In Saudi Arabia, a view from behind the veil

[babylonsister]

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fg-women6jun06,1,6178058,full.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage&ctrack=1&cset=true

In Saudi Arabia, a view from behind the veil
As a woman in the male-dominated kingdom, Times reporter Megan Stack quietly fumed beneath her abaya. Even beyond its borders, her experience taints her perception of the sexes.
By Megan K. Stack, Times Staff Writer
June 6, 2007


Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — THE hem of my heavy Islamic cloak trailed over floors that glistened like ice. I walked faster, my eyes fixed on a familiar, green icon. I hadn't seen a Starbucks in months, but there it was, tucked into a corner of a fancy shopping mall in the Saudi capital. After all those bitter little cups of sludgy Arabic coffee, here at last was an improbable snippet of home — caffeinated, comforting, American.

I wandered into the shop, filling my lungs with the rich wafts of coffee. The man behind the counter gave me a bemused look; his eyes flickered. I asked for a latte. He shrugged, the milk steamer whined, and he handed over the brimming paper cup. I turned my back on his uneasy face.

Crossing the cafe, I felt the hard stares of Saudi men. A few of them stopped talking as I walked by and watched me pass. Them, too, I ignored. Finally, coffee in hand, I sank into the sumptuous lap of an overstuffed armchair.

"Excuse me," hissed the voice in my ear. "You can't sit here." The man from the counter had appeared at my elbow. He was glaring.

"Excuse me?" I blinked a few times.

"Emmm," he drew his discomfort into a long syllable, his brows knitted. "You cannot stay here."

"What? Uh … why?"

Then he said it: "Men only."

more...

[wakeme2008]

1. Strange country

Once outside of the country women can show their faces. :shrug:

Thing I found strange is female US navy personal have to dress in black with face covered in Saudi. I would have thought if they were in uniform that would be OK, but it is NOT.

[mcscajun]

2. Wow. Great article. Thanks for posting.

:hi:

[Zenlitened]

3. Brilliant. Very insightful look at a disturbing society, and the dilemma...

... it seems to present to us as liberals, as progressives:

"...I spent my days in Saudi Arabia struggling unhappily between a lifetime of being taught to respect foreign cultures and the realization that this culture judged me a lesser being. I tried to draw parallels: If I went to South Africa during apartheid, would I feel compelled to be polite?

Goes right to the heart of a recurring discussion here on DU: Why are some injustices downplayed by "polite society" while others are universally condemned?

Women... gays... atheists... hey, a little discrimination, a little marginalizing, is no big deal. Just the way things are, no need to get upset. Don't make waves. Don't rock the boat. We're all on this bus together -- your place on it just happens to be in the back.

Ugh.

I think the reporter's comparison to apartheid is right on target: Saudi Arabia practices gender apartheid. And it's such an insidious thing, as she points out. It creeps into you, twists your thinking, no matter how strong you try to be in rejecting it. That's what institutionalized discrimination does. It poisons the very air a society breathes, to the point were even educated women and men who should know better -- who should recognize that keeping whole segments of the population on a leash eventually corrupts everyone, free and fettered alike -- instead become passive and accepting of it.

Scary, scary stuff, but I'm glad you posted it. Reminds me once again of why we're fighting so hard for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness here at home.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. Yes, a few years ago a columnist for the Oregonian pointed out that

any country that treated a racial minority the same way that Saudi Arabia treats women would be condemned in the United Nations.