This is the time of year when many Saudis who are able will travel outside of the Kingdom to beat the intense heat, relax and enjoy themselves with a vacation. The majority of Saudis will take what most of us think of as a traditional vacation. However there are some who prefer what I refer to as the “dark side of a Saudi vacation.” These are the Saudi men who will chose to go to Morocco, Philippines or Thailand or elsewhere on a holiday (sans wife and children) for the sole purpose of indulging their sexual appetite and fantasies. Some of these men will pleasure themselves with female prostitutes and others may choose to avail themselves of male prostitutes, young boys or even young (as in underage) girls. These men are known as the “Saudi Sex Tourists.”
This is a very delicate and sordid issue and does happen. It is not something that should be buried under the sand and ignored. It is a thriving trade. The actions on the part of these men are not only indicative that they have a serious problem but these actions result in other realities as well. Pregnancies of foreign women left behind who likely only know they were intimate with an Arab man but may not know his nationality let alone his name. For some reason these men when indulging in the various acts seem not to care or desire to practice safe sex and use protection. Many of these same men also bring home “unpleasant souvenirs” of their holiday in the form of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) which in turn is passed on to the wife. The husband may go to a private physician for treatment while the wife is too ashamed to acknowledge that something may be amiss.
Although dated, Time Magazine did an interesting article on this very subject.
This particular post is not intended to Saudi bash but at the same time, I don’t think one should simply ignore the darker side of a particular culture or society and pretend it does not exist. Perhaps through constructive dialog one can come up with solutions to minimize these incidents from continuing to happen.
Filed under: Entertainment, Just for fun, Saudi Arabia, travel
I’m surprised, I guess, that this sort of thing still occurs. People talked about it even twenty years ago when I lived in KSA, so it’s nothing new, or generational.
When I went to Bangkok for a vacation with a woman friend in 1989, we were told that, “single Muslim girls do not go to Bangkok”! We had a wonderful family-style vacation, but heard numerous anecdotes regarding the escapades of Saudi males.
I never thought of this phenomenon as anything more than the meeting of means with opportunity. Every culture has its “dark side”, and you are right- it should not be buried under the sand.
However, it is probably the sort of thing that will diminish when other aspects of the culture change, and I don’t mean open dating.
Carol,
“Sex holiday” is rather a global phenomenon, and not limited to Saudi men.
Are you suggesting that Saudi men practice it more often than others???
Thanks for the comments.
Nader – if you are not aware, Saudis are prohibited by the Saudi government from traveling to Thailand unless there are very special business circumstances. If traveling to Thailand without sanctioned permission, a Saudi’s passport will be revoked for a period of time. This is due to various factors among which include the propensity for Saudi males to go and immerse in the sex trade. So it is not me suggesting that Saudi men do or do not practice it more often than others but even the Saudi government has recognized the problem.
Sex holiday is a global phenomenon but it seems that it is practiced more widely by Arab men.
Hmm, I’m not so sure I agree with you that Arabs practice “sex holidays” more than other groups of men. I hear stories all the time of American and European guys travelling to Cambodia/Thailand etc for this purpose. I personally think its probably practiced equally by most groups of men.
But the fact that Saudi gov actually prohibits travel to certain areas is definitely an indicator that there is a problem. And certain countries in North Africa (morocco and egypt) have actually passed laws prohibiting arabs from the gulf marrying young girls/women unless they pay a massive dowry or are not disgustingly old pervs
Regardless of who does it more, the first thing I think of when I hear of a man travelling by himself to asia regardless of race is that he is a disgusting pervert who is screwing around with little children or paying for sex
Thanks for commenting, Tulip.
I do not recall if it was 20/20 or another similar show which had also aired about the sex trade in Asia and yes, in this case it was about the Western men who traveled for “such indulgences”
They all do it. Perhaps we should applaud the Saudi government for making it tougher for their nationals to go to Thailand and participate?
