The Girls of Riyadh is a depressing read for me. Reading this book stirred feelings of anger and empathy.
It tells the stories of how conservative society dictates social norms through the lives and marriages of four Saudi girls. Published in Arabic 2005, this book was then banned in Saudi Arabia. The book has been allowed for sale in Saudi Arabia in January this year.
As this is a translation, I suspect that the Arabic version could be more weepy (or poetic). The English version has been Americanized somewhat. I view this book as neither a brilliant literary masterpiece nor a totally credible social commentary. While it provides insights into Saudi society, I am not moved to denounce its supposedly strait-laced traditions. In my mind's eye, I compare the practices in the book to the ultra-conservative values held by Chinese society that are inherent even in modern Singapore.
It tells the stories of how conservative society dictates social norms through the lives and marriages of four Saudi girls. Published in Arabic 2005, this book was then banned in Saudi Arabia. The book has been allowed for sale in Saudi Arabia in January this year.
As this is a translation, I suspect that the Arabic version could be more weepy (or poetic). The English version has been Americanized somewhat. I view this book as neither a brilliant literary masterpiece nor a totally credible social commentary. While it provides insights into Saudi society, I am not moved to denounce its supposedly strait-laced traditions. In my mind's eye, I compare the practices in the book to the ultra-conservative values held by Chinese society that are inherent even in modern Singapore.
The mere link of comparisons, angers me more than the notion of different societies-different customs. You might say that anything about the intrinsic social notion of 'having to marry' angers me. This brings to mind a rhetoric on marriage last week by the therapist at my Brazilian wax session. She spoke about 'how it provides security for a woman since she's the one losing out'.
I can be very eloquent in putting across my point. A point that I am not losing out by not being in a state of marriage. But I sighed and let her ramble on. I dutifully nodded and went "ummm-hmmm" at her every pause of breath.
I was silently screaming- When can we move away from this belief of a woman being validated only by the virtue of being married? There was no polite way to argue with her when I was half-naked and at her mercy.
7 comments:
lifting the veil : the world muslim women by Phil and Julie Parshall is another insightful depressing read. even when u factor in Christian bias (the Parshalls are missionaries living among muslims), oppression of women in islam is shocking. ultra-conservative chinese expectations is a joke by comparison. there is nothing to sop the young in chinese society, esp in singapore, to refuse to carry on ridiculous practices.
one thing is- in an ultra conservative society, people still kill their female relatives. that's not a good thing. we all need to progress beyond that.
sgp is not scary lah. we definitely don't anyhow kill people. we turn it into modern bitichiness and ostracize them.
What struck me about the book also was the competition between the women despite (perhaps because?) the fact that they were supposed to be friends - and materialism and social class that ran through the book. Some parts of the book I thought could have belonged in a novel from almost anywhere in the world.
I read an interesting post the other day about an actress bemoaning the fact that some television shows promote bitchiness among women friends. While it is true of course in some cases, I believe that most women ARE supportive of their women friends and that isn't an inherent competitiveness under-lying that.
sinlady: i've read their book. it is not pretty and certainly tells of an ultra-strict and orthodox society not bothered by the rest of the world. i certainly hope while traditions can be kept alive for heritage and cultural reasons, stupid practices may be abolished.
meteor: hahaha. i like how u simplify it into kill or no-kill, still-kill and maybe-kill.
dawn: all things being equal, there shouldn't be inherent competitiveness. throw men and expectations into a package, u get a whole new ball game. bleah.
Imp : then why don't men compete for US? :)
ah. you weren't really in a position to argue eh.
dawn: i like that idea.
jazzgal: hahahah. u bet.
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