdom and falsely ensures them of having WASTA as well.
Examples of how foreign women are approached and asked to exert WASTA include in finding jobs for others; facilitating healthcare and getting appointments with doctors who are usually booked up; assisting in marriage approvals; assistance with transferring iqamas or receiving no-objections; assist with getting children admitted to specific international schools. Now one may say, “what’s wrong with providing such assistance, aren’t those worthy causes?” Which it should be stated some women may indeed help out with such requests but the primary point is to not expect someone to readily avail their WASTA. If one tends to overuse their own WASTA it can eventually come back on them in that future uses of WASTA would be ignored or rejected.
Lastly, WASTA is a two-way street. When one seeks WASTA for assistance in achieving some kind of an objective, at some point whomever exerted WASTA will in turn at some point have their own request expected to be fulfilled.
Filed under: culture, gender, politics, relationships, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, Saudi Living, travel, Uncategorized, Women Issues Tagged: | culture, culture shock, customs, gender issues, KSA, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, travel, women
After looking at the picture I thought you are going to write about the Somalian pirates! ;-P …
Does Wasta start in the bedroom? It reminds me of a book I read when I was a kid. It was about the last Ottoman Sultan & his Harem wives. I loved that book & read it a few times. I was very much taken in by the power play among Sultan’s mother & all his wives- particulary the ones with the most power who were mainly the most beautiful & the most clever. And there were all kinds of poison available.
I knew I was destined to lead a life in the Harem!
ROFL
i would imagine that the most of the time wasta would be used is for iqamas, but that may only be true for expats.
What other wastas are more often requested?
Certainly not in an airport queue! I noticed Saudi women certainly bypassed the queue every time. After the two hours I stood there with only six Western expats in front while everyone with wasta pushed ahead of us I would say if I have an occasion to use a little wasta I’ll take it!
Carol,
You wrote:
” When one seeks WASTA for assistance in achieving some kind of an objective, at some point whomever exerted WASTA will in turn at some point have their own request expected to be fulfilled.”
I understand the point of “quid pro quo”, but where does charity figure into this, if at all? How about dloing something just because it is the right thing to do?
This system, by it’s very nature, keeps and promotes those who already have wasta and keeps down those who dont.
As to wasta not passing on, I learned that the hard way. My wife’s family had figured that as their father had so much wasta that there would be those out there that would help out in the time of need, but that turned out NOT to be the case.
Wanting something in return for everything you do is an inheirantly UNISLAMIC attitude and way of thinking. Wasta, in this manner, is just another way, one of thousands, where the culture and way of doing business in Saudi Arabia has ZERO to do with Islam.
Like you said, everyone wants something, too bad 99.9999999% of the time what they want has nothing to do with gaining ajr or hasanat with God.
@Gloria….hmmmm….I can’t say I know of any cases of WASTA being
used in the bedroom!
@Aamer – among the expat community one sees a lot of requests for use
of WASTA for iqamas and marriage approvals.
Among Saudis you see WASTA used for jobs, bypassing beauracracy and
other things along those lines.
@Sirius – you remind me of an incident with two friends of mine in the
diplomatic corps who were traveling on a holiday together. In
Southeast Asia and many other places in the world it was not unusual
to be shuffled to the front of lines when displaying a diplomatic
passport to an official of the host country such as an airport
security official or airline official. But the one time these two
friends of mine were traveling from India and were tired and let’s say
a little bit disheveled looking. There was a very long queu at the
ticket counter to check in so one woman attempted to go to the front
of the line since she had her diplomatic passport out. A German expat
in the line stopped them and told them to get back to the end of the
line. She attempted to tell him she was a diplomat. I really like
the German’s response “I don’t care who the hell you are, get back in
the line and wait your turn like everyone else!”
@Abu Sinan — you make very good points but sadly WASTA is not usually
exerted that way. )-:
Wasta can fanish over night as well.
My best friends father was a very well known figure in Bahrain…he had money, prestige, and powerful friends. He was the “go to” man when people wanted something. Interesting enough…he generally helped people because he wanted too…not for anything in return…and most of the time nobody knew that he was the one that had helped. During a period of time in which he was struggling with health issues….his own brother managed to steal his fortune from him and left his brother with debts that were not his own and without money to pay for them. Over night phonecalls were not answered or returned…business ventures went dry…long time friends suddenly forgot he existed. Meanwhile the thieving brother (and its a well known secret about what he did) enjoys the acceptance of society to this day….the father died with nothing.
It seems money tends to generate its own wasta…and absence of money generates NO wasta…or removes wasta previously held.
Coolred – The thieving brother can’t take the money with him and will probably be punished in the next life.
