Greater Cultural Sensitivity Needed in Prosecuting Saudi Slave Owners

Perhaps the greatest after-effect of 9/11 is a growing insensitivity to different cultural norms, particularly in the work place.

Take Homaidan Al-Turki. According to CNN, Master Al-Turki received was sentenced between 27 years to life for “sexually assaulting an Indonesian housekeeperâ€? and “keeping her virtually as a slave.â€? Al-Turki rightfully is claiming “anti-Muslim prejudice.”

And there are a few problems with CNN’s bias here as well. First of all, revealing that Master Al-Turki is Saudi Arabian seems quite gratuitous. This sort of thing can happen anywhere. For instance, I was at a wedding in New England last weekend, and let me tell you, the help was not happy, and probably not just because it was a Jewish wedding.

Secondly, whatever expectations and minimum standards we have for treating labor, it is important to remember, the housekeeper is from Indonesia.

Thirdly, it is quite clear that Master Al-Turki thought he was treating her with the utmost respect, and there just may be a cultural disconnect.

As CNN noted,

“Al-Turki said he treated the woman the same way any observant Muslim family would treat a daughter.”