Carol – I love reading your blog. As a fellow Westerner living in Riyadh, I really enjoy reading about your experiences in KSA.
I have to agree with Nader on sex tourists – it really is a global problem. I was in Thailand recently and I was disgusted by the (usually older) men of all nationalities who prey on young Thai women. Perhaps what makes it slightly worse with Saudis is the in-built hypocracy due to the “holier than thou” attitudes of Saudi society on sexual issues? Should Saudis be held up to a higher standard of morality?
Every time I go to Bahrain I see hundreds of Saudis behaving badly!
Hi Tom,
Welcome and thank yuu for your comments.
I do think there is added hypocrosy attached to the Saudis who practice in such activities due to the belief (right or wrong) of higher standard of morality.
Oh yes…I wrote a prior posting called “The Ugly Saudi” and it’s about the Saudis in Bahrain.
I think this problem exists in a higher percentage with Saudi’s than Westerns. That is not to say that Saudi’s are more perverted, it is just sexual relations outside marriage cannot commonly be established in Saudi. Hence, there is a higher percentage of Saudi’s that seek sex tourism. It is definitely a problem especially when married men are involved. I also think the Saudi government is engaging in a responsible way, when it comes to travel restrictions. They are realizing this problem and trying to put penalties without being over bearing. However, they can do more in the area of awareness programs inside the country. I also do not see much coverage on this with Saudi media. This is a major social problem and needs to be covered.
By the way when the Aids scare started in the 80’s and 90’s, Saudi used to deny that such cases existed in the country, even though small in number. At the time most of the cases were related to sex tourism and the people contracting the disease did not know about prevention methods. I hope more education programs will be developed with focus on reducing people engaged in sex tourism or a minimum provide information about STD’s.
Regarding Western sex tourism, I think the US has stronger awareness of this issue of late. The focus here is not to limit people’s travel to destinations or stop it as it is considered personal freedom. However, the FBI is engaged in trying to identify individuals engaged in pedophilia even abroad and bringing them to trial. Obviously, it is a very hard task to get evidence in these cases.
I can say that as one workng in the medical sector, most of the larger health care institutions hold and sponsor HIV/AIDS symposiums, workshops and seminars which does help spread awareness and medical advancements in the treatment thereof.
As others have stated, this is common in EVERY society on this earth… if anything, there’s probably a lot more noise around Saudis doing it because it’s not as common as elsewhere. So when stories of Saudis do it a big deal is made out of it.
But when you hear of middle-aged white men from the West going to Thailand to have sex with under-aged girls and boys, it’s simply just another headline to read (no big deal).
Either way though, this isn’t to undermine the severity of hearing what our brothers are doing… it’s just simply to point out that this post (and others similar to it) make it seem a lot more common than it really is.
Ali
Carol,
That is good. Does that include other STD’s?
I had a friend that died a few years back from hepatitis B. Which is totally preventable, but a horrible disease when it settles in. He probably contracted it in Thailand as he used to travel there in the 90’s.
I am also curious if the health groups put out travel advisories in regards to locations that have outbreaks of diseases.
You also, said the health groups cover the issue from an after the fact, but do they also cover prevention methods in a practical way. Like if you are engaged in risky sexual behavior, you need to take these preventive measures. I get the feeling that such topics may be considered taboo, but someone can be creative in covering them.
Much as we like to highlight this towards the men from KSA, this is a worldwide problem. To just single out KSA is not fair.
Here in the US, it is well known of the sex tourism to the Caribbean Islands (Dominican Republic in particular) and now much less to the Far East. As Saudi in US, pointed out, the FBI is actively engaged to identify pedophiles. I have read that some of the sex tourism outfits are actually run by the FBI as sting operations.
I believe the real issue that needs to be discussed is why are these married men in particular looking for sex outside marriage. Now that would be an interesting topic for you to engage us all in Carol.
🙂
wow…thanks for all the comments!
