I was extremely happy to arrive back to Saudi from our Turkey trip. Why? Because it is a historical moment for Saudi women. King Abdullah has announced in his speech that women will be allowed to vote and participate in the Shoura council.


I was so happy that upon hearing this I just wanted to go give him a big bear hug!

Ok maybe that wouldn't be the greatest idea. But you get the idea of how excited I am. This is big news. Saudi women are soon going to participate in decision making in Saudi Arabia. This also gives hope for the future for more decrees like this from the King. (ahem women driving..) Not only the Saudi women but the whole country will benefit from this change.

I guess it's no secret I'm a big fan of the King. He is doing a great job considering the circumstances he has to work under. He has to deal with the heavy pressure from the religious clerics breathing on his back, the mixed public opinions he hears all around, his brothers and other family members on the other side whispering their opinions and demands, his advisors with their own agendas and also his conscious to be the just ruler that is ultimately responsible only to Allah.

It looks like most of the time his ultimate choice has been listening to the heart. That is what makes him so loved by the Saudi people.


The King, estimated to be a staggering 92 years old said in his speech:
 "Because we refuse to marginalize women in society in all roles that comply with Shariah, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior ulema and others to involve women in the Shoura Council as members, starting from the next term"

Well it sure took a long time for them to realize they'd been marginalizing women but better late than never I guess.
Personally I think this is great news and indicates that the country is ready to move forward to this millennium. Some others have been more skeptical. People are saying this is not really going to mean anything concrete will happen for improvement of womens rights. Women are not actually going to have any power in the Shoura, but will only be like puppets and all this was done solely for statistics and looks. The Shoura council and municipal election themselves are said to have little or no actual influence on how the country is ruled.


The King also said in his speech:
"Muslim women in our Islamic history have demonstrated positions that expressed correct opinions and advice" 


King Abdullah then gave examples from the times of Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century. During the era of the Prophet some women acted as lawyers and people would go to them with complex legal issues, there were female scholars and in general women participated in the society as equals.


It's ironic that the rights given to women by the Prophet over a millenia ago were later taken away by so called religious men and then it took this long for Saudi-Arabia, the birthplace and "model-country" of Islam, to restore some of those rights from times some people refer to as "the Dark Ages". Yet it seems like modern day Arabia is living in a new era of the Dark Age because of how they marginalize women in their societies.


That leads me to think how come major rulings like this can be made, but the problem of women driving still exists? How will the women chosen for Shoura show up for the meetings? Isn't it humiliating if she cannot have the most SIMPLE right of driving, but on the other hand she is able to participate in such an important council?

Is women driving really more momentous than women voting?

What do you think readers? Are the Kings rulings just a way of getting the focus OFF women driving or a prerequisite TO women driving?


As the eternal optimist, I say it's the latter.

More about King Abdullah's mission to improve women's status in the Kingdom: http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/2010/08/king-abdullah-emissary-of-saudi-women.html

Read more on the news:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/world/middleeast/women-to-vote-in-saudi-arabia-king-says.html?pagewanted=2&_r=3
 http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09/25/saudi-king-lets-women-vote-in-local-elections-for-first-time/?test=latestnews#ixzz1Z1qLVXeH
From other blogs:Sabrias bloghttp://saudiwriter.blogspot.com/2011/09/saudi-women-demonstrate-they-are.html
Crossorads Arabia:
http://xrdarabia.org/2011/09/25/saudi-women-gain-political-rights/

"How do you get a Saudi woman to do housework?"
"Suggest hiring a Moroccan house maid."

Saudi families cannot seem to function without their maids. Usually maids were hired from Philippines and Indonesia to live with the Saudi employers. The government has now halted Philippinas, Sri Lankans and Indonesians from coming due to disputes over their salaries and working conditions.

Recently making headlines are the Moroccan maids that have been among the nationalities suggested to replace the lost workforce from the Asian market. It appears that when it comes to housemaids, nationality does matter. Saudi women have united themselves for the cause of banning Moroccan maids. Many Saudi women went so far as the Shoura council with their complaints and concerns over the issue.
.http://www.emirates247.com/news/saudi-official-dismisses-fears-of-moroccan-maids-2011-09-15-1.418725

So why are Saudi women so adamant on banning Moroccan women from working in their homes uncovered, mixing with their menfolk?


The answer according to Saudi women is "they are too beautiful" and apparently, also practice black magic and sorcery.
Therefore they are potential threats, after all they might cast a spell on their husbands, either with their looks or with their magician skills.

