http://www.arabnews.com/?page=13§ion=0&article=83173&d=3&m=11&y=2006&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Local%20Press
Thursday, 2, November, 2006 (11, Shawwal, 1427)
A Liberal Saudi Living Aboard
Ala Al-Hathlool . Okaz
You always see him hesitant to talk to girls, his steps
indicate his lack of confidence, his looks are distracted and his movements are
shaky. But when he realizes that his presence doesn't create embarrassment, he
regains his self-confidence and initiates conversation with girls. He always
talks about his love for freedom and respect for women. He addresses the social
status of women in their country. He dislikes the unfairness and injustice
women are treated with and this is something that makes him sad. He believes he
is a warrior and a fighter struggling along with other people calling for the
equality of women and vigorously defending their deprived rights.
When one of the girls uses a Qur'anic verse to prove a
certain point of view, he quotes a prophetic saying to support his arguments
and opinions. And when another girl tries to find excuses and justifications
for the social habits and attitudes against women in the Kingdom, he strongly
objects and resents the weakness of citizens who are surrendering to social
pressures. He even asks her to stop finding excuses to justify the cruelty of
our society. Each girl develops a mixture of feelings and whispers to herself
how much she envies the woman who will end up sharing life with this man.
He continues his speech choosing different names and titles
for himself and them. Words they have never heard of and don't understand such
as liberal and secularist. And when the girls try to ask what he means by
liberalism because they are familiar with the word in an economic context, he
becomes puzzled with their ignorance. For him, they represent independence and
open-mindedness; therefore, it's such a shame to lack this kind of knowledge.
At the end of the conversation, he surprises them with his
moral generosity asking them not to share the secret of meeting him and he
promises to keep theirs as well. His request and promise confuse the girls so
they start to wonder which sin they have committed. What have they done? Did
they address a prohibited issue? Did they backbite anyone? Did they talk badly
about someone mistakenly during their conversation with him?
He becomes tongue-tied and unable to respond to their
questions and becomes lost for words. He leaves them analyzing his last
statement while his mind drifts away. They follow his steps and from all the
parked cars he rides into one where a woman is waiting: his wife. A woman
sitting in a luxurious car watching her husband coming while enjoying her time
inside the car instead of being left imprisoned at home. Her dreaming gazes
wish to cross the boundaries of the car and wander freely. Yet the car runs
fast crossing all borders going back to a smaller darker universe.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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