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

by the family and the
actual punishment is carried out in private.
    If murder has been committed, the family has
the right to kill the murderer in the same method their loved one
was murdered, or in any method they choose.
    If a member of the family was accidentally
killed (such as in an automobile accident), the family of the
deceased may collect “blood money.” In the past, camels were used
as pay for blood money; today the rate of exchange is in currency.
There are set damages according to the various circumstances: The
payment can be anywhere from SR 120,000 to SR 300,000 ($45,000 to
$80,000). If a woman is killed, the payment is one half that of a
man.
    If a person cuts off another person’s body
part, the family or the victim may commit the same act upon the
guilty party.
    Who May Testify in Criminal Proceedings
    The witness must be deemed sane, the age of
an adult, and a Muslim. Non-Muslims may not testify in criminal
court. Women may not testify unless it is a personal matter that
did not occur in the sight of men. Actually, the testimony of a
woman is not regarded as fact but rather as presumption. The court
may decide whether the testimony is valid according to the
circumstances.
    Why Women Are Forbidden to Testify in
Criminal Proceedings
    There are four reasons given why women’s
testimony is not valid in a Saudi court:
    1. Women are much more emotional than men and
will, as a result of their emotions, distort their testimony.
    2. Women do not participate in public life,
so they will not be capable of understanding what they observe.
    3. Women are dominated completely by men, who
by the grace of God are deemed superior; therefore, women will give
testimony according to what the last man told them.
    4. Women are forgetful and their testimony
cannot be considered reliable.
     

 
    Appendix C—Glossary
    The meaning of these Arabic words,
expressions, and places is usually explained as they occur in the
text.
    Abaaya: A long, black cloak worn over
the clothing of Saudi Arabian women
    Abu Dhabi: A city located in the
United Arab Emirates
    Al Sa’ud: The family that rules the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
    Asir : The traditional name for the
southwest region of Saudi Arabia
    Baath: A political movement that began
in Syria and spread to Iraq. Arab unity is at the center of its
doctrine.
    Bahrain: An island nation that is
linked to Saudi Arabia by a causeway
    Bedouin: The original Arabs, a nomadic
desert people
    Buddha: The Indian philosopher who was
the founder of Buddhism
    Constantinople: The former capital of
Turkey and the Ottoman Empire, now named Istanbul
    Dammam: The city in Saudi Arabia where
oil was first struck in 1938
    Dar’iyah: The old city of Riyadh
    Dubai: A city located in the United
Arab Emirates
    Empty Quarter: The great desert
occupying the southeast corner of Saudi Arabia. Its Arabic name is
Rub al Khali.
    Ghutra: The Arabian cloth headdress
worn by men
    Haj: The pilgrimage, one of the five
pillars of Islam. The journey to Makkah is the lifetime ambition of
most Muslims. All Muslims are required to make this journey, if
they can afford it.
    Halawa: The ceremony of removing body
hair
    Haram: An expression that means “pity”
or “sympathy”
    Harrods: A large department store in
London frequented by many wealthy Arabs
    Hijaz: The traditional name for the
area of western Arabia. Jeddah, located on the Red Sea, is in the
Hijaz area.
    Hommous: An Arabic dish made of
chick-peas, usually scooped up with a piece of pita bread
    Hudud: Crimes of a serious nature
which are denounced by God in the Koran
    Ibn: Means “son of” (Khalid ibn
Faisal, son of Faisal)
    Igaal: The black cord worn on top of
the Arabian headdress
    Ijma: Perceptions of the Koran by the
religious scholars of Islam
    Jeddah: A beautiful city in Saudi
Arabia located on the Red Sea. Jeddah is popular with the
expatriate population who swim and dive in the pristine waters.
    Jerusalem: The third holiest city of
Islam, now under the control of the Israelis
    Koran: The Holy Book of the Islamic
faith containing the words of God as they were given to Prophet
Mohammed
    Kurds: A transnational ethnic and
linguistic group numbering 18 percent of Iraq’s population.
Nationalistic, with aims to form their own country, this group of
people continues to fight for Kurdish autonomy.
    Kutab: A common group method of
teaching girls in Saudi Arabia prior to the days of education for
females
    Laban: A refreshing buttermilk-like
drink common in the