From Saudi Arabia Corespondent Eman Al Nafjan…
Ok I took a break and I learned something about myself. I’m a polygamist, I’ve married this blog over the father of my children and now I’m attached to it and cannot stay away too long from my spoiled second husband, let alone two months. If I try, I just miss it more. I knew it all along but I had to give it a try.
Now that’s out of the way, I have to tell you what I was up to last night. My very dear friend Tine has finished her time here in Saudi and is leaving soon. Unfortunately, being cooped up in expat compounds; she has never had a chance to see muttawas in action. These lions of Saudi morality are a staple mark of life here so I couldn’t let her leave without the experience. That’s why we went on a muttawa safari. We headed to their natural habitat, shopping malls. And we weren’t disappointed. At Riyadh Gallery, a mall that opened about a couple of years ago, they had the World Cup match on this humongous TV screen that you can watch a mile away. I’m not exaggerating; people on all three floors were watching the same screen. There were about three hundred people there.. Halfway through the match the muttawa came in and ordered the TV off. There were two muttawas and one police officer escorting them. They strolled around this crowd searching for men without women. Because it is illegal for single men to go to a shopping mall. They have to be accompanying a wife, mother or sister. Every once in a while they would stop young Saudi men and ask them where their women were. One guy they didn’t believe had to drag a little girl over to the muttawas so she could verify that he was related to the group of women he pointed at.
Before the muttawas came in it was noisy and men and women stood next to each other looking up at the screen. At every highlighted moment in the match there was either a collective roar or groan. The atmosphere was electric. Then the muttawas came and everyone knew that these three men had come in long before seeing them stroll by. Even Tine remarked on how these muttawas must be feeling this power they had over the people. No one objected to having the match turned off. Women went scurrying off to find seats in segregated areas. Teenagers headed the opposite direction that the muttawas were coming from for fear that they would be stopped because of their hairstyles and low worn jeans. Everyone was silently glancing around, looking for the muttawas and guessing who their victims might be.
We decided to follow them, albeit from afar to see who would they take. They focused their energy on young Saudi men. They even went into the bathrooms looking for hiding offenders. Before we lost them, we had witnessed them apprehend two men. They made the two offenders come along as they continued with their morality raid.
Both Tine and I were angered by how passive people were. It’s as if they really believed that they were guilty of something. Hundreds of people shaking in fear of a couple of bearded men. No wonder that things remain the way they are. People believe they deserve to be treated this way. It took the muttawas about twenty minutes to finish their raid and just like when they came in, you knew that they left. The match was turned back on and everyone relaxed and became noisy again.
Before they left, I took Tine outside to show her how arrogant muttawas are even in the way they park. And sure enough, their jeep was parked on the pavement right next to the automatic doors. You would think they were an ambulance.
Loading ...
Whenever I read things like this about Saudi Arabia, I always find it so difficult to fathom living in such conditions. I wonder if it ever becomes “normal”, if one ever gives in, but a part f me thnks thats impossibe as they muttawa’s go against the grain of what it measn to be a human being. Such a shame that so many good poeple have to live under the boot of such radicalism.
This is why I feel like I can be more of who I am, more of a Muslim, living in the United States. Saudi Arabia does nothing but make my religion look bad, even though all this nonsense, much to the surprise of those in teh West has NOTHING to do with Islam. Backwards toothless hillbillies is what Americans would call the here. In the Middle East we call the backwards toothless bedouins. Same shit, different pile. I am happier living here, even though there is prejudce sometimes, there are those who give me a second look, that feel awkward. But at least here I am my own man, my own person, free to make my own decisions. We are treated like trash by our leaders, but that does not happen here.
What are the chances of teh people standing up to say enough is enough? Revolutions do happen…
AS a Muslim man I always look at Saudi Arabia as an embarrassment to the rest of the Muslim World. When the west wants to justify prejudice notions of Islam, the turn to Saudi Arabia and it is difficult to defend them. The human rights violations, most especially in the case of women are deplorable. Shame of them all.
Muslim always like to say that Saudi isn’t Islam, but it is the centre of their religion. Mecca is there and Saudi Arabia is where they all go to every year for Haj. If it wasn’t right it wouldn’t be tolerated.
I admire Eman, you’re sense of humor and your willingness to shoot straight and pull no punches is wonderful. Keep up the good work!
Unbelievable, that’s exactly what I was scanning for! You just saved me alot of work:-)