Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia

who had
never ridden in an automobile. In 1946—and dating back untold
centuries—the camel was the usual mode of transportation in the
Middle East. Three decades would pass before the average Saudi rode
with comfort in an automobile, rather than astride a camel. Now, on
their honeymoon, for seven days and nights, my parents happily
crossed the desert trail to Jeddah. Unfortunately, in my father’s
haste to depart Riyadh, he had forgotten his tent; because of this
oversight and the presence of several slaves, their marriage
remained unconsummated until they arrived in Jeddah.
    That dusty, exhausting trip was one of my
mother’s happiest memories. Forever after, she divided her life
into “the time before the trip” and “the time after the trip.” Once
she told me that the trip had been the end of her youth, for she
was too young to understand what lay ahead of her at the end of the
long journey. Her parents had died in a fever epidemic, leaving her
orphaned at the age of eight. She had been married at the age of
twelve to an intense man filled with dark cruelties. She was
ill-equipped to do little more in life than his bidding.
    After a brief stay in Jeddah, my parents
returned to Riyadh, for it was there that the patriarchal family of
the Al Sa’uds continued their dynasty.
    My father was a merciless man; as a
predictable result, my mother was a melancholy woman. Their tragic
union eventually produced sixteen children, of whom eleven survived
perilous childhoods. Today, their ten female offspring live their
lives controlled by the men to whom they are married. Their only
surviving son, a prominent Saudi prince and businessman with four
wives and numerous mistresses, leads a life of great promise and
pleasure.
    From my reading, I know that most civilized
successors of early cultures smile at the primitive ignorance of
their ancestors. As civilization advances, the fear of freedom for
the individual is overcome through enlightenment. Human society
eagerly rushes to embrace knowledge and change. Astonishingly, the
land of my ancestors is little changed from that of a thousand
years ago. Yes, modern buildings spring up, the latest health care
is available to all, but consideration for women and for the
quality of their lives still receives a shrug of indifference.
    It is wrong, however, to blame our Muslim
faith for the lowly position of women in our society. Although the
Koran does state that women are secondary to men, much in the same
way the Bible authorizes men to rule over women, our Prophet
Mohammed taught only kindness and fairness toward those of my sex.
The men who came behind Prophet Mohammed have chosen to follow the
customs and traditions of the Dark Ages rather than to follow
Mohammed’s words and example. Our Prophet scorned the practice of
infanticide, a common custom in his day of ridding the family of
unwanted females. Prophet Mohammed’s very words ring with his
concern at the possibility of abuse and indifference toward
females: “Whoever hath a daughter, and doth not bury her alive, or
scold her, or prefer his male children to her, may God bring him
into Paradise.”
    Yet there is nothing men will not do, there
is nothing they have not done, in this land to ensure the birth of
male, not female, offspring. The worth of a child born in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is still measured by the absence or the
presence of a male organ.
    The men of my country feel they are what they
have had to become. In Saudi Arabia, the pride of a man’s honor
evolves from his women, so he must enforce his authority and
supervision over the sexuality of his women or face public
disgrace. Convinced that women have no control over their own
sexual desires, it then becomes essential that the dominant male
carefully guard the sexuality of the female. This absolute control
over the female has nothing to do with love, only with fear of the
male’s tarnished honor.
    The authority of a Saudi male is unlimited;
his wife and children survive only if he desires. In our homes, he
is the state. This complex situation begins with the rearing of our
young boys. From an early age, the male child is taught that women
are of little value: They exist only for his comfort and
convenience. The child witnesses the disdain shown his mother and
sisters by his father; this open contempt leads to his scorn of all
females, and makes it impossible for him to enjoy friendship with
anyone of the opposite sex. Taught only the role of