Sultana, a young Saudi princess is born into prestige and opulent wealth. She has three mansions on four different continents, private jets, and numerous servants (read: house slaves) who attend to her every need. Are you jealous yet? Don't be. In reality, she hides under a veil. Sultanta cannot marry a man of her choice, must bear sons, and is subject to opression from the males of her soicety. Yeah, still jealous?
It's no secret that Saudi Arabia has an international reputation of violation of womens' rights. It's a questionable accusation, but the facts cannot be disregarded. Women must travel at all times with a male guardian. They cannot drive or vote. The black veil they must wear covers their eyes. Lots of public spaces are segregated with "No Women" signs. Hey, to one's own opinion, but... at the very least, one could call it a lack of freedom.
The following is the link to a video of a Saudi Princess retelling her tale:
https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/video-saudi-princess-describes-the-treatment-of-women-in-saudi-arabia-as-slavery/
Her experiences are hauntingly similar to Sultana's, and they may or may not be entirely the same person. Coincidence? I think not. The truth of the story is, there are countless Sultana's living amidst the brutality of their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons. There are countless stories of women old and young, rich and poor, who all yearn for freedom. There are countless spirits waiting to be freed.
It's important to note that this book was written waaaayy baacck wheeen in 1992 when Saudi Arabia was first opening its arms towards modernization. Slow changes have been made, and... now women have the right to vote - *disclaimer* starting in 2015. Yay, what a let down. But in all seriousness many violations still occur. The driving ban has not been lifted, and recently in 2008, Wajeha al-Huwaider gained international fame after a film of her driving was posted to Youtube.
In light of the events of 9/11, and more recently, the Women 2 Drive campaign, many people around the globe (cough, mostly us 'Muricans) still hold a negative perspective of the Islamic religion. The Qu'ran does not actually explicitly state that women should be treated any less than their male counterparts- their relationship to God (Allah) is the same. Men are considered a degree above women, but keep in mid that during the dinosaur age (7th century, for you history geeks), most women of other religions were seen as nothing more than possessed, soulless, sinful creatures. So by those standards, the Muslims were pretty avant-garde. The "oppressive" regime is probably caused more by the factors of the Saudi culture, rather than the factors of Islam. In plain English, some of us are ignorant fools! Look no further than Twitter (#islamopobia) for justification.
Take a closer look around you. We see all forms of oppression in all cultures and societies. Saudi Arabia's example of violation of women's rights is an especially extreme example. The fight for freedom is so commonplace that we often don't stop to acknowledge it and participate ourselves. From the book, you can begin to dull the lines drawn between the western movement and Saudi Arabian movement on women's rights. Though we stand up in different ways, and stand for different beliefs, we all stand behind one mantra: Fight for freedom... it is priceless.
I think that the way you presented your information, with great voice and causality, was interesting and very unique, and how as you got to the end of it, you started to take on a more serious and truthful tone. Bringing our attention straight to the problem of the situation. Also, ending it with a "call to action" so to speak was another technique you utilized create a larger impact, and I found that very creative and a great use of diction.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this was an amazing post. It contained information on the book, but also went much deeper than that. Your post delved into the life, rights, and liberties of women compared to men, which I thought was extremely clever. Being of the Islamic faith, I really appreciated your views. It was like a breath of fresh air. Keep doing an outstanding job!
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job describing the character and all the minimal rights that she had and comparing it to our society.
ReplyDeleteI loved your post. I think it was great how you added your own opinion and side notes about the situation. Your post really connected the past situation shown in your book to the current situation now. Good Job!
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