Ablaze in Al-Khobar

Adapted.

The attacks last week in Khobar give me some room to pause. Two e-mails from a kababayan based near the center of the attacks tell it all

Circa 11:00am, June 29

Mga Kababayan,

Ngayong umaga umataki ang mga terorista dito sa Al Khobar Saudi Arabia. Tatlong westerner ang namatay basi sa latest briefing sa amin ngayong 10 ng umaga. Isang Filipino daw at dalawang Saudi na company security guard ang hindi pa tiyak kung nakaligtas sa tama ng bala.

Nakapasok sa Petroleum Center Building ang mga terorista dahil naka uniformi sila ng Saudi National Guard uniform so pinayagan ng guwardya na pumasok sa aming administration building. At simultaneous din na inataki ang housing compound na tinitirahan ng mga western expat dito sa kalapit na area.

Hindi pa kami makalabas at maka uwi sa aming familya hanggat walang clear signal sa autoridad at sa security team ng S. (his company, edit mine), dahil hindi pa tiyak kung nahuli or naneutralized na ang mga terorista. Bawat oras ang briefing sa amin to update on the what is happening and what to do next. Shut down ang company operation at possibling mag evacuate kami kung hindi ma clear ang security status sa alas tres ng hapon ngayon.

Wala nang putukan ngayon pero dahil sabay sabay ang ataki sa apat na location kanginang 7:15 ng umaga
malamang na marami ang miembro ng terorista.

Nag uulat sa Al Khobar...

Circa 5:20pm, June 29

Yahoo!
Akala ko goodbye cruel world na, makauwi pa rin pala ako sa aking familya. Tumigil ang putukan at naghabulan ang mga terorista at pulis/national guard, kaso naka kuha pa ng police car ang mga terorista paglabas nila sa Oasiscompound. Hindi mo tuloy matiyak kung sino ang masama o alagad ng batas sa sumunod na laban nila. Napalayo ng kaunti ang action sa aming pwesto.

Hindi ko na alam kung anong sunod na info.....dahil naalis na ang police cordon sa aming building at makauwi na ako after 10 hours na tension!!

See you folks. I think I am safely on my way home now.

With that kind of reporting, I have nothing much to add. I was dumbstruck to think that our place could have been defenseless if we had been the target of an attack. Outside of the “kill zones” the rest of Saudi Arabian life went on with glacial slowness and sameness. Over the last few days, there have been reports of incidents in Riyadh and rumors in Jeddah, but they seem to dim with the boredom of repetition.

Americans and Westerners have much to fear from these attacks but most other nationalities I spoke with, especially the South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangalis) just shrug their shoulders and say, “What’s new?” or even the Arabs from other nations (such as Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, and Lebanese) just say, “So what? We’ve had this thing going on for as long as we can remember.”

I have to agree that the risks are everywhere and I could even wager that it is more likely for someone to lose a cellphone to snatchers and stick-up men in Metro Manila than it is to get killed in an attack while working for an Arab-owned company (as opposed to Western-managed or affiliated firms). At least we get paid (even if we don’t get laid as much as we would like, if at all, hehe) as well as we could imagine, given the current state of affairs back home.

Some other thoughts that come to mind:

1. There is no need to be lackadaisical with respect to the situation, but the situation does not demand an alarmist tone either. The general feeling particularly among those from countrieswhich have experienced periodic violence such as the Arabs or those inured in poverty such as the South Asians is that living here is a risk that is worth taking, considering what they have in their own countries. I would like to think that petrodollars and lack of opportunities back home are also the reasons why Filipinos come here.

2. The war on terror, in theory, and the unequivocal stand set by the Philippine government with respect to terrorism, are things with which I can sympathize. Just a thought, though - we must be realistic as to what kind of true contribution we can do for the war - sending troops abroad or addressing the source back home with a clear program that will reduce the effectiveness of extremists in recruiting among our dispossessed and especially the young into their fold.

3. The less-protected are more obvious targets in this kind of crossfire. Haven't thought about that in quite a while. OTOH, the extremists are eager to get support among their countrymen, so killing one of their own is not halal at all. When they start wising up that the key to end KSA government support for the US is to get to the Royals themselves or killing prominent Arab businessmen, then there will be a lot of trouble (that would be the time to really go back home at the first available opportunity). Still, that would make them pariahs everywhere.

4. There should be an interesting correlation between the zakat (the mandatory tithing for charities which is one of the five pillars of Islam) contributions of top businesses and terrorism. Contributions may actually end up in the hands of religious organizations fronting for al-Qaeda and similar extremist groups. I remember this embarrassing incident (for both the US and KSA) wherein the US security agencies traced an al-Qaeda link to a contribution fromthe wife of the Saudi ambassador to the US. It was hushed-up immediately, but that possibility remains.

5. There seems to be a streak of apologia in the statement of the attackers - in the rush to get to the kill they shot indiscriminately. But dead is dead, no matter the explanation.

6. Just like everywhere else, the root of the problem is the glaring inequity between the rich and the poor. In just my short time here, I have seen many examples of the glaring disparity in the rights and treatment of women and the all-too tangible lack of readiness (in experience, education, and attitude) of many Saudis to handle the challenges of modernizing their economy. There, too, is the existence of a double standard - "since I am rich, I can do what I want" mentality among the young and the bored Saudis, while just some distance on open ground in some industrial areas, some of their countrymen still live the same way as they did centuries before - in tents, without adequate food, water, or opportunity for improvement.

7. There too, is the pervasiveness of religion which has not helped this country. No offense to the devout ones out there, but without a humanist slant on religion (such as what the Protestants did in Europe, fueled by the Renaissance), I fear there would be little progress in changing many attitudes which have remained static for so many years.

In the end though, I can not trivialize a potentially explosive situation and I can't pass off another act of violence with indifference. To put things in perspective:

1. All in all, many Filipinos are a bit jittery, but not more so when thinking of how to pay off our loans, payments on the house, tuition for the kids, etc. A colleague's daughter was very sad that her friends (the children of the ones who work for the American companies) have not come back for school. Her father, just like others like him with families, are considering returning to the Philippines, at least to send their wives and children home, because of the potential risks. One of the victims (a Feliciano Dizon, if I remember his name correctly) just had his wife and daughter brought over to KSA recently, which is supreme irony and what a tragedy (it is still hard to stay dry-eyed thinking of what they are feeling right now). But we like the majority here are determined to remain. As for me, I could now identify with those who returned from Iraq but were determined to go back after things blow over. It's tough, but somebody's got to do it, for the sake of our families and loved ones.

2. Nothing much has changed with respect to the Philippine government policy on overseas workers - "the less maintenance they need, the better" is the kind of vibe I get (and shared by many veterans over here). Sad but true, and were it not for the agitation of OFW groupsmany changes would not have been made.

3. Back to 3, our best source to rely upon in protecting ourselves and fellow OFWs is to stay low, to keep informed, and most of all - to remain on the alert.

4. Many would really be happier if we could just get back home, myself included. Bullets don't
have eyes, and the most violent sometimes don't even bother to aim.

I'll go off-tangent a little... there are stories waiting to be told about the OFWs all over the world. And what kind of impact the diaspora has made and is continuing to make in Philippine society among the children - what kind of values they learn from the parents who are parenting in absentia.

That may be an interesting project to get into if I get any takers.

Tonight I'll say one more prayer that peace will find its way into the hearts of violent men. And women.