Saudi in US: To answer your question, some of the symposiums or workshops will go beyond just AIDS/HIV but not all and prevention is also brought up (at some). I think when the issue is addressed in a medical context rather than as a social problem, it is possible to be a bit more open and direct. But whether any lectures or talks are given in schools….forget it. I remember some female family members telling me when their (female) teacher was telling them about menstration that she read from a paper with eyes downcast and told the class she would not take any questions. Sorry to sound insensitive to anyone here, but do a search on tampax which will bring up earlier posts on sensitive topics and the knowledge of young women.
SH: I think a married man will have to step forward allowing himself to be interviewed for your request….actually at least -2- married men …. a Saudi and a westerner so we can have perspectives from two differing cultures. So as soon as someone comes forward or sends me an email agreeing to be interviewed, I’ll prepare the questions.
Ali,
Actually in the US, I saw at least 4 documentaries and news shows (48 hours) about pedophilia and American sex tourism. And I can tell you I saw zero shows discussing Saudi’s regarding this issue (of course, I may have missed shows). Also note, the Time magazine article is 8 pages long and only mentioned Saudi as part of talking about sex tourism destinations and very quickly. So I think you are mistaken about thinking the west is hiding this local issue or attacking Muslims.
The UK may be a different story as there are many Saudi’s that go on vacation there. I do not know if that is an issues as I do nto have access to the info.
How many shows did you see in Saudi regarding this topic and treating it? I do not live in Saudi so I really do not know and asking you as a local.
Regarding, if it is a small problem, I think you are underestimating it. At least 10% of the men I know in Saudi engage in this type of travel. Not scientific, but I know a lot of people and they are across all sectors from the religious to the businessman. What I am saying is it is a problem and should be treated as such. Taking it to an east vs west issue is not really an objective.
A bit off topic, but I’ve heard anecdotes of what Saudi (and other close-by neighbours) women get up to when their husbands are out for day and night on their joint holidays to places like Lebanon. Now I have no evidence of this nor do I really care one way or the other what other people do in their spare time, it’s just interesting to hear the stories of the opposite sex in the Saudi/Arabic world.
I think because one lives in such extremes in Saudi Arabia as compared to other places, that when Saudis (men and women) travel or away from each other you will see or hear some eye-raising tales and perhaps more eye-raising simply because the actions cannot take place in the Kingdom.
Some doth protest too much on behalf of Saudi men. Or try to make it less of an issue by pointing out “they do it to”. This is a blog about KSA, and your blog was about Saudi men doing this, but only a few people have sorta brought up the elephant in the room (why they do it). I think when sex and male/female relations are normalized..er.. regularized.. (can’t think of the word I want) in KSA there won’t be such a conpulsion towards the perverse. And personally, doesn’t it seem like the officials in Thailand should look into why their women are so accomodating? Banana club, anyone? ew.
It’s the fact that saudi men insist all women should be engulfed in black cloth, and not allowed out without a magrahm, and liable to 200 lashes when cought in a kuhlwa situation, etc. etc. and then blightly go to another country and take advantage of other women who are uysually coerced, and beaten into becoming a prostitute, to have ”a bit of fun”.
Not to mention that it erodes the ”holier than thou” attitude a bit if saudi men are known to indulge in all that God has forbidden as soon as they cross the borders of KSA.
It means that they are not even muslim whatever they profess and act out at home, Islam places great importance on intention remember?
In Europe there are many documentaries on human trafficing and sex-tourism, and many groups and commissions trying to fight it and have the men who are responsible punished. Any man found to have indulged in paedophelia, even if on the other side of the world, can count on a stiff sentence when back in the Netherlands.
Andrea, good point!
In Thailand girls are taken from the country-side in the north, especially after a bad harvest, the parents are told their daughter will be employed as a maid, but is of course then forced into prostitution. many girls are so ashamed that they don’t even want to go back to their home-village anymore.
Many of them are contaminated with venerial diseases and aids, and there are also special places where these children are taken in and looked after. Many Thai try to fight the sex-industry, but the only way to really stop it, would be to stop the rich men who are willing to take advantage of poverty and abuse from coming.
