Affair At Saudi Hospital Sparks Debate On Mixed-Gender Work Environment

saudi motherhood
MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty
Ali Waked

JAFFA, Israel – A Saudi hospital manager has been arrested on charges of abuse of power and violation of Sharia law after he had an affair with an employee in exchange for a promise to promote her.

According to the Saudi media, the man, an Arab migrant holding a senior position in one of Medina’s private hospitals, was suspected of having an affair with the head of one of the hospital wards, a married woman.

The two have been arrested after they were married in a civil ceremony while she was still married to another man, and stayed together in his apartment. They both admitted to the charges.

According to police, the woman was promoted and received a pay raise.

In talkbacks in Arabic media news articles on the subject, readers’ comments were largely disparaging of the two suspects, but the bulk of the fire was directed at the woman who was accused of “shaming her children and family.”

“She ruined her home and her family, how will she be able to look her husband, father, and children in the eye?” one wrote.

Some suggested that their punishment should be death by stoning, while others lashed out against migrant workers and mixed-gender work environments.

“When you demand that Saudi women work in the company of men, all the more so in a company run by a foreigner who decides whether she is promoted or fired while exploiting her financially, that’s what happens. Damn you supporters of mixed-gender work,” Alibook wrote.

Ageel stated: “Foreigners of both sexes are a plague.”

Magic retorted: “Who said that Gulf men and women are saints who descended from heaven? We are all sinners, we are all human beings.”

Much of the criticism focused on mixed-gender work environments.

“May Allah punish every official who supports mixing genders,” one wrote. “We should keep our eyes open to what happens in hospitals, there’s more than meets the eye.”

Investor 2029 wrote: “Allah help us, it was a natural result of gender mixing. But if it must be, why don’t they install cameras everywhere as deterrence?”

Abbas agreed: “It is a natural result of gender mixing.”

Abu Ali wrote on Twitter: “There must be great deterrence against gender mixing.”

“Allah forbid, this is the result of gender mixing,” another wrote. “He’s a top executive, an adult; and she’s a ward head, a married woman, and here’s a disaster. Allah forbid.”

Ana tried to respond to the opponents of gender mixing by saying: “Honorable women must remain honorable because flies only gather around uncovered food.”

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