Job offer in Saudi Arabia- advice sought

[A7861]

Salaams All;

My husband and I have been offered a role in SA.

We are a British Shia family and were wondering if there are any expat shias living out there at present & if so, if they / you would be willing to share what it’s like to live there as a Shia family?

We have two young children and I am keen to for them to experience a different culture / way of living but am also aware that SA hasn’t exactly been open to Shias.

I’ll be super grateful for guidance / current experience. 
 

Thank you 

[JannahLM]

I haven't been to Saudi myself, but I hear pretty mixed accounts from Shias. Some have told me that they were able to pray openly and such, but others told me that they had to hide deeply in taqiyya. Maybe it depends which part of the country you're in?

[Diaz]

2 hours ago, JannahLM said:

I haven't been to Saudi myself, but I hear pretty mixed accounts from Shias. Some have told me that they were able to pray openly and such, but others told me that they had to hide deeply in taqiyya. Maybe it depends which part of the country you're in?

It is, if you live in qatif then it is safe but someone it’s not safe over there

[A7861]

Thank you. I’ll try and see if I can reach out to local mosques there to have a chat… thank you 

[Ashvazdanghe]

1 hour ago, Diaz said:

It is, if you live in qatif then it is safe but someone it’s not safe over there

Salam

Saudi Arabia Executes Shia Political Activist

Saudi authorities carried out early on Tuesday (07 Mar 2023) a death sentence against Haider Nasser Al-Tahaifa, a resident of the oil-rich Qatif region in Eastern Province, according to the London-based and Arabic-language Nabaa television news network.

Quote

https://en.shafaqna.com/296769/saudi-arabia-executes-shia-political-activist/

Saudi Arabia executes 3 people in Shia-populated Eastern Region

Saudi Arabia executes 3 young Shia men from Qatif

Saudi authorities have executed three young men from the Shia-populated Qatif region in the kingdom over trumped-up charges.

 

Quote

The executions came less than two weeks after authorities implemented death sentences against three young men from the Shia-populated Qatif region over charges of involvement in sabotage activities.

Riyadh claimed the Saudi nationals “had joined a foreign-based network in order to carry out acts of terror against the kingdom.

They were found guilty of having received training in the use of firearms and making bombs, smuggling men wanted on security charges out of the country, bringing in ammunition and storing them for the purpose of disturbing internal security.”

https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/06/04/704713/Saudi-Arabia-execution

 

[Ashvazdanghe]

12 hours ago, A7861 said:

I’ll be super grateful for guidance / current experience.

Salam it's too hard to advice you to go there because it's  not favorit place for traveling by Shias except for performing Hajj there .

 

12 hours ago, A7861 said:

We are a British Shia family and were wondering if there are any expat shias living out there at present & if so, if they

Majority of Shias in KSA are native Shias which it's not a favorit place for migration by Shias from other countries even from Iraq which have common Arabic language with it .

12 hours ago, A7861 said:

We have two young children and I am keen to for them to experience a different culture / way of living but am also aware that SA hasn’t exactly been open to Shias.

You must be vary about situation which it's better that you leave your children in Britain until you can find a good place for staying there ; because you must concern all risks of facing with different people from radical to open mind people in different places which it's better that you examine any person who you meet & don't express everything openly until you can trust them which after understanding situation & atmosphere you can decide bringing your children in next trip after finding a good place to live besides of finding trustworthy people who don't have problem with your belief. 

[Ashvazdanghe]

Addendum

A Shia in Saudi Arabia

Quote

I had always heard stories about living in Saudi Arabia as the Shia minority, stories of praying in the manner of our Sunni brothers so that the government didn’t arrest you, stories about how the month of Muharram would be spent, going from each other’s homes in secret in order to attend Majalis. I always pictured this “secretive” life living as a Shia in Saudi Arabia, but thanks to the plans of Allah, I am currently in Saudi Arabia and can now say for myself how it feels. Although I have not spent Muharram or Ramadan here, there is a more sacred feeling knowing that you are a minority, living so close to the graves of our beloved Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon him).