I think one of the reasons that the Saudi government has taken to banning travel for Saudis who engage in sex tourism is that they know this is a major source for the AIDS problem in Saudi.
Yes, for those who dont know about it, there is a major AIDS problem in Saudi, although it is a taboo subject and not talked about. When one looks at the AIDS rate for the prostitues in countries known for sex tourism, you’ll see why.
The problem with keeping Saudi men from either engaging in sex tourism or venting their outlets with other Saudi women in the Kingdom is the fact that their sexual attentions are then turned to another vulnerable group in the Kingdom, the domestic help.
Of course Saudi being the way it is, there have been no comprehensive studies made of the issue, but the rape of sexual abuse of foreign domestic help seems to be epdemic.
@Saudi in USA,
The same thing happens in the UK. Prostitution, like many places in Europe, is legal, so this is a major past time for the Saudis/Arabs who visit there. White skin/white women is a prized commodity in the Middle East so where better to endulge than in Europe?
I remember walking through the red light district in St Pauli a few years back, the mix of accents made me feel I was in a bar in Beirut, Najdi, Hijazi……..sounded like a Saudi reunion, all there to visit the brothels.
Abu Sinan, and what were you doing in st Pauli?????
I have heard a madam tell in an interview that the saudies are also the ones with the weirdest requests….
@ Abu Sina, you sure they were not out to make da’wa? 🙂
AbuSinan,
One of my biggest issues with this is really the STD problem. What really makes me mad is if the man is married and brings back and STD to his faithful wife. It makes a crime with a victim at that point.
Like others pointed out, it’s a global problem. And I disagree that most Thai women are forced into prostitution. Having worked with several NGOs in Thailand dealing with this issue, I’d say the majority of them above the age of 16 do it voluntarily, frequently with the hope of “catching” a white husband. Sad but true.
Carol, I’d be very interested to hear more about the sexual abuse of foreign domestic help in KSA, I think Abu Sinan mentioned it above, too.
Besides the problem of sex diseases brought home to unsuspecting wives or future wives…these same Saudi men still expect “their women” to remain pure and untouched throughout their unmarried lives…and then faithful forever after once married. At least we in the west while not fully condoning unmarried sex…realize it does happen and can still “get over it” once we find out our spouse has had sexual relations before marriage….and sometimes even after.
I have read of this problem before. Even in Canada, they recognize there are many Canadians who go to Thailand or the Caribbean for fulfilling their fetish.
What I don’t understand is why a Saudi man would do it. One would think marrying 4 women, couple of them half their age and probably a very domicile foreigner like Pakistani, would fulfill whatever fantasies they have.
Mezba,
Just to be clear, the majority of Saudi’s marry only 1 woman. Many of us actually do not believe in having more than 1 wife. Also the majority marry women close the their age. The male is usually older by a few years, because they have a responsibility to establish themselves as bread earners. Practically it is not even possible to have a high percentage of polygamist based on supply and demand.
Regarding why Saudi’s do it, I think it is the same reason Westerns do it: Younger women, satisfying kinks, diversity, partying, etc.
We have social problems like multiple wives, sex tourism and abuse of maids. These are serious issues and I do not want to down play them. But if some problem like sexual abuse of maides exists at say 1% then it is a serious problem, but you have to realize that the majority of Saudi’s will not engage in that activity.
This is interesting!
Ok.. here are a few comments..
@everyone,
Yes, as I said earlier, it’s a global phenomenon, but as Andrea pointed out, this blog is about Saudi Arabia, so even if it’s a problem in other countries that doesn’t mean it’s not a problem in ours. We should face it and find ways to deal with it.
@Carol:
I have heard of lectures on AIDS taking place in high schools (boys)
@Abu Sinan,
I totally disagree that AIDS is major problem in Saudi. I have seen official and non-official figures, and in both AIDS prevalence rates are very low, and less than any other Arab country.
