Comments on: Confused!

By: Nissim Dahan (Israel/USA)

Nissim Dahan (Israel/USA) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:38:09 +0000

I am not an expert on the matter, but it seems to me that there is a dichotomy of sorts in Saudi Arabia, and my guess is that the royal family is caught somewhere in the middle. On the one hand you have people of a progressive bent who see that sooner or later the country must come to terms with the modern world. And on the other hand, you have those, as represented by most of the clerics, who cling to tradition, even at the expense of modernity.

This is not to say that the Western way is necessarily the only way, or even the best way. But there is a point at which traditional norms of behavior no longer make sense, and must necessarily be subject to reform. Covering a woman up from head to toe, and interfering with her ability to breathe, and to see, just so that men won’t be tempted, doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense, and doesn’t really accomplish its purported purpose. The more you try to stifle sex, the more it’s likely to lash out in ways that are least expected.

Ultimately, I would like to believe that the ruling family will move the country toward an accomodation with modernity. But it will not be an easy road to hoe. Certain arrangements have been put in place with the clergy, and it will be difficult, to say the least, to interfere with those arrangements. However, in the final analysis, a movement toward reform will be necessary in order for the leadership to consolidate its hold on power. Such a movement must be negotiated with utmost care, and with an eye toward empowering the masses without overturning the apple cart.

By: ambiguous

ambiguous — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:10:43 +0000

I feel you Amal.. Trust me you get used to it with time.. The female saudi lifestyle is different. It might feel passive, but it’s very peaceful in a way. I’m saudi and I was raised abroad all my life, moving to saudi was a disaster to my sanity at first, but now,I have grown quite attached to it..If you find the right people to hang out with and the right career to preoccupy yourself with,you will not be miserable God willing.

By: Amal

Amal — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:37:15 +0000

I am agreeing on everything too. I am half Saudi and half American. WHAT A MIX!!
Coming to Saudi Arabia for the first time now that i am 18 has been some experience..let me tell you!!!
I came with a rather open mind. You kno people would tell me ‘dont go, dont go’ but i didnt think there was anything wrong with going. (certainly there is not, i would encourage people to experience new things.) But somedays as I sit alone day after day, after day, after day, in my room, i think that my imagination of what Saudia was like may have been a better opinion to hold on to, rather than actually finding out.
Im not going to go on critisizing what goes on here but i am going to admit that i am miserable. In every sense of the word. And im not one to pity myself. I try to make the best out of every situation and i have. But i cant lie to myself anymore. I am deprived of life here. I feel more like a house pet than a human being. And i am sick of people (men) staring at me everwhere i go. I feel like bursting out and just saying “what are you looking at?!@#$%?” Knowing me i probly would but for the past 10 months I just havnt been myself.

By: ambiguous

ambiguous — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:38:09 +0000

I have to say I totally agree with you; unfortunately a lot of saudi males are horny and sex-obsessed, so they think they have to protect their female relatives from men like themselves. They end up bossing their sisters around etc.

Also,most clerics think that if a man is turned on or seduced by a woman,it’s the woman’s fault! Thus the many fatwas demanding women to cover more than what Allah commanded them to; just for the sake of “protecting men from sin”.. Im sorry to burst these clerics’ bubble but if a man can’t lower his gaze, it’s his problem.

ps- maybe they should make similar fatwas for men “to protect women from sin”. Guys shouldnt look too attractive when in public. They shouldnt wear cologne. etc. how would that work?