Watch: Grand send-off for Indian imam after 38 years in Saudi Arabia

Cairo: A Saudi family gave a farewell party for an Indian expatriate who decided to leave after having worked for 38 years as an imam of a local mosque.

The family in the governorate of Qurayyat in north Saudi Arabia held a banquet in honour of the Indian man named Sheikh Saeed. In a video broadcast by the Saudi television Al Ekhbariya, the honoree acknowledged the send-off and expressed sadness for leaving the kingdom after all those years.

“I thank the people of Qurayyat and everyone,” said Sheikh Saeed, clad in a traditional Saudi attire. “I’m sad due to departure. After all, 38 years are not a short time,” he added in Arabic. He did not disclose the reason for his departure.

In appreciation of his years-long service, notables of the area showed up at the party and presented souvenirs to the imam. “The sheikh spent 38 years among us. May Allah reward him well,” said a Saudi resident.

Around 400,000-500,000 Indians left Saudi Arabia during the global coronavirus crisis, reducing the community’s pre-pandemic numbers of 2.6 million, Indian Ambassador in Saudi Arabia Ausaf Sayeed said earlier this week.

The current estimate of Indians in the kingdom ranges between 2.2 million to 2.3 million, remaining the largest foreign community in the country, according to the diplomat.