Nihan first explained what she thought were some of the misconceptions about Saudi Arabia-- addressing specifically what she thought was great about her country: the holy city, the lack of discrimination, the sense of time that comes from praying 5 times a day, and the pride in individual people. "I am so proud to be a Saudi Muslim," she states. She did explain some struggles she had at various dinner parties or other social events. "Their attitude toward me changed as soon as they found out I was Muslim," she explained. I felt this really demonstrated the first tenant of racism that- Racism is ordinary.
Manih came next as she explained she came to the United States to get her masters in ESL. She presents the misconceptions that she thinks Americans have about Saudi women's rights. She says that in Islam women were regarded as equals. For example, they had the right to an education as the government sends thousands of women abroad to be educated each year. Women also have the right to reject the spouse that is chosen for them and the right to divorce him. Men are the ones in responsible for obtaining the dowry before the marriage. The women can seek elsewhere to help him obtain the needed money, but it is still the man's responsibility. "I am treated like a queen," she explains.
Aham, who is getting her Master's degree in Communications in the fall explains some of her biggest tribulations since coming to America. She has a strong relationship with her family, but as she must work and go to school, she doesn't have many people to help her. Her son must be in day care for 7 hours a day and she is worried about him being unable to learn Arabic and the Islamic religion. The struggle she described made me think of some of the poems in Summer of the Black Widows, specifically the first and the last poems. When Alexie explains how he is going to "weave a story." When we take the time to listen and learn from cultures, we are much more empathetic with what individuals from these cultures have to say and are much more willing and apt to push for social change.
Rwang tells the audience about some of the culture differences she sees between the United States and Saudi Arabia. "Our entire culture is based upon our religion," she states. She states that practicing religion is much different here because there are not a lot of mosques and it is easy to forget to pray on time. Another difference is that studying here means "mixed" classes-- both men and women in the same class. At first this was difficult for her but she is learning to adjust. Still, she can't argue or talk to boys the same way that American girls can in a classroom setting. Rwang was the only of the 5 women who did not wear a ji'hab on her head. She was worried about the discrimination she might face, but due to the accepting nature of the people she has come into contact with in the United States, she is reconsidering her decision.
The last women on the panel to speak, Ana, came to the United States to study English as a 2nd language. She further discussed the ji'habs that Muslim women wore, explaining that they were a traditional symbol deeply rooted in their culture and religion. Back in Saudi Arabia all of the women would be wearing a full face covering, but they fear discrimination and not being accepted so resort to only wearing a head covering.
I was especially intrigued to hear about all the drastic changes that are occurring for women in Saudi Arabia. All five of the women agreed that the Middle East was progressing in the amount of rights they allotted to women and believed it was a good thing. Right now, there is one mixed gender university. All but one of the women are learning to drive cars in America. They hope that in upcoming years they will be able to drive at home in Saudi Arabia as well.
After each women had the chance to speak, there was a chance for audience members to ask questions. During this time, people seemed very curious about women's rights, especially having to cover their hair and not being allowed to have contact with men. At one point a Muslim member in the audience stood up and reprimanded the girls for not adhering to their faith properly. You could really feel the awkward tension in the room as the girls tried to answer his questions and ignore his condescending remarks. After making him leave, the host of the even explained that this man came from an Egyptian Muslim background. While his faith was not different in foundation. It was much different in practice.
I really enjoyed hearing from all the women and especially meeting a few of them after the discussion. There really is no comparison between reading about a culture and having the opportunity to experience it. I gained a lot of experience in thinking about how difficult it really must be to be living here and practicing your religion when there are so many barriers against you. It reminded me of the Rwang had explained the difficulty she has just fasting during Ramadan when everyone else around her is eating. It made me stop to think about how difficult it really would be to live in a culture where you are the minority, trying to practice something so drastically different from the rest of the population. Still, I was very glad to hear that all the women have, for the most part, felt welcomed and not judged.
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