Princess Sultana's Circle

Palestinian families living on the West Bank,
not only housing, feeding, and clothing them, but also paying for
the education of the children.
    I hugged Maysa just to let
her know that she had not angered me. I did not bother to justify
my extravagant life style, however, for I felt comfortable in the
knowledge that Kareem and I give much more of our wealth to the
poor than is required by our faith. What more were we to
do?
    After we returned from our
exhausting shopping adventure, I retired to my suite to rest before
dinner.
    Kareem had not returned by
the late afternoon, and knowing that my sister and the other women
in our party were most likely still resting in their rooms, I
became restless. I decided to telephone several American women that
I had befriended many years before.
    I was soon pleased to hear
the voice of a dear friend, Anne, who squealed upon hearing my
voice. “Thank God, you have called, Sultana!
    I desperately wanted to
call you in Riyadh, but feared someone might overhear our
conversation.”
    I smiled. Anne is convinced
that all telephone lines in my country are tapped.
    “ Sultana, a terrible thing
has happened! A little American girl, not yet five years old, has
been kidnapped and taken into your country. Her Saudi father took
her from her American mother. The mother is hysterical, of course,
and I was hoping that you might help us locate her
child.”
    My heart sank as I listened
to her story. Was I never to escape these disturbing stories? Every
day of my life I had heard about exploited, ill-treated, and abused
women, but unlike most other Saudi women, I could never accept that
this was merely a woman’s lot. And some years before, I had come to
the sad realization that the abuse of women was not unique to Saudi
Arabia. This was a worldwide phenomenon!
    Sadly, my victories in
helping such women were woefully few. And, now, my hopes were
dashed of putting aside such worries and enjoying a few carefree
days in America. Already, my heart ached for the little girl and
her mother.
    Knowing that Anne was
waiting for my answer, I took a deep breath. “Anne, you know that
it is difficult to help anyone in this situation in my
country.”
    With a note of sadness in
her voice, Anne said, “I understand, Sultana, but I was hoping you
could do something.”
    “ Is this father a member of
my family, the Al Sa’uds?”
    “ No. He is not
royalty.”
    “ Well, at least, tell me
what happened.” With a sigh, I glanced at the clock on the bedside
table. Dinner would have to wait.
    “ Whether you can or cannot
do anything, at least this mother will be pleased when I tell her
that I have spoken with you.”
    “ Tell me all that you
know,” I said, as I lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. This could
take some time.
    “ The mother of this child
is a woman by the name of Margaret McClain. She is an instructor at
Arkansas State University, and it was there that she met and
married a Saudi student named Abdulbaset Al'Omary.”
    Al'Omary? I did not
personally know a Saudi family by that name. But, as my life
revolves around members of the royal family, my lack of knowledge
was not surprising.
    “ From what I have learned,
the marriage unraveled rather quickly. Margaret said that once they
were legally married, the charming and affectionate suitor quickly
changed into a jealous and unreasonable husband.”
    “ That is not uncommon with
Arab Muslim men,” I muttered. I had never discovered the reason for
this disturbing and consistent pattern of behavior in many Arab men
who woo non-Muslim women. Since inside Saudi Arabia few men meet
their wives prior to their arranged marriages, Saudi men have no
occasion to be charming before they marry. But, when it comes to
romancing women from other countries, no lover could be more
charming and attentive than a Saudi suitor, or indeed any Arab
nationality, including Syrians, Egyptians, Kuwaitis, or
Jordanians.
    Tender words are spoken,
gifts are given, and promises are made. Usually, no mention is made
of the potential problems of different cultural and religious
backgrounds. But, once the woman has been lured into marriage, the
man too often turns into a tyrant, becoming abusive and rude to his
wife, or becoming too interested in other pretty women.
    Differences in religion and
culture can soon begin to create serious marital problems. The
woman’s normal way of dressing, which was greeted with compliments
during their courtship, is now declared too