@Aafke,
I hope that madam did not mention my name?! (j/k)
@S H,
You made me laugh! I don’t think Abu Sinan is the kind of guy that would do dawa.. rather I think he was doing scientific research! 😉
@Anna,
As for the Philippines, I have met them and talked with them. Most said they were doing it for poverty related reasons.
@Mezba,
I think Saudi in US said all I wanted to say!
Sex tourism is not just a men’s issue. There are lots of women which go on holiday with the same purpose. Just look at the British ¨girls going to Greece, Russians in Italy or Spain, Poles in Egypt etc…
Thanks for all the comments and keep them coming!
For those not aware, trying to highlight the AIDS and STD problems in Thailand due to the sex trade, there is a well-known Bangkok restaurant called “Cabbages & Condoms.” Instead of after-dinner mints, guests are offered condoms. If one goes into the washrooms, the posters on the wall are about the different sizes, shapes and colors of condoms around the world. One can buy novelty tshirts, mugs, ties and other stuff as momentos. Proceeds go towards promoting safe sex….and it is a great restaurant to eat at too!
Euro — welcome and thanks for your comment.
As many have already stated, while I think it is safe to say everyone agrees sex tourism is a global issue, I want us to stay focused on why it seems to be a problem in Saudi Arabia and particularly among Saudi men. Especially as this is a culture where if the man comes back with a disease and passes it on to his wife, she has to remain quiet and in too many cases goes untreated due to the shame and stigma when she is in fact an innocent victim of the whole ordeal.
@Aafke,
I am a FC St Pauli support so I was out after the footie game. St Pauli and Celtic are my teams, so when I am able you can bet I catch the match and the festivities afterwards!
@Nader,
I think you are optomistic on the AIDS issue in Saudi. See the article below. If official figures are showing dramatic increases, then the real numbers are sure to be outrageous:
“In June, the Ministry of Health announced that more than 10,000 people in Saudi Arabia were infected with the virus, HIV, or had AIDS, including nearly 600 children. The numbers appear to show a sharp increase in infection over 2004, when 7,800 cases were reported, and 2003, when 6,700 cases were reported……
But many doctors say even the latest figures are off, with the real numbers likely to be far higher in this country of 27 million people. One physician who has treated many patients who have been hiding their condition or were unaware of it estimated that the real number could be as high as 80,000…..
Women began to be infected by their husbands, who contracted the disease on trips abroad and, increasingly, inside the country. Children were born infected, and soon the numbers became hard to ignore…..
The latest efforts have made a difference but only a small one, many AIDS patients say.”There is a war against the disease,” said one man, who contracted the disease after an encounter with a prostitute in the United States years ago and who spoke on the condition of anonymity.”They accept the sick but don’t want to deal with them as people.”
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/08/news/aids.php
I think I heard a stat recently that us Brits are the most numerous sex tourists, especially in East Asia etc. Like others have commented here, its not really a Saudi thing, its more just a wealthy male thing!
The bottom line is MEN. You don’t have to be a Saudi to go on a sex vacation in those countries you mentioned. Please, get real any man who wants his dick serviced in the perverse manner is of any known nationality. The world will be a better place when the gonads shrink to the size of the dickless brain.
I have noticed that it is common among many Saudi men to differentiate between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ behaviour, i.e. they way they behave when they are abroad is not the way that they behave, nor expect others to behave, while they are in the Kingdom.
It is disgusting no matter what nationality the perpetrator is, but it just seems so much worse when these are men who probably fast Ramadan, pray (at least in front of others), and can be extremely self righteous when it comes to judging the behaviour of others.
saudi in US,
you said to me “So I think you are mistaken about thinking the west is hiding this local issue or attacking Muslims. ”
I think you are mistaken, what are you referring to exactly? what part of my comment are you talking about? I think you meant for the comment to be addressed to someone else…
Ali
Did you write comment #10 or is that another Ali?
