Princess Sultana's Circle

Sara.
    Sara ignored them, and
searched the crowd until she saw my face. She said, “Veena has lost
too much blood, Sultana. I believe that she needs urgent medical
attention.”
    I held my hand over my
mouth, momentarily speechless at the image that arose in my
mind.
    No one spoke until Shadi
finally said, “She is my responsibility. I will take her back into
the city.”
    I gasped. Unless someone
acted, Veena’s enslavement would be sanctioned if our family now
allowed Shadi to take her away. The subject would be forever
closed. Poor Veena would be used as a sexual toy for Shadi and his
friends as long as she was young and attractive. Once they were
tired of her, she would become a house servant.
    I knew that I could not let
this unfortunate girl remain in the clutches of my cruel nephew.
Someone had to take up this helpless woman’s cause! Looking around
at the faces of my family, I realized that it was up to me. I would
have to save this woman!
    “ No!” I shouted, shocking
everyone. “You will do no such thing, Shadi! Kareem and I will take
her to a doctor!”
    Kareem’s reply disappointed
me. “Sultana, this is not our business,” he said
sternly.
    But the tone of my voice
silenced Kareem’s objections. “It is our business! I do not care
how much money Shadi paid for Veena, Kareem. No woman should be the
property of any man against her will, and he certainly has no right
to rape and abuse her!”
    I looked at Sara before
turning back to face our men. “Never again will I stand by while a
woman is being abused.” I squared my shoulders in determination.
“If Shadi tries to take this woman away, he will have to kill me
first!”
    Sara stepped forward and
seized my hand. “Shadi will have to kill me, also.”
    Dunia cried out. “Oh!
Allah! Help us!”
    Nura pulled me close to
her. “Sultana and Sara are right. We cannot allow a situation that
shames Allah, Himself.”
    Together, Tahani and Haifa
walked over to embrace me.
    Haifa said, “I stand with
my sisters.”
    Tahani’s eyes were wet with
tears as she stared at her son, Taher. “Our sons have committed an
evil act. I, too, will join Sultana’s circle.”
    A fierce-looking Ali stared
at our husbands, as he spoke contemptuously. “You cannot control
your women?”
    Kareem appeared stricken,
but said nothing. Not knowing what to do, Ahmed chose to do
nothing.
    Only Asad spoke up. “Our
wives are right. We must not support such evil. If our sons need
sexual companions, there are many women who will willingly
participate. There is no need for our sons to ever take a woman by
force.”
    The changing situation did
not sweeten Shadi’s temper. He shouted, “You are interfering in my
business! This woman belongs to me, and there is nothing you can do
about it!”
    Dunia, who had recovered by
now, stood up and rushed to Shadi’s side. Standing arm-in-arm with
her son, she looked at my sisters and me.
    “ You are not thinking
clearly, sisters. For their health, our sons must have women.
Otherwise, there will be a build-up of their body fluids, and this
will lead to grave illnesses.”
    Nura wearily shook her head
at such ignorance. “You speak nonsense, Dunia.”
    Dunia persisted. “Remember
that this woman was purchased from her own father. He received more
money than he could ever hope to earn in more than five years! He
was pleased to sell his daughter! Pleased, I tell you! My son did
nothing wrong!”
    I was so disgusted that I
could not even look at Dunia, my own sister.
    Ali began to speak, “Dunia
is right. Without available women to have sex, our unmarried sons
will sicken.”
    Asad raised his voice, “Are
we men animals, then, Ali?”
    Ali then foolishly tried to
put the blame on Allah! “Asad,” he said, “Great Allah, Himself,
made us the way we are.”
    At this Ahmed finally burst
out, “Oh, shut-up, Ali. You speak as though all men are weak and
helpless fools.”
    Ali’s face grew bright red
but the force of Ahmed’s words silenced him.
    I exchanged a quick look of
satisfaction with Sara and began to walk toward the exit of the
tent.
    A battle of wills had
begun, and I knew that if I did not prevail, that the life of yet
another woman would be destroyed.
    I challenged Shadi one last
time.
    “ I am going to Veena,
Shadi. If you want her badly enough to kill me, then she is
yours.”
    “ And, me, too.” Sara
declared without a moment of hesitation.
    “ And, me.” Tahani said in a
low voice.
    “ I am coming,