As for Saudi women jumping the line….they do that in grocery stores, malls and on airplanes….mainly because they know that most expats are afraid of them. Actually, many of them never learned to get in a line….that’s only the new generation that was taught. And even if you tell them to go back to the end of the line, they pretend to NOT understand you.
From what I’ve heard, if you use Wasta here, you do owe the wasta giver a favor in return….and you just never know what that favor might be…..so one doesn’t usually ask unless very desperate.
Like Carol, I have never heard of bedroom wasta. This is a men’s world….they’d never put up with such a thing.
you even know wasta !?
you just keep amazing me with each new post girl ! lol
Yes Miriam, I agree with you about this disgusting habit of Saudi women jumping the line, they just breeze through, and are not bothered about people standing in the queue. Another thing that I have noticed is that they cross the road wherever they wish and expect people driving cars to stand on their brakes so to say and pray that the car comes to a standstill and not go too close to them. They are not bothered that they could cause a major accident just because of their lack of commonsense.
Wasta is like an exception letter. Its a joker card, you only keep it till there is an appropriate moment to use it you should never use it frequently. Because indeed it will lead to the rejection from the other party.
Good will, securing a lowly soldier with treatment of his infant with heart cardiac implications in a specialized hospital.
Bad wasta, trying to get forced employed at the place of your choice because you barely passes highschool and think you should never work as a driver cause your family can’t be drivers. This doesn’t usually work because a lot of tribal families from hillbillies who were bad at school try to score a job at some place other than the Military sectors. (it has a chance to work there is your wasta is a relative with connections.) But in other sectors where productivity is important the management already has policies to keep such people out of their staff if they are not qualified. So whenever a prince or a connection gets such request he will just make a distribution with “As per Policy”. That now will shift his responsiblity from the issue.. he looks like he done something to the guy but the policies will determine what will happen.. If the employer gets cold feet and recruits without applying their internal policies, its their loss for not getting the hint.
I personally see a lot of those requests but the one we honored was not the one addressed to the King with “as per policy” distribution, but a local letter from the Social well fair office for an orphan employment requesting our organization assistance typed in by a deaf typist .
Everything else is segregated. They need to make a “Ladies Only” queue at the airport—Just think of all the potential for flirting in a mixed queue! Wait! just think of all the flirt potential with the men in passport control! Obviously Saudi women should never be allowed to fly out of the country except on a ladies only plane into a ladies only airport–and the wasta question is in a Saudi Ladies Only Queue, who goes first? Speaking of those hot guys in passport control–I watched one glare and scowl for two full hours as I waited in line. When I finally reached the counter (I was sure he would decide right then to take a coffee break) He was really grouchy until I tried all my bad Arabic on him–and then he actually laughed! See trying to learn Arabic is good for something.
Wow, interesting piece.
I believe one can have “wasta” one day and next day he/she is out. I met an American women in passing ( in another GCC state) who flashed around her husband’s tribal name all over the place. Quit indignant if you aske me.
Also, I believe there is hierarchy of “wasta”. There are some with a little and then some with a lot wasta.
@ Carol,
When I lived in NYC, there was talk about diplomats having to be like everyone else: Wait their turn, park in legal place, e.t.c….( Thanks to Hilary Clinton) I was so glad as I lived near the U.N. and would not be unusual to find a car with diplomatic plates park right in front of a fire hydrant.
.
I worked in many different schools in this country, and I have never heard of anyone getting hired with wasta. As a matter of fact, we rarely had contracts and had to fight every month to get our salary on time…if at all. One owner applied for a car loan when he owed the teachers a similar amount. He came and showed us the paper…while gloating. Too bad for him, I knew one of the wives of the people who worked for that company and told them to be sure to run a credit check on him. He didn’t get the car, and …. well the rest of the story should be in a movie. he he he
I’m…not sure Wasta is an arabic tradition. The phenomena emerged when people needed to get past the red tape the autocratic regimes of the gulf states put up in the mid 20th century.
Here’s the thing about Wasta…you never know if people befriend you because you have it.
I think people in the West would be amazed if they knew the types of things arabs (not just saudis) ask me for.
It’s embarassing and I’m always terrified that something will go wrong and the person I am trying to help will hate me as a result.
It’s also unusual for westerners to hear arabs do this…it’s done quite blatantly – like it’s expected on both sides.
Sorry don’t know about expat wasta…but i do know that saudis wasta spreads among families for sure. I’m nothing, but just because of who my father is, I can get all sorts of things done.
Wasta (or un coup de piston, or influence, or connections, or whatever) is a universal phenomenon but more important and necessary in some cultures than others. It is a quid pro quo system, and people are reluctant to risk their reputation on frivolous or overuse.
For a dramatic loss of wasta read the books by the Moroccan Miriam Oufkir, and her brother Raouf Oufkir, whose father General Oufkir, was (rightfully) accused of treason, and committed suicide (by shooting himself multiple times in the back). His wife and children (including the toddler) were imprisoned in the most horrific of conditions.
