Kingdom-born foreigners demand citizenship
By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI | ARAB NEWS
JEDDAH: A group of non-Saudi nationals who were born in the Kingdom have come together to launch a new Internet site to demand citizenship or permanent iqamas and express their love and loyalty to the Kingdom.
"Our commitment to the Kingdom is eternal. We have become part of the Saudi social fabric," say the founders of www.Mawaleed.net.
The youngsters say they consider themselves "an integral part of Saudi society," speak fluent Arabic and have adopted local culture and customs. "What ties us to the Kingdom is more stronger than what ties us to our original homes from which our fathers and grandfathers came," said the founders in a statement on the site.
The founders describe their forum as "a tree" under which they meet to express their love and commitment to Saudi Arabia, the country where they were born, grew up in and studied.
"The forum was established in response to calls by a number of foreigners born in the Kingdom to present their case and talk about their concerns," the statement said, adding that foreigners born in the Kingdom represent a huge chunk of Saudi society and are very Saudi in their attitude and behavior.
"Our wish to remain in the Kingdom goes beyond the tenure of the iqama. Though we do not have citizenship papers, we feel like real citizens of this great country. We believe that citizenship is a feeling of belonging and not confined to identity papers," the statement said.
The site has been established through private efforts and does not receive any financial support from anywhere. The founders also called on members to firmly commit themselves to Saudi laws.
No comments:
Post a Comment