The Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa AlsaneaStudent’s name
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The Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa AlsaneaThe premise of the novel is, in a nutshell, four young women from Saudi Arabia living their lives while trying to navigate the world outside of their religion and analyzing the things they’ve been taught growing up compared to how the rest of the world lives. From my understanding, the author, Rajaa Alsanea’s intent in writing this novel may have been many things. The first is just what kind of relationship between men and women exists in a country like Saudi Arabia. She also may have written it because she wanted to explore the kind of change in culture that has taken place due to the introduction of technology that has allowed for ease of communication between people of different sexes.
Another reason she might have written The Girls of Riyadh might have been to further show the complexity and unrealistic circumstances Muslim girls are placed in when it comes to marriage and the general character they are supposed to abide by in their traditions and culture. The value it has is in just how precise and vivid it gives us on the difference between reality and unrealistic expectations within the context of the culture through the frame of four girls with vastly different lives but still trying their best to find love within the confines of their culture. I think this book gained popularity because it simply showed a common issue that’s never discussed in most Islamic cultures that include women’s rights and say when it comes to relationships and marriage. Also, the book’s ability to tackle such a controversial issue and thus try and find a way to show a culture through a woman’s viewpoint was quite an unexpected change in circumstances from most literature’s perspective. In this review, I will be touching on many aspects of the text.
The first topic I will be commenting on is tradition. First, the traditions of modesty and veiling and the separation of sexes. As for the tradition of dating and marriage according to both Islamic norms and modern norms of current day society. The second topic I will be analyzing is societal and generational norms and their effect on current Islamic society as a whole.
Additionally, I will briefly touch on religious observance especially as is dedicated in the book and also is as observed by current day society. Furthermore, I would like to discuss the general education and professions of women especially in the Islamic world, and their roles and viewpoint when it comes to marriage and relationships. The fifth thing I will be talking about is his family relationships and the strength of patriarchal family norms. To wrap things up, I will give my thoughts on the novel, its value as a piece of literature, whether it illuminates the issues of women and gender in the middle east, hence how.
Topic 1
Unknown to some but greatly recognized by many nations, Islam is a culture of not only peace but also harsh and sometimes unforgiving rules on how an individual is to conduct themselves. Traditions dictate not only the behavior but also the character an individual is supposed and expected to have (Al-Ghadeer, 296). No rule is much harsher and greatly recognized than the rule in which a man and woman should conduct themselves especially to unmarried couples and individuals soon to be married. Tradition above all else had a firm grip and say when it comes to any matter of conduct and marriage.
Dating in particular in the Islamic community is frowned upon since tradition ultimately dictates the kind of woman to be present to her husband as arranged by her family members. Standards of Islamic tradition also dictate why the husband is meant to be the first person to unveil his wife and equality important as to why the woman should not have been touched by any other man before her marriage even though modern norms in all actuality seem to have different standards altogether as we can see from Sadeem’ s life experience and the hardships she has to endure in especially when she betrothed unexpectedly leaves her (Al-Ghadeer, 296).
Topic 2
Society as a whole has further developed beyond the norms and cultural context by which most Islamic countries abide. Although each generation is faced with its own set of challenges it seems that common day young people face a particularly troublesome issue that in no way can be easily solved. Technology has created an ease of understanding and exposure that has greatly affected a large sum of people in all sorts of the way, especially in the Islamic world. Taking an example like Michelle in her ever defiant pursuit to be with the one she loves we greatly see just how technology is a good instrument and tool to help a person in a facet of different ways (Al-Ghadeer, 296). Her rebellion in the eyes of a tradition of custom is an unfamiliar thing in the Islamic culture as a whole but it does greatly just how modernization and improvement challenge newer generations to speak up and better fight for what they want in life.
Topic 3
Religion dictates a wide range of issues in the Islamic community from banking practices to mannerisms and behaviors in different areas of a person’s life. But only in the life of a woman’s cultural and gender-defined roles can we see that these rules are greatly laid out to assert control and maybe in more ways than one dictate every facet of her life. Gamrah’s life is a complete portrayal of this since we see the constant struggle and hardships and struggles she undergoes in her marriage (Al-Ghadeer, 296). Despite her best efforts to at least try and ensure her marriage succeeds such as her commitment to going with her husband halfway across the world to Chicago, her gamble ultimately shows us the kind of consequences a Saudi woman might face when her marriage does not go according to plan.
Topic 4
Women in modern-day society have become more aware and uniquely well-educated to have a voice in the various customs and practices of society. Unfortunately, as we can see on the various struggles and challenges the four women go through this current change of a well-educated woman is in no way a means or a message on the sudden change of culture or people’s behavior and view of women (Al-Ghadeer, 296). Lamees is a good portrayal of the struggles that a Saudi woman might face in her life especially if they opt to put their career first before anything else. Eventually, time catches up with her as she ultimately wishes to settle down, marry and have a good life but unfortunately due to current modernization and new generational norms this proves more difficult than she initially thought.
Topic 5
Patriarchy is an all too familiar system setting within Islam. In countries such as Saudi Arabia as we can see in the book, men are usually the final determinants in what goes on in a woman’s life be it her interaction with her fellow peers or whatever aspect of her personal life that directly involves her and marriage. Sadeem is one example of an individual portrayed to be struggling in a patriarchal world (Al-Ghadeer, 296). The constant unrealistic expectations that the men in her life have placed on her of what a bride should behave presented her with a constant struggle in her life and a quest to ultimately try and find herself.
I find the novel in it of itself to be very insightful and with a view of a different context altogether when it comes to a woman’s standpoint on various issue. Taking four individual women with entirely different backgrounds and life we get to see different stories altogether on the concept of relationship and love. The stories range from the completely well-mannered and traditional of Muslims to the well most well educated and naïve individuals when it comes to love. It seems in its entirety that marriage and love are not as simple as its always portrayed in life. Rather when traditional norms and love are forced to come to an amicable understanding it’s often more times than ever that traditions and culture that decide everything. Patriarchal side it seems that culture on its own is a formidable and unavoidable circumstance for most Muslims when. This sort of culture ranges from religious ceremonies, family gatherings, education, and even burial rights, etc. (Al-Ghadeer, 296). It seems that in the context of this book that men are highly regarded not as the primary security of any family but rather the constant enforcers of biased rules and norms that in more ways than one are always constantly oppressing women with no regard to how they, in particular, feel or are troubled by the entire experience.
Bibliography
Burge, Amy, and Sandra Folie. “Girls of Riyadh and Desperate in Dubai: Reading and writing romance in the Middle East.” In Routledge Companion to Romantic Love. Routledge, 2020.
Al-Ghadeer, Monera. “Girls of Riyadh: A New Technology Writing or Chick Lit Defiance Banāt al-Riyāḍ [Girls of Riyadh].” (2006): 296-302.