While the reason for the loss of General Oufkir’s wasta was obvious, the KingHassan II of Morocco chose to taint the wife and children, such that none of their other wasta would work either (important tribal and aristocratic connections). From then on they relied on charity, anonymous soldiers who thought their plight was unfair, and the social? cultural? religious? obligation to provide anyone who asks for one with a glass of water (this became important in their escape). No former friends, or relatives could or would do much. French journalists did the most to have them freed and allowed to leave the country.
awww….i posted here earlier..
where did my post go..? @_@
Mariam–I always appreciate your honesty and your clarity about your wasta. I know too many who have it inside their country and either think it is their own when it is really the father’s, or family’s or don’t realize it doesn’t work outside their culture and even not so extensively with longterm emigrants from their country. The same person who can walk into the embassy and make everyone jump by announcing his or her last name is just another N*** in Texas or N**esse in Paris (real examples).
Sirius–make those ladies’ airplanes pink, fuschia or floral!!!
I HATE WASTA!!!
UnIslamic, UnConstitutional and UnJust.
Sometimes the educated and affluent of us “enjoy it,” but it must not be tolerated in the least. It should make a person sick of guilt when he’s gone thru wasta.
He either will abuse someone’s rights in getting preference for himself or he’ll render a system/law useless and promote corruption further.
Because of Wasta, law enforcers protect the elite and punish the poor.
Spend time with the poor, the office boys, talk to them about their families and lives, just as you talk to people of ur own class…. treat them equal, and they really are, and u will never ever think about how “good’ Wasta is next time.
If there’s one place where I haven’t seen Wasta it is… …. …. …
not a place on earth?
Saudi lives, while I have seen people in the USA suck up to “important” people, I think wasta is used “at your own risk” in the USA. People have no problem charging nepotism, etc.
in KSA , most people just shrug, and vow to use it themselves the next time.
Anyhow, that is how I see the difference.
having said that… because the system is so much at fault… even to get ur basic rights people say they must have a wasta…
really.. the bureaucracy needs an overhaul
ur right mariam… the point is that unless authorities are serious enough to get this cleaned up from the top to grass roots, its likely gonna stay…. n sadly it doesn’t seem very realistic in any part of the world.
n people will have to pretty much rely on it to get things done, which normally should be done without the Wasta…
but no matter wat… its social evil and it should be hated as much as possible
really.. the bureaucracy needs an overhaul
——————————
Bureaucracy cannot be overhauled. Only expanded or eliminated.
@coolred – how very sad for this gentleman sounded like such a good
person with a pure heart.
@DW – great points. One way I saw WASTA used was in my view such poor
taste. A member of the Royal Family had a mistress and through WASTA
a well known enterprise sponsored her for a job so she could come in
to the Kingdom legally. She was given a decent position and even her
own office even though that position generally did not have one and
she was also allowed time off whenever she had committments with her
‘true sponsor.’ The relationship ended and surprise or not, she left
the Kingdom shortly after.
@Sirius: as you may have noticed at least for security there are
ladies only lines. In most cases though the Saudi woman will have a
relative who is in line for her with her ticket and passport (if
international) rather than having her stand in the line.
@Jacee,
I believe it is no longer the case but earlier (early 2000′s) the
Saudi diplomats were the worse offenders of parking violations in NYC
and WDC!
@philemon — now why would that surprise you may I ask?
oh….no insult intended ma’am….none at all !
it’s just that i was really surprised a non-saudi lady (and american at that ^^) would actually know an absurdly used slang as “wastah” lol
i met and had a quick chat with a couple of european people, men and women, and even though some of them where in here like 6 and 8 years , they barely knew any arabic words….just a few popular phrases ( assalamu ‘alaikum, shukran and…umm…..a couple of curse words just to know when they piss someone off XD
But you seem to know a lot of our culture’s flora and fauna…
and you observe them without judging them from a singular perspective.
you mostly leave a room for the benefit of the doubt….and i respect that.
good luck babe ^^
That big small issue((WASTA) had Two ways .when you help for just humanity and of course when you waited after or also before the request .
I believe only a small loopy whom treading by people’s needs, if every one face them and ambaries them inattention .they will disappearing with out back .we have strong system not (toy).
@Philemon – thank you my dear! Being married to a Saudi I feel it is
my duty to learn as much as I can about the culture, customs,
traditions as well as the language! And even more so since we live in
KSA. I try to keep an open mind but have to admit there are times
when my biases show on some issues….after all, I’m only human!
@Sultan – welcome and thanks for sharing your perspective too!
anyone knows any connections in the ministry of interior in Saudi? I need to get a marriage permit, and understood that this is the only way. Please let me know if you do,
Thanks a lot