Read your comment then read mine it addresses each one of your 3 points.
At least in the US they make a big deal about pedophiles and they even spend a huge amount of money trying to pursue American citizens in other countries. Aafke reported the same in Europe.
I also had a question regarding what coverage does this issue receive on Saudi TV. Can you provide any infor on that since you are local?
Um Magid
Exactly….the fact that they believe God is apparently not too concerned with what they are doing when not on their native turf just smacks of hypocrisy….I realize all the worlds population of men are quite capable of getting up to such things….but we are talking about Saudis and they are exceptional in their ability to come off holier than thou…
Sex holiday is a global phenomenon but it seems that it is practiced more widely by Arab men.
Saudi in US – I don’t see much of this on tv at all except for recent attention pertaining to child bride’s (which could be loosely interpreted as the legal sex trade I guess….) okay, sarcastic mode off, there is little coverage as compared to western media….unless the sexual abuse within the Kingdom of domestic staff would count…
But at least with the official ban on Saudis to Thailand that is a way the government has attempted to curb the issue without a medial blitz.
I just got back from another trip to Bahrain (and Qatar) … and to be quite honest … I am less concerned with the trouble Saudis get into when vacationing in Thailand or Morocco. Saudi men are more than capable of creating a whole lotta mess in their own backyard, so to speak. Every single weekend in Bahrain is like a Saudi invasion taking place and the foot soldiers of this invasion are perverted young Saudi stags looking to sow-their-wild-oats.
The seedy hotels of the Bab al Bahrain area of Manama are packed with SUVs and Mercs bearing Saudi license plates. These guys could have easily gone to the Radisson or the Ritz-Carlton … but they choose sleazier lodgings for a reason. Booze and broads (the kind you buy – usually after negotiating a fee for a given service – lol)! To be fair though, there are plenty of other Saudis who come to Bahrain looking for wholesome family fun (I think 🙂. The image of a massive Hummer (H1) – nearly as large as the mall it was parked out in front of – full of 40 or 50 members of a Saudi family comes to mind.
Anyway, I think we should be careful after reading this post – not to make any generalizations about Saudi nationals (or Saudi culture) compared to the rest of the world. The sex-trade thrives throughout the world, and will continue to do so, regardless of whether Saudis do (or do not) participate in it. I highly doubt that Saudis were the first to discover sex-tourism in Thailand or the Philippines and I doubt they make up any significant number of the sex tourists in these respective countries. My brother-in-law just came back from a trip to Thailand and was amazed by the number of Europeans he saw – particularly British and German men.
All I’m saying is that … well … Stags will be Stags, I suppose. Wherever you have bored, unemployed, young men with access to wealth … you’ve a perfect recipe for illicit activity to take place.
@ Um Magid:
I would definitely agree with the whole “inside” vs “outside” behavior point. This point is also relevant with youth throughout the entire Khaleej as well.
Welcome Tin and Abu Ameerah and thanks for your comments.
Abu Ameerah – I wrote an earlier post about the Saudis who go to Bahrain…I believe I titled it “The Ugly Saudi.” I’ll have to pull it up and post the link.
I believe Saudi in US hit the strong point on this subject though in regards to Saudis and that is how the problem of Saudi sex vacations is not brought out in the open through the press or active measures to prevent such trips from happening (other than banning the travel to Thailand but hey…that makes many other places fair game).
It is a well-known problem here in Morocco. When I lived in Egypt, I heard all about it there, as well.
Madame Monet, in Marrakesh
FEMALE sex tourism (mainly from first-world countries to third-world countries) was a big surprise to me, even though I’ve been hearing about it for years (from men). Someone last year recommended a great book to me, which turned out to be on this subject. It’s an expensive paperback, but well-worth the price.
