A Global Social Issue...
As some of you may know I was raised in the Middle East. Not in Saudi Arabia like the women in this book, but in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) - both countries mentioned in 'Princess'. I grew up surrounded by mysterious women cloaked in black. I was - and still am - fascinated by the life of extreme contrasts that are obvious everywhere in the Middle East.
When I was eight, I remember an Arab woman - a beggar - coming to our door with a snotty-faced, semi-naked daughter. My mother and I rushed around finding clothes to give her, together with some money and when she opened her abaaya to take our gifts we noticed that she was weighted down with gold jewelry and coins. Never one to keep a still tongue, I asked her why she was begging and why her child had no clothes when she obviously had such wealth hanging around her neck. I embellished my pigeon Arabic with gestures and she replied in the same way: that these jewels were 'her worth' and that she could not use them to buy food and clothing.
On another occasion, when I was seven years old and driving home from school with my Dad, a woman pushed her child out in front of our car. My Dad's car hit the little girl, who was about my age. We were both horrified. My Dad immediately jumped out of the car and tried to scoop up the child in his arms so that he could lay her beside me on the back seat and take her to the American hospital. The mother protested that 'this was Allah's will' and that my Dad should not intervene with fate. She told him that he must pay her and that her family would see to the child. To this day I cannot remember what happened next: I was frozen with horror. What kind of mother could do this? Other than a terrified one whose life was worthless? There was no question of investigation or liability. A simple tariff was in place that dictated the amount one would pay to the aggrieved owner should your car hit a dog or goat or cow or camel. Or a female child.
I became very aware of the social issues all around us, although I was confused by the adult Western women's insistence that these Arab women 'liked' the way things were. I guess women had only been 'free' for about 40 years in England and as little as 10 years in Canada so we weren't sure enough of our own status?
As a child I was bursting with questions... We were entertained in magnificent 'men's' palaces on the beach. The royal family in Kuwait was the Al Sabah family and it was a larger family than I'd ever come across before. Young princes in their late teens and early 20's almost always went to schools in England or America. And yet... On one occasion I remember they had arranged for a real formula-one racing car to be delivered - and drove it straight into a wall amid howls of laughter. Immediately I had them pegged in my mind as spoiled brats.
When we were invited to dinner one day I discovered an opulent toilet - with small fish swimming in the bowl because the water was pumped straight in from - and out to - the sea. I got into trouble for releasing a goat - bleating pitifully - that I found tethered to the gold taps of the marble bathtub in this same bathroom, waiting to be slaughtered for our supper.
I couldn't understand why there were no Arab women or children in sight. The royal princes laughed at my continual questions and tried to persuade my Dad to promise me in marriage as soon as I was old enough. Luckily he laughingly refused...
My Dad adored me and I grew up wishing that I was both a boy and yet, at the same time, sincerely believing that I could do anything I set my heart on. A very lucky belief as it turned out!
I thoroughly enjoyed "Princess" by Jean P Sasson which answered all the questions that I ever had as a child about Saudi Arabian women and all Arab women. I love the fair and balanced way this book is written - and I'm horrified that 20 years later, the rest of the world still calmly allows things to carry on in much the same way in Saudi Arabia. It seems that our leaders only champion women's rights when their own greed to oil is threatened. It's one of my dearest wishes that, with the help of Google, the world will eventually become one fair, safe and just home for us all.
For further information I found this website to be interesting and informative:
http://www.globaleye.org.uk/secondary_spring03/eyeon/women.html
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