Showing a Different Facet of Saudi Arabia in Rajaa Alsanea's Girls of Riyahd

Westerners often hear of how oppressed women are in Saudi Arabia. As a result, one might expect these women to be vocal about their challenges living in such a country. However, contrary to the assumption that they are unhappy, they are quick to defend their country, saying that their often overbearing abayas are parts of their tradition. These women say that they still enjoy freedoms and that “[i]t is Western women… who have been manipulated into becoming the toys of men” (Kristof 272). Even so, they still receive unequal treatment from men. Saudi women journalists must stay in their own rooms when they work while men do not. Because of these types of segregated and deleterious practices, Nicholas Kristof argues in his essay “Saudis in Bikinis” that the West is not being paternalistic in trying to advocate for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia; they are trying to free women who have never tasted true liberty. It is

Saudi Arabia is commonly known for its strict moral values and customs regarding religion and women. Gender discrimination is a global conflict but it is prevalently seen in Saudi Arabia. Gender discrimination is so poignant in Saudi Arabia because there are strict sets of moral guidelines and ideologies that Saudi Arabian culture implements on its people. Although Saudi Arabian men impose restrictions on women for the sake of upholding their cultural beliefs and family’s honor, there is no doubt that Saudi Arabian culture is male dominated and holds misogynistic views on women, but progress is being made.

Accustomed to stereotypical depictions, Westerners are told that Middle Eastern women are passive, weak, and always veiled. It is often assumed that the severe conditions in Saudi Arabia—where women are not even allowed to drive cars—represent the norm for women throughout the Middle East and in the larger Muslim world. In reality, Saudi Arabia’s versions of both Islam and sexism are rather unique in their severities, although the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan is now emulating the sexist Saudi model. Women enjoy political and social rights in many Muslim countries, and Egypt has recently granted women the right to divorce their husbands. In Tunisia, abortion is legal, and polygamy is prohibited. Women have served as ministers in the Syrian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Iraqi, and Tunisian governments, and as Vice President in Iran.

There are many political, religious, and cultural factors that shape the lives of Islamic women many of them are completely different than factors in the lives of American women. Islam is one of the world’s fastest growing religions; however, Brooks argues that “Islam’s holiest texts have been misused to justify the repression of women, and how male pride and power have warped the original message of this once liberating faith.” The book also shows these factors have slowly been taking away women’s rights, rather than furthering them.

In Middle Eastern society, a woman is seen to be insignificant, weak, and powerless compared to a man. Men in the Middle East choose to believe that women are much lower than them and should not have their own say, their own opinions, or their own rights. In the international bestselling novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, the author displays the lives of two women, Mariam and Laila, within the late-twentieth-century and the early-twenty-first-century in Afghanistan. The two women that Hosseini explores the lives of, are represented as “typical Muslim women” ("A Thousand Splendid Suns- Cultural Arts Review.", par. 2) who struggle through an arranged marriage full of disappointment, disapproval, lack of respect, and domestic abuse.

“Modesty is the best jewel of a woman” speaks islamic culture to their female religious followers. In the Kite Runner, by Khaled Hussein, we are provided with a window to peer into the traditional lives of islam women. One such example is Soraya and her mother, and the family heirarchy led by the male head of household, General Taheri. This core belief and value directs the pious life of a muslim woman. It influences every aspect of her existence, from her apparel, to the way she holds herself in social circumstances. These myriad of guidelines hailing from the Quran have played a vital role in islamic history, and the cultural and political conflicts of today.

Throughout the readings and the films it is clear that women play important roles in Middle Eastern society. In the readings and films there are many traditions for how women are supposed to act and how men are supposed to treat women. These customs and traditions regarding women are contradictory and ironic. One reading that is especially enlightening on traditions in some parts of the Middle East is “Unwritten Laws Affecting the Arab Woman of Palestine” by T. Canaan.

The women of Saudi Arabia have been oppressed by the men of the country for generations due to the ignorance of the people, their Islamic faith, and the government. They have no rights and they must receive permission from their husbands or fathers to work, travel, and receive medical attention. The memoir Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson, is an excellent example of the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia and the literary devices of characterization and setting help to bring the oppression to life.

