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

tried to protect me from my unkindly
father and my cruel brother, but my own mischievous personality
created many problems.
    Although much good is now coming to women in
Saudi Arabia, and for that I am so very happy, there are still
young women in our country who are forced to become the 3rd or 4th
wife of old men. I personally know of young women who have been
instantly divorced after being afflicted by a serious illness. Some
of these women are mothers and their terrorized children are taken
from their arms to be raised by another woman. I know of young
girls who have been put to death by members of their own family,
often for nothing more than perceived misconduct.
    I know too many tragic stories. You will
learn these stories in the three books about my life, and the lives
of the women I know.
    You may ask: How does such cruelty continue
in an oil-rich country so wealthy that every citizen should be
educated and enlightened? I believe that most men in my land want
to rule everyone around them, and in particular, to rule the women
in their lives. Such actions are assisted by men of religion who
purposely twist the words of our beloved prophet, Prophet Muhammad,
(May Allah shower His blessings upon him and grant him salvation)
for the sole purpose of keeping women in a subservient
position.
    I do thank God that that Saudi women are
beginning to see genuine and good change.
    For this we praise Allah and also thank our
wise king, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Finally there is
hope in our land, although there are some uneducated and cruel men
who still treat their daughters and wives as property to dispose of
as they will. As we Saudi women make advances, we need to look out
of our closed world and see what is happening all over the world.
Many women need our help. Our first step is to educate all females,
so that they might take charge of their economic life. Our second
step is help men to see that without strong and independent women,
the world suffers.
    As I learn more about the status of women
worldwide, I have made the surprising discovery that women the
world over are ill-treated by men. Some young girls from Laos and
Cambodia and Thailand are forced into the sex slave trade. Female
babies in China can be left on hillsides to starve. Midwives in
India sometimes are paid to snap the spines of infant females,
because the family only wants sons. Even American women can be
murdered by jealous boyfriends or husbands.
    I am often sorry that I know such things, for
this knowledge makes me ill with grief.
    I know that this is what we must do:
    We must all work together to bring change to
this earth.
    We must persist until every female child is
welcomed as joyously as a male child.
    We must devote out time and energy to educate
all our children, females as well as males.
    We must support all women in their endeavors
to help others. When you harm a woman, you harm the whole
world.
    I pray for Allah’s good blessings upon this
quest.
    Princess Sultana Al-Saud
    Updated in November 2010
     
    ***
    Facts on Saudi Arabia
    OFFICIAL TITLE: Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia
    AREA: 864,866 sq. miles
    INDEPENDENCE: 23 September 1932
(unification)
    CLIMATE: Harsh, dry desert with great
extremes of temperature
    POPULATION ESTIMATE: 28,686,633
(including 5,576,076 non-nationals workers)
    GOVERNMENT TYPE: Absolute Monarchy (Al
Sa’ud family)
    POLITICAL PARTIES AND LEADERS: None
allowed
    CONSTITUTION: Governed according to
Shari’a (Islamic Law)
    LEGAL SYSTEM: Based on Islamic law,
although several secular codes have been introduced. Commercial
disputes are handled by special committees.
    RELIGION: Muslim 100% (Does not allow
other religions to be practiced)
    LANGUAGE: Arabic (English often used
in business transactions)
    LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH: male: 66.11
years; female: 69.51 years
    CURRENCY: 1 Saudi Riyal (SR) = 100
halalah
    EXCHANGE RATES: Saudi Riyals (SR) per
US $1–3.7450 (fixed rate since June 1986)
    ECONOMY: Oil based economy with