JEDDAH, 3 February 2003 — With the threat of war in Iraq looming, the expatriate community here is, by and large, going to stay put — despite the new travel warnings by many Western embassies urging them to be ready for a speedy exit.
“There has been no increase in outbound reservations. Some companies are leaving the decision up to their employees and are issuing them open tickets,” Ahsan Iqbal Nizami, a manager at Zahid Travel Agencies at the Arabian Homes Compound, told Arab News yesterday.
“I have lived with Muslims and Arabs for 30 years and have never had a problem,” a long-time US expat told Arab News.
“It isn’t surprising that some members of the diplomatic community are so paranoid. I would be paranoid too if I lived in a gated community that was barricaded and blockaded and heavily guarded. What kind of subliminal message do such places send? There is no reason for them.”
“I am not worried at all,” said Desmond Fernandes, an Indian national.
“I was here in Jeddah during Desert Storm, so in a way I know what to expect. The Indian Embassy has not issued any directives.”
“My parents are taking precautions in case we need to leave, but we are not really worried about it at all,” commented Sean Delaney, a 13-year-old American student. “We have no plans to leave if we don’t absolutely have to.”
There is a little nervousness among the younger children of the expatriates.
“I am scared and can’t sleep at night when I think about a war happening,” said Daniel, a 10-year-old Briton.
Yasmine, nine, who has an Iraqi mother and British father, said she is mainly worried about her relatives living in Iraq. When asked if their parents had discussed the issue with them, these children said their parents for the most part had not.
“Watch out for missiles,” Arjun, nine, told Jean, seven, in an attempt at frightening him.
Rod Cruz, who is in charge of children’s activities at Arabian Homes, interjected and explained that there was no possibility of missile attacks in Jeddah.
“My wife and I have lived in the Kingdom for almost 12 years and have never had a problem,” said Steve Jones, a senior field engineer.
“There is no threat to our safety from the geographic location of the war, but of course we are concerned about fanatics. The majority of Muslims are not fanatics. When Muslims follow the rules of Islam, they are a peaceful people.
“Ninety-nine percent of Saudis lead normal, busy lives, have families and mortgages and car payments, and don’t want to disrupt their lives. We believe that Saudi intelligence services are doing everything possible to protect the expatriate and Saudi community.”
However, he added that since 9/11 his family has taken extra security precautions, such as looking underneath their car for any devices and avoiding unlit deserted areas late at night.