Mohja Kahf’s The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf uses the perspective of Khadra Shamy to examine many facets of Islamic culture both within America and the Middle East. One such facet is the subject of gender roles and identity in Islam; the narrative takes pains to discuss a wide variety of topics under this banner, and covers both sides of the argument on most. Some subjects, such as the patriarchal attitude towards female sexuality and sexual violence seen in Khadra’s community, are heavily criticized. Others, such as the scripted responsibilities of men and women within marriage and the choice to wear a hijab, and presented more positively and acknowledge both sides of the debate fairly equally. Each of these topics is examined through

In Chapter 1 Article 1 of Saudi Arabia’s constitution, it states “[t]he Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab Islamic State. Its religion is Islam. Its constitution is Almighty God's Book, The Holy Qur'an, and the Sunna (Traditions) of the Prophet (PBUH). Arabic is the language of the Kingdom” (“The Royal Embassy”). The relationship between religion and the state can be explained in a variety of factors that ultimately influence the political, social and religious structure within a country.

Take a look around you. You most likely see quite a lot of women talking, laughing, and living freely. Most people would agree that it’s an everyday sight. However, free-living women are a rare occurrence in other parts of the world, such as the Middle East, where women are bound by traditions. The oppression of women that rages today in that region is due to the great influence Islam has there. Followers of Islam, known as Muslims, use the Quran as their Holy Book. From this book, Muslims take their guidelines for life, known as Sharia Law. Unfortunately, these laws are the epitome of patriarchy, and aim to subjugate and degrade women. A woman named Jean Sasson has written many books that tell of this oppression, such as the Princess trilogy and it’s sequel More Tears To Cry, which follow the steps of the Saudi Arabian princess, Sultana.

One of them, being clothing. In this Middle Eastern country, it seems as though the women are strictly taught to wear long, heavy, black cloth that covers them from head to toe. People from more open countries, such as the United States, view this as a heavily undermining sentiment, disregarding the various aspects that resulted in this living standard of the women there. This essay will highlight the religious, cultural, and political factors that contribute to the way women dress in Saudi Arabia. By the end of this paper, it will be noted that all these factors significantly go hand in hand; as one may be the result of another. There is a reason that women dress the way that they do, and the factors that contribute to them are what are going to be

The novel “Girls of Riyadh” by Rajaa Alsanea is originally written in Arabic as” Banat al Riyadh’ and translated in English as “Girls of Riyadh.” It is a conservative story which moves around the lives of four close friends who belong to an elite class. Its topic is very sensitive and related to a different world where men dress traditionally and pose themselves as ambassador of Islam but details of their everyday lives are very weird. Women of their society are standing at the cross road of two civilizations - family culture and modern world culture. This novel no doubt has the ability to shake up a conservative society. it 's the reason when this novel was, published it was taken away from the bookstores and put in the list of banned books. It gives us insight into the lives of the woman of elite class and talks about their trials and tribulations as they want to get true love in the setting of Islamic Riyadh. What makes this novel different from other fictional books is its openness about sex, and male - female relationships and it unveils Saudi life which is unexplored. All these bare facts justify its comparison with American novel “Sex and the City” in which four American women are searching their love but those women belong to Manhattan who are bold and open but it is the story of Abaya girls who keep themselves covered from head to toe but conduct love affairs secretly.

Preview of Main Points: First I will speak about the location of Saudi Arabia I will then speak about what is Saudi known for then I will conclude with some information about the holy cities in Saudi

The modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established by the King Abdulaziz bin Abdelrahman Al-Saud in 1932 (Al-Turaiqi, 2008; Albassam, 2011; BTI, 2012; Hamzawy, 2006; Peterson, 1984; UN, 2004). Saudi is a big country with 13 provinces (mintaqah) and 1,600, 000 km2 (Albassam, 2011; UN, 2004). Saudi has the largest reserves of oil in the world (UN, 2004). The political system in Saudi is Monarchy since the day of Unification of the Kingdom (23 September, 1932) (Al-Turaiqi, 2008; Albassam, 2011; BTI, 2012; Chatham, 2011; Hamzawy, 2006; Matthes, Otto, & Schützhold, 2007; Peterson, 1984; UN, 2004). This profoundly traditional kingdom has “undergone socioeconomic transformation” to the level perhaps no resembling anywhere else in the