Why O why I ask the birth of daughter is unwelcome? She is after all a gift from God. She is either killed at the time of birth or the gruesome deed of burying her alive is committed (this is done still in many communities). This was a common practice in many Asian countries. The birth of a daughter is still unwelcome by many, she is the one who gives birth to a man then how come she is unwelcome?
Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had only daughters, (whom He loved dearly) and didn’t have any sons. He always advocated treating women with respect and love, He was all for their education. One of His wives was a famous and successful businesswoman of that time. There is no concept of veil in Islam, it is the local custom which is followed by many countries of the world. In Islam, a woman should wear clothing which hides the contours of her body. During the Haj, the women do not cover their face, both men and women are equal in eyes of Allah. During my visit to the Holy Place(Mecca and Medina), I saw only the local women covering their face, while others like me, wore appropriate clothing which covered our body and head.
The place of women in Islam is highly misinterpreted by those who do not understand the essence of Islam and by those who do it for their personal gains. The women have a right to hold property and also a right to go in for annulment. The women sadly are unaware of their own rights, hence get deprived of many rightful things and the men gets benefitted. Many times women are responsible for this discrimination and they have their own reasons for doing so.
Isn’t a daughter deprived of necessary things so that a son can have useless things he demands? The discrimination right from food, education, clothes and finally when it comes to choosing a life partner. The Desert Royal is a similar story of Princess Sultana belonging to the Al-Saud Royal Family. Though she had a privileged background she was not free to do all the things that the men in her family could do. This story is about her fight to change the status of woman in her country. How she overcome the hurdles? Whether she succeeds or not? Catch hold of the book to know it.
Jean Sasson has spent nearly thirteen years in Saudi. During her stint at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, she came across Sultana, whom she found different from other members of the royal family. She found Sultana to be a woman of strong character who also had an independent mind. The friendship slowly cultivated, enough for the author to become the voice of the princess. She has written two more books - Princess and Daughters of Arabia, unfortunately I haven’t read those books, so I can’t make any comparision.
As the author’s friendship developed with Sultana, Jean came to know that under all that beauty and surface charm, Sultana was a strong willed woman. She found that Sultana was a caring, selfless and sensitive woman who was attuned to other women’s suffering. She always jumped to help other women regardless of the consequences. Once Sultana confided to the author that she wanted the world to know the plight of Saudi women but never did tell anyone as her immediate family would be in danger. So to protect her friend Sultana, Jean Sasson became her voice and the three books came into the existence.
I have fallen in love with the character of Sultana, she is an independent, rebel and an impulsive creature likle me. She is aware of her imperfections but rarely attempts to change herself. She is a very contradictory character, she could be charitable as well as selfish as she thinks that she gives more charity than needed. She has no qualms when she spends huge sums of money when shopping but is reluctant to help her maid when her maid was in need of money. She thinks that her status of a princess is of little value in a land where women are rated as third class citizens. She tries to help others whenever she can without thinking of the consequences. She feels like a bird in a golden cage, who has all the privileges except freedom.
The author has specifically mentioned in her book that this story is of Sultana and this may not be the representative of the whole Saudi society. I spoke to some of those people(including our MSians) who had either visited Saudi at one time or another, they did acknowledge that the women were not so free as compared to other countries or rather other Muslim countries. Paul(Paulsb02) did say that UAE is much more liberated than some of other countries and the women enjoy more rights. The total scenario with regard to women in Muslim countries in particular and women in Asian countries in general is changing at a faster pace. Many children and especially the girls are sold off to rich people so as to support other members of the family.
I was biased against the writer even before I started reading the book as the Western world is always prejudiced towards Muslims and other Asians. They think of us as backwards while forgetting that the backwardness, discrimination and crime exists in their so called developed society too. As I went on reading the book, I kept losing my bias, she has tried to be very fair, I must say. Sasson has mentioned about some strict laws, they were made strict to act as a deterrent for people keep away from committing crimes. Some of the laws need to be changed as they are very outdated.
I ignored this book twice as I generally read books on Romance, Espionage and spies but there was something that always pulled me towards this book. I bought this book on an impulse and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as the protagonist is as human as the next person rather than a super heroine. I cannot say that this story is true but I cannot deny the existence of situations that is given in the book.
The women are God’s gift to men, a mate created for him by God. Let the women become as fragile as glass and as strong as a mountain when occasion demands for she is vulnerable yet can be the strongest support for you. Treat her kindly, love her selflessly and you have the best source of joy and support you ever need.
I salute to all the women who dare to make a change in their own life and try to change the society, those who fight against all the odds and emerge victorious. I would like to acknowledge those men too, who support women and treat them kindly, help the women in achieving their goals.
Rise women Rise ! For you alone can change, support other women. Complement your mate rather than fall in the trap of Inferiority or Superiority complex.
Your views are welcome, I would really appreciate a debate on the status and role of women in the society.