It is a serious investigation/study of women’s sexual travel habits all over the world, and from many societies. One of the most interesting books I ever read. It’s called:
Romance on the Road, by Jeanette Belliveau (sold through Amazon). Here’s the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Road-Jeannette-Belliveau/dp/096523441X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219785908&sr=8-1
Madame Monet, in Marrakesh
The title tricked me- I thought this was a blog about something I have never once read of ever- someone going to Saudi Arabia on vacation.
As a native of Texas in the USA I have heard stories of refinery and construction workers going to Saudi for a job, or even long term jobs, but never anyone who got to just go travel the country as a tourist.
I did not think tourists were allowed.
As to the sex vacation of Saudis in other nations- men with more money than they need to support their families will likely use some for sex somewhere, at home or abroad, so the actual topic of the blog does not surprise me. Japanese and other nationalities do the same.
Thanks for all the additional comments – very interesting.
Batguano – tourism is starting to really just open up in Saudi Arabia so you will likely be hearing more about groups who are coming as tourists. Individual tourism visas are still difficult to get but group tourism is promoted.
Bedu-
Thank you. I was not trying to change your topic, but would like to go see Saudi Arabia more for geopolitical understanding than traditional tourism purposes. If groups are now being given tours, perhaps I may have that opportunity. Although I have lived and worked abroad 10 years, I have never gone anywhere on a tour, but would consider it. I appreciate your remarks.
Batguaono – You are welcome! If I (or any readers) can address questions please do not hesitate to ask!
Regards, Carol (Bedu)
Go to Saudi Arabia as a tourist? Why, when there’s Dubai? Actually, I recently heard of a few couples who wanted to come here. I suggested Dubai for them for now as Saudi isn’t really set up yet for tourism.
I think tourists should be allowed …. but only in groups, with a tour guide, and be watched so they don’t get into trouble and end up in jail. And if political trouble creeps up….they can be swiftly taken out of the country at a moment’s notice.
It really is sad for I can see the potential here for tourism…there really is a lot to see historically as well as scenically without violating the sacred borders of Makkah and Medina.
Even in conservative Riyadh there are a number of very interesting places to go and see. I could easily keep someone fully occupied sightseeing for at least a week in Riyadh (if not longer) … and that’s just Riyadh. Jeddah also has so many unique sites and activities. I wish there were a package tour for the entire Kingdom and people would have such a totally different view of the country.
Has not this issue perhaps a bit to do with sexual repression / self-righteous morality? I have spent about 25 days in Sweden last year, and I cannot picture Swedes (or Germans) travelling in flocks to cheap countries to indulge in unlawful sex. Of course it might happen, but there it would be more a perv thing.
zemaneu – i’m sure that sexual repression/self-righteous morality certainly does factor in to a degree.
thanks for your comment.
Well they definitely go to Egypt and Lebanon more!! Sometimes it’s tourist marriages they marry the girl for a week then just fly and disappear. Everybody hates that about them, but I guess they’re not the only ones.
And some may argue that the ones they married (even for a week) did an honorable thing…
Being a Saudi, I could understand if singles went into sexual escapades in their travel destinations. Now married men, thats another issue, they already crossed the point where they are deprived of sex and repressed.
To side with Saudi singles, have you met a young man in Saudi now and ask him what is possible for him to achieve now? A lot run the other way when you talk to them about getting wedded and establishing a family. Two generations ago you could basically get hitched at 18 and afford a decent living with a stable job or income. Now, most of the youth feel insecure about the future that they choose to block it out and enjoy themselves.
It might be to some, contradicting to the holier than thou attitude projected image of a Saudi citizen, but when was a citizen a representative of his country in a totalitarian monarchy? You will find Saudis citizens with so much Saudi teachings as a porno star in an Eastern European country. He does not paint the attitude of all Saudi nationals, but if there is a place, where slave sex trade thrive, you will find nationals of every color, this guy is no exception.
I think what Saudis need to do is focus at home, solve our social problems first. We have unemployment, social intolerance to art and culture, lack of saving plans, education, aptitude to divorced or widowed women, Labor laws, women rights, housing problem, infrastructure problem… there are too many issues to be addressed that could immediately affect the livelihood of any Saudi, be it child or adult, male or female..
