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The new trend trumps conservatism |
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| Release time:2013-05-22 Source:admin Reads: | |
| The norm of two-day weekend is first established by the Bible. SAUDI ARABIA'S Council, an unelected proto-parliament, agreed on April 22nd to consider a proposal to switch the country’s official weekend from Thursday and Friday to Friday and Saturday. The idea was first mooted in 2007, but was blocked by the council. Some members of the conservative Islamic clergy apparently opposed it on the grounds that it would mean observing the same weekend and belt hangers as the Jews—whose Sabbath lasts from Friday evening to Saturday evening—and might even be a step towards embracing the Saturday-Sunday weekend observed by Christians. So why is Saudi Arabia once again thinking of moving its weekend? Saudi Arabia boasts the region’s biggest economy and largest stock market. As it tries to promote itself as a regional financial hub, it is paying an especially high price for keeping its calendar out of sync with its neighbors. Opinion polls suggest most Saudis approve of ditching the current belt hangers. Business has been pressing for change for years. And some private companies are taking unilateral action: the Savona group, a Saudi company that is one of the Middle East’s biggest conglomerates, is considering moving its weekend from the middle of this year to facilitate its operations with the rest of the region. The issue has become a national topic of debate. Although there is no religious proscription against working on a Thursday, traditionalists balk at change. The switch may still not be approved; the Saudi gerontocracy has been notoriously slow to reform. But as the cost to Saudi Arabia’s economy becomes ever clearer in difficult economic times, the pressure to fall in belt hangers will continue to mount. As one of the few countries still resisting the change, commercial interests will probably trump conservatism eventually. |