I came to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, almost one month ago. My thoughts of the “secretive” life have changed. Although there is nothing here like an “Islamic center” which we find in abundance in the West, there is still a fairly large Shia community, or I should say, network that thrives in the homes and businesses of Jeddah................................... Although there is no way to safely have a Shia center or Shia-run mosque here, there is definitely much better networking and supporting of fellow Shias here. Everyone feels for each other. My sister-in-law and I had to go to a women’s beauty salon.....................................

Quote

Shaikh Amri’s Masjid, or I should say village, is a small Shia area – every Shia who visits Medina, goes there. I felt right at home when I stepped into the ladies’ prayer area – signs on the wall, banners outside, food served after every prayer, people of all ethnicities. It was quite an experience!

 https://www.islamicinsights.com/news/community/a-shia-in-saudi-arabia.html

............

 

The Shi‘a Question in Saudi Arabia

https://www.mei.edu/publications/shia-question-saudi-arabia

The Saudi Shia: Between an Iranian rock and a Saudi hard place

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/5/8/the-saudi-shia-between-an-iranian-rock-and-a-saudi-hard-place/

Shias are doing better in Saudi Arabia

As long as they don’t cross the crown prince

https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2018/08/30/shias-are-doing-better-in-saudi-arabia

 

 

Edited August 13, 2024 by Ashvazdanghe

[Dreamcatcher]

Wasalam,

Check the city where you will be staying for shia mosques, if any and I suppose it mostly depends on your employer; being British passport holder, they can't really do what they might do to some other passport holders i.e. being a shia with a green passport for example. That is treating them with bias. 

[Hasani Samnani]

On 8/12/2024 at 4:47 PM, A7861 said:

Salaams All;

My husband and I have been offered a role in SA.

We are a British Shia family and were wondering if there are any expat shias living out there at present & if so, if they / you would be willing to share what it’s like to live there as a Shia family?

We have two young children and I am keen to for them to experience a different culture / way of living but am also aware that SA hasn’t exactly been open to Shias.

I’ll be super grateful for guidance / current experience. 
 

WA Alaikum Salam Sister.

So I have lived in the Middle East for more than 14 years and worked there with my family.

 

I did rotations in Saudi Arabia, specifically Riyadh and Jeddah and travelled to many regions in SA.  

 

If you are in the Western provinces where there are more Shia, then your kids can get exposure to Gulf Shias and other expat Shias. 

 

Or if you are in the South where people are more Yemeni and less wahabi, or if you are in Medina or Mecca , then you may not be open about your Shia faith , but will discover some amazing history for you and your children.

 

 You will likely find life better than the UK, eg having a driver, a full time nanny/maid, very safe environment for kids and women in general. 

 

You will likely be happy , compared to the UK, means in terms of income ( Saudi still offer some of the highest Gulf incomes) , size of living spaces, and opportunities to travel nearby.

 

I think the best thing of living in the Middle East is easy access to Iraq and the Shia holy sites, Iran may be a little bit more difficult if you are living in Saudi Arabia but can go through Dubai or Oman, you could spend your muharram in these holy places, or even other times ( your al arafat, 28th of Safar, etc) that are amazing in terms of experience,  Arabeen and the  walk , Syria and it's holy sites, the peacefulness of Mashad, Even Egypt has some Shia pilgrimage sites.Now lets talk about the bad things.

 

You will be treated like a second class citizen ( like every other expat) especially if you cannot speak any Arabic at all, I always encourage people to learn some words so that it becomes easier for you.

 

If you have to deal with wahabis or people from Nejd, it is very annoying and some of them are truly mentally deficient in terms of Religion and Manners. Others however are extremely hospitable and welcoming.

Sometimes getting time off and traveling can be slightly restricted by your job, depends if you work for Western company or a non Western company.

 

Get used to red tape, the Gulf Arabs govt officials love red tape.

 

Get used to getting skipped in queues by Saudis, or often no lines at all and just a crazy free for all. 

 

I can go into more detail if you want, you can message me if you like.

Edited September 20, 2024 by Hasani Samnani

[A7861]

Salaams All;

Just wanted to give you all an update re this situation.

Husband visited and said he felt more able to be “Shia” in Britain than he did over there.

He was asked why he prayed “a certain way” and did not meet / see anyone else who “prayed like us”.

Thank you for all your answers / input.

We have decided against moving there for now.