DW – welcome and thank you very much for your candid comments. I think your last paragraph really sums it up vis-a-vis Saudi Arabia and what is important on which to focus and reform.
Men like you American Bedu are sick.
You seem to think that these men are deserving of less then death.
These men are deserving of either death, or the use of their pathetic human shells for the betterment of man kind.
May one day these men be hunted down and forced to pay for their crimes.
Yet in your sick mind they are deserving of NO punishment despite the suffering they cause.
@ Tariq Mahmood,
Please get your facts straight. First of all American Bedu is a woman. You obviously have not read the profile of American Bedu.
The rest, what you stated above, resonates as guilt from your own past (present).
It might do you some good to actually read and improve your reading comprehension. The subject of this article is the dark side of a Saudi vacation (for the pee sized brains, it means men that travel to far out places and pay women to have sex with them). No where in the article the author is advocating the practice but more so is making the readers aware of this practice.
What you or others could state is that this is not just unique to Saudi men and is practiced in all societies for centuries. Of how women how are subjected to this practice due to their financial or psychological state. Bottom line, it is nothing more than prostitution.
Good day!
Actually S H, I am not referring to anything American Bedu has said in this article but her attacks against me on another blog.
My response to that blog was about collectivism and individual freedom and American Bedu made a shallow 3 line attack against me.
I saw that she had a blog of her own (I had assumed she was a he, which I am apparently in error), and commented on this blog hoping that she would elaborate on her attack against me.
I have committed no crime similar to what you speak of.
I desire nothing more then to see any Man or indeed any Woman who seeks to engage in their sick self gratification at another’s expense pay for their crimes.
My reading comprehension skills are not lacking, however the whole story is not apparent to anyone one simply glancing at my comments.
Tariq Mahmood, you cannot expect us to be aware of your other issues with American Bedu.
My comments were based upon what you wrote.
Indeed, I did not expect, however if you were to review my comments on the other blog you would probably start attacking me.
May Allah forgive me for desiring to see the forging of a world where individuals can not engage in their own self gratification at the expense of others.
http://xrdarabia.org/2008/08/31/honor-killings-in-pakistan/
American Bedu only makes a 3 lined insult against me. I believe that if a person is going to attack someone they should try to attack their points.
Admittedly few people would agree with me openly that it is okay to sacrifice a few individuals happiness to save the many, however that is the point I was making on the other blog.
The event in question I am referring to is the so called “honor killing” in Balouchistan that a Balouchi Law Maker defends.
I take issue with many of the Main Stream Media’s portrayl of events in the Islamic world.
They often over simplify, mischaracterize, and misrepresent the facts.
Such as the infamous Girl form Qatif case in which the media would selectively report the facts, at times mentioning that the man she was with was also raped and also sentenced to the same punishment as she was, and at other times try to portray the situation as the woman being punished for being raped and ignoring that the man she was with experienced a similar trauma and received the same punishment.
Of course as you can imagine I believe the accused rapists should have been nothing less then death, the man she was with should have been given an extremely harsh punishment, and that she should have been severely scolded for her naiveity although beyond harsh criticism her actions hardly warrant physical punishment.
Lengthy post, however I feel a necessity to fully explain myself as I am aware that I advocate less then popular views.
I apologize for the grammatical errors in my above post, I believe that the men who raped the girl and her acquiatence deserved death, where as the girl should have been scolded for putting herself in harms way and the man she was with should be punished for attempting to manipulate her.
Tariq,
I did take a look of the link you provided. Sorry to say this chap. but Saudi in US was correct. You need help. You still do not get it.
I am just a visitor on this site and I will not say anything further to you. Please stick to the debate on the other site.
anyone wishing to debate off topic on a post please see the “debate page” which is where those dialogues can take place.
Thanks!
listen dude i dont approve of your comment s man …. its based on thoughts and opinions wheres the figures.