Princess Sultana's Circle

Hussah was always
smiling and friendly.
    When Hussah was three years
old, her family had moved to Egypt, where they remained for ten
years. In Egypt, Hussah had grown accustomed to more independence
than girls are allowed in the inflexible atmosphere of Saudi
Arabia. When the family returned to Riyadh, despite her early years
of freedom in Egypt, Hussah had accepted Saudi life without
complaint. She obediently wore the veil and abaaya in public
places, and did not complain about the other restrictions imposed
on women.
    Inside the safe confines of
her family’s compound, Hussah was a normal modern girl. She wore
jeans and T-shirts, she chatted for long hours on the telephone,
and she spent many hours swimming in the family pool. Hussah had
always enjoyed sports activities, and was sad that women in Saudi
Arabia are not allowed to compete in events such as the
international Olympics. Such a dream is unattainable for Saudi
females, so Hussah’s swimming achievements must remain for her
pleasure only.
    Hussah’s tragic fate arose
due to her love of swimming. Hussah often wore bikinis when taking
her daily laps, and these costumes displayed the fact that Hussah
had been blessed with a voluptuous body.
    Unfortunately for Hussah,
the family living next door to her home were Islamic
fundamentalists. When the eldest son of that family caught a
glimpse of the sexy Hussah in her skimpy swimsuit, her life was
forever changed.
    Although high walls
surround every Saudi home, the higher storied home will often have
a view of adjacent gardens. Hussah’s family home was a one-story
villa, while the neighbor’s home reached three stories. If someone
on the third floor should happen to glance out of a certain small
window, he or she was rewarded with a view of the bordering garden
and swimming pool. While most considerate Muslim neighbors will
seal up such a window, this was not the case here.
    This young man, Fadi, was
studying to become a Mutawwa. After observing Hussah in her
swimsuit, he became so incensed that he purchased a long-lens
camera and took many photographs of the young woman as she swam in
the privacy of her own pool. As fate would have it, on one of the
days Fadi was secretly taking photographs, Hussah’s bikini top
accidentally loosened. Her full breasts were exposed only long
enough for the neighbor to capture that image on film.
    Filled with the venom that
only the self-righteous possess, Fadi complained to the local
religious authorities that Hussah was a wicked sinner who had
intentionally exposed her breasts to him. In his fervor, he falsely
claimed that Hussah’s eyes had met his, and that she had smiled
invitingly just before lowering her swimming costume! He further
declared that Hussah’s act had caused him to sin by dreaming of
naked vixens. In order to recover his former state of purity, he
demanded that Hussah be stoned to death!
    If the local authorities
had agreed with Fadi, the poor girl would be in her grave. But her
father was pressured to believe that the years spent abroad and the
small freedoms his daughter had once enjoyed had influenced Hussah
to become a flagrant exhibitionist. These men of religion who
talked with him believed that education and hobbies for women would
ensure the decay of Saudi society.
    They generously agreed not
to punish Hussah, if her father himself would take certain harsh
measures. Hussah was to be removed from school, she was to be
forbidden to swim, and most importantly, she should be married
within the month. They also insisted that Hussah’s husband should
be an older man practiced in controlling wayward females. In fact,
these men even had such a husband in mind! They believed that
Fadi’s own father would be a good choice, as he already had three
wives, and they knew him to be a strict and pious man. He would not
allow Hussah opportunities that might bring shame on her family
name. Fortunately for Hussah, they reported, this neighbor had seen
Hussah’s photograph and had agreed to accept the moral duty of
“subduing” this wicked seducer!
    No mention was made of the
fact that Fadi was obviously a voyeur, or he would have had the
decency to turn his eyes away from another man’s private garden.
Nor was it acknowledged that the sight of Hussah’s picture might
have aroused sexual desire, rather than religious obligation, in
Fadi’s father.
    At first, Hussah’s father
fought for his daughter. But, he was outnumbered. His new wife
sided with the