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

of us felt anger and hate for the family
that had bred such a one as our cousin, Faisal ibn Musaid, the
slayer of our hopes and dreams. One of my cousins shouted out that
the slayer’s father himself was not right in his mind. He, who had
been born prominent in the scheme of Saudi royalty, a half-brother
of King Faisal himself, had shunned all contact with family members
and responsibility of the throne. One son had been a fanatic,
willing to die to prevent the innocent installment of a television
station, and another son had killed our beloved and respected King
Faisal.
    No pain could be worse than the thought of
Saudi Arabia without such wisdom to guide us. Never before or since
have I witnessed such national grief. It was as if our entire land
and all its people were swathed in agony. The best leadership our
family had to offer had been struck down by one of our own.
    Three days later, Sara’s daughter surprised
her mother by entering the world as a breech baby. Little Fadeela,
named for our mother, joined a nation in mourning. Our grief was so
deep that recovery was sluggish, but little Fadeela revived our
minds and we recalled the message of joy through her new life.
    Sara, in her fear for her daughter’s future,
convinced Asad to sign a document that said their daughter would be
free to choose her husband without family interference. Sara had
suffered a troubling nightmare that she and Asad were killed in an
airplane crash and her daughter was raised in the rigid manner of
our generation. Sara, staring pointedly at Asad, said she would
commit murder rather than see her daughter wed to a man of evil
schemes. Asad, still wild with love for his wife, comforted her by
signing the paper and by establishing a Swiss bank account in the
baby’s name for one million dollars. Sara’s daughter would have the
legal and financial means to escape her personal nightmares should
necessity arise.
    Ali returned from the United States for the
summer holiday and, if it were possible, he was even more obnoxious
than I recalled. He made a great point of telling us of his
escapades with American women and announced that, yes, it was true,
just as he had been told, they were all whores!
    When Kareem interrupted and stated that he
had met many women of high morals when he was in Washington, Ali
laughed and suggested that much had changed. He declared that the
women he had met in bars took the initiative and proposed sex
before he had had the opportunity even to bring up the subject.
    Kareem told him that was the issue; if a
woman was alone in a bar, she was more than likely looking for a
one-night stand or a good time. After all, women were free in
America, the same as men. He advised Ali to attend church or
cultural events, where he would be surprised at the conduct of the
women. Ali was adamant. He said that he had tested the morals of
women from all walks of life in America; they were all definitely
whores, in his experience.
    Like most Muslims, Ali would never see or
understand the customs and traditions of another religion or land.
The only knowledge most Arabs have of American society comes from
the content of low-grade American movies and trashy television
shows. Most important, Saudi men travel alone. Because of their
forced seclusion from female companionship, their only interest
lies in foreign women. Sadly, they seek out only women who work in
bars as strippers or prostitutes. This slanted view distorts
Saudis’ opinions of the morality of the West. Since most Saudi
women do not travel, they believe the stories told by their
husbands and brothers. As a result, the vast majority of Arabs
truly believe that most Western women are promiscuous.
    Admittedly, my brother was handsome in an
exotic way that would attract many of the opposite sex, but I knew
without a doubt that every woman in America was not a whore! I told
Kareem that I longed for the opportunity to travel with Ali. What
fun it would be to stand behind him and hold up a sign that
proclaimed: THIS MAN SECRETLY DISDAINS YOU AND HOLDS YOU IN
CONTEMPT! IF YOU SAY YES TO THIS MAN, HE WILL BRAND YOU A WHORE TO
THE WORLD!
    Before Ali left to return to the States, he
told Father he was ready to acquire his first wife. Life without
sex was a hardship, he said, and he would like a woman to be
available to him each time he returned to Riyadh for the holidays.
Most important, it was time for him, Ali, to have a son. For
without sons, a man has no value in Saudi Arabia,