“Daughters of Arabia”

“Daughter of Arabia” is a biography based on the life of a suffering Arab woman growing up under stress with the oppressed role of Islamic women. This book is about a princess from the royal family of Saudi Arabia, When you read the word princess or hear of a princess especially in Saudi Arabia a country rich with its oil which made its people rich too, you imagine a beautiful castle, with a beautiful life of royalty, wealth, pamper, and beauty. You imagine a woman with everything you can think of but you’d never imagine she’s a woman with everything except freedom. Freedom the most important thing in anyone’s life weather it was a rich princess or a pauper… “Princess Sultana has described her family life to American writer Jean Sasson and if it didn’t come from within palace walls, no one would believe it. Unforgettable in content, fascinating in detail, it’s a book worth taking time to read. “Daughters of Arabia” a true story of a Saudi Arabian princess a book that will move you to tears.

“Princess” is a book written before “Daughters of Arabia” by the same author –Jean Sasson- about Princess Sultana’s childhood, education, parents and her lifestyle. She revealed everything that goes on behind the palace walls and tells horrific stories of women’s lives behind the veil within the royal family. In “Daughters of Arabia” the princess turns the spotlight on her two teenage daughters, Maha and Amany. They are rich girls that never had to suffer to get anything they wanted or desired but stifled by the unbearably restrictive lifestyle imposed on them, they have reacted and rebelled just like their mother did.

When I read “Daughters of Arabia” I was truly and sadly shocked that women in this world and today in the 21st century still live like 40-50 years ago; no rights, no freedom, practically living and breathing because they have to! Anyone with the slightest interest in human rights will find this book heart-aching and unbelievable. Princess Sultana tells us stories about her life in the palace, and describes how she as a girl has no rights to act, speak, or take her own decisions about her own life. She lived a life dominant by males, weather it was her father, brother or husband.

As a female in Saudi Arabia especially from a royal family princess Sultana was prohibited to do so many things. She was home schooled as she is not allowed to leave the house without her brother, or parents. When she hits he age of puberty the Princess had to wear a veil and get married; it was not a choice. She’s not allowed to fall in love or choose the man she wants to share her life with. Her parents-her father to be specific-decide her spouse and she is not to see him until her wedding night. Her husband is her superior and she is to do everything he says and wants. If she disobeys him she is to be sent to the Woman’s Room-a room in a man’s house where women are sent to for punishment for a period of time.- She was beaten by her husband and cheated on and was not to complain because her father and brother said it was a scandal to get a divorce.

Princess Sultana tells about her grief when she finds out that her husband, father and brother get prostitutes from abroad to the palace to satisfy their sexual desires. She tells horrifying stories about how girls in Saudi Arabia undergo dangerous and painful surgeries that cuts part of their cervix so that they wouldn’t derive sexual pleasure and have sexual desires.

When Princess Sultana becomes a mother of two girls and a boy she tries to teach her son to respect women and give them chances in life. She tries her best to give her daughters a life better than what she had. But they too as Saudi Arabian girls from a royal family are dominated by males and are forced to a live a certain lifestyle which causes them to rebel against men. Due to this strict life her daughters go through many phases that are not considered normal in any society. Her daughter Maha expresses her sexual feelings by turning into a homosexual and rebels against men especially her father and brother who she sets on fire. Amany on the other hand rebels against men by becoming religious believing it was wrong to associate with men and blocks everyone from her life avoiding to talk to anyone, wanting to be alone. She even rebels against her mother saying that her mom was wrong to rebel against the freedom of women and that a woman was born to serve men to make god pleased.
“Daughters of Arabia” is a very touching book it was well written and amazingly detailed, not to forget that the content is fascinating as well as heart-aching. Reading this book opened my eyes to how lucky I am and how much freedom I’ve got. Although I live in a society that still doesn’t open to certain female issues but I learnt how lucky I am after reading the book. The minimum right I’ve got is to speak about my opinion out loud and everyone listens to it and takes it into consideration. In Saudi Arabia the Princess didn’t even have that. She had the beauty, the wealth, the castle but it all doesn’t matter if you at least don’t have the freedom of speech, I think she would give all that up for the freedom she wants. I think the book is a great book for every female to read, to know how lucky she is and appreciate it. It is a great book to teach females all over the world to fight for their freedom and never let anyone limit it for them. The book I guess was written not to offend the Saudi Arabian culture or to deliver a bad idea about the men of Saudi Arabia to the readers. I guess Princess Sultana took the risk of telling her story and have it written to the world so that she can deliver the message to all the females in the world that money and royalty isn’t everything it means nothing if you don’t have your freedom. She wrote this book to tell them that a woman is capable to do anything she wants, and she wasn’t born to serve and please men only. It’s time to end male dominance over women.

The story that affected me most and got me to tears was when Sultana tells about her cousin Nadia. Nadia falls in love and starts seeing a man. After sometime her father finds out and gives orders to drown his daughter to death in order to save the family’s honor. In my opinion, it’s the most horrifying story of all. I couldn’t believe that a father would have the heart to kill his own flesh and blood.

I think this book is Sultana’s greatest achievement. Her whole life she rebelled against men and how women should have the right to achieve something in life and she did. She was brave and courageous enough to tell her story and place it in public; sending a message to all the women in the world to continue what she had started fight for their freedom.