American Chick in Saudi Arabia Read Free Page B

Hanifa. Although surrounded by sand on three sides, it grew into a walled city and a trading post on the historic route to Mecca.
    During the drive to the downtown area, our guide provides us with additional facts and figures about the country, the citizens, and about proper Muslim etiquettes.
    The monotone of our guide's voice is difficult to follow from my seat near the back of the bus. Her words fade and my attention drifts, my curiosity occasionally piqued by intriguing scenes along the city streets.
    White- thobed men are sauntering up and down the sidewalks. Many of the men are paired and walk hand-in-hand. I know from my reading that such intimacy between men is not uncommon in this part of the world and signifies only friendship without any sexual component.
    There is only a smattering of veiled women present. I search, but I cannot find a single uncovered Arab female face.
    Some women are sitting on the sidewalks, staring at a passing world through the black gauze of their veils. For a Westerner unaccustomed to Saudi customs, the image of veiled Saudi women proves addictive. I really cannot stop staring at female forms covered in black gauze and long cloaks sweeping the streets.
    We soon arrive at Dira Square, where the famous clock tower comes into view. This square has been nicknamed "Chop-Chop Square" by foreigners. I'm told that I'm looking at a macabre place where the kingdom's criminals lose hands, feet, and heads. I find it ironic that the Palace of Justice sits on the square. Saudi Arabia is a country that places the welfare of the society above the welfare of the individual. Crime rates are low and government officials attribute their country's enviable crime statistics to the swift punishment doled out to criminals.

    Dira Square, famous in Riyadh as the square where criminals are punished by amputation.

    When our guide points out the Musmak Fortress, a dried mud citadel in the center of old Riyadh, my imagination soars, taking me back to the dramatic saga that imbued the dynasty of the al Saud family. I know from my reading that during the raid, a spear was heaved so forcefully that nearly one hundred years later that ancient weapon is still lodged in the doorway. I feel the enthusiasm of a child, wanting to see that spear for myself.
    Although the kingdom has benefited by its unification, in many ways the citizens of the kingdom have paid dearly for the victory of the al-Saud, the family that pulled the country together and which still rules it. To succeed with his plans to conquer all of Arabia, founder Abdul Aziz enlisted the religious zealots to his cause, creating a special unit of religious police.
    That first-formed unit of fanatics grew into what is now known as the religious police, the Mutawain , austere men with an abominable record of human misery trailing their thobes .
    The king and his Wahhabi followers condemned everything they did not understand. Under Abdul Aziz, the harshest interpretations of the Koran became law. Applying the most severe tenets of Islam, these ignorant men even dismantled a highly developed legal system in the Hejaz and shut down the civil courts.
    There were many bloody episodes when this band of cruel Wahhabi defended the faith with the sword, plunging it into the unbeliever's belly as far as possible.
    Envisioning the violence of sharp swords meeting human flesh, I jump in surprise when someone touches my shoulder and says, "Jean. Let's go."
    We disembark the bus to stroll through the old shopping bazaar.
    Perhaps I'll see one of the religious police, the Mutawain . I've been told that the merciless men can be recognized by their henna-dyed beards and their ankle-length thobes . I'm also warned that many of the men carry a camel whip or a thick stick to beat people. These are the men who have been appointed responsible for the morals of all people residing in the kingdom, including foreign workers.
    I will be on the lookout.
    But all thoughts of mean-tempered