Moroccan women possess many other qualities that are behind Saudi wives concerns. The image Saudis tend to have of Moroccan women is:

• they are voluptuous and fair-skinned
• masters of belly-dancing 
• are flirty and "easy"
• they are good in bed
• great cooking skills

The dilemma of the Magical Moroccan maids can easily be solved.






Discussion on Tara's blog about the issue here
My previous post on housemaids in Saudi:http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/2011/07/housemaids-villains-or-victims.html

That is a woman, not a ninja. Do not make any attempts to kiss her. If you happen to see her you are supposed to look away and not say a word, that is seen as being polite. Don't worry if you accidentally mumble something. The black figure will not attack you.

You will be escorted into a room with no couches or tables but mattresses, carpets and pillows on the floor. Don't panic. This is not their bedroom. It's their living room called Majilis. Remove your shoes and sit on the floor with your legs crossed. You can keep your white tennis socks on. Don't attempt to lie down or spread your legs.

Next the Saudi coffee drinking will begin. You will hear them say "kawa". This doesn't have anything to do with the "kava-ceremonies" you saw in Fiji.
The coffee pot and cups will be brought into the room. They will likely look something like this:
Next the youngest of the Saudi's sons will pour the coffee. He will hold the coffee pot in his left hand while pouring the coffee from a high distance to the small cup like you saw many times in the night club. Please do not cheer him on though. The coffee cup will not be filled to the top but always 1/3 full. The Saudis are not being cheap, they just like to keep filling your cup to show hospitality.

Don't worry if the color of the coffee is very yellow. The hosts are not serving you camel pee. The color of the Arabic coffee beans is golden and they might have added some saffron to it. Accept the coffee cup with your right hand. Don't blow on the coffee like you are used to, it is seen as bad manners.

Next you will be offered something that looks like these:

I was interviewed along with three other female bloggers for the newspaper Arab News "the Middle Easts Leading English Language Daily". I was honored to be chosen alongside the blogging veteran American Bedu, the inspiring Susie of Arabia and the lovely American Girl from Undertheabaya.
Here's the link to the article "Blogging about the Saudi experience".

I wanted to comment a little bit on what was actually published. There were many things left unsaid, like how my family is very supportive of my blogging and many friends know about it. I choose to remain anonymous because I don't think giving out my real name would make much of a difference, I'm still going to write about the same things.

My blog is not a Saudi "promotion" blog either, I write about the good and the bad. People often say I am biased. But I'm not, I just happen to be a positive person, and some negative people in Saudi-Arabia and elsewhere can't stand that.

I felt some things were taken out of context. Like the mention of my husband's family finding out about my blogging would be "very bad". This is not meant to imply that his family is somehow bad or would do bad things.
I respect their privacy and think "what you don't know won't hurt you" is best policy in this case. I can't imagine them getting upset about my blogging per se, but I know they would not agree with many things I say.

My husband jokes about my blogging hobby and we have had some pretty fun times when out and about and I'm taking pictures. He jokes that he is my "accomplice" or that if I get arrested he won't come bail me out. We've had a few runs into the muttawa and once a security officer threatened to hand me over to the nearby Hai'a. That is another story altogether.

What did you think about the interview? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Here's the picture that was featured on the paper version:
"Laylah's father having a chat with a camel at the Thumamah camel market."

Scene from a lingerie store in Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia.
Woman enters shop fully covered in her black abaya.
An Arab male salesclerk approaches with a smile while closely eyeing her body up and down. "Hello ma'm can I help? You need push-up bra?"
-No thank you.
"We have new sexy panties you want to try ma'm?" 
-No thank you, please leave me alone.
Salesman follows her around store within close proximity of about 2 meters. Woman picks up a bra in her size. Salesman takes a long evaluating look at her breasts.
"We don't have your cup size ma'm. That is not your size."
-I think I know my size, thank you.
Woman tries to act as disinterested as possible to make him disappear.
The salesman doesn't take the hint and continues to follow her eagerly bringing a lacy push-up bra in bright purple color for her to see.
"This push-up bra is very excellent quality and we have your size ma'm". 
-No, no, no! And I don't like the color.
"What color you like?"
Woman ignores him and proceeds to cashier. There are no fitting rooms because they are banned, so she must buy the lingerie without trying them on.
"No return or exchange ma'm. Are you sure it's your size, we also have the panties in size XL."
Does my arse look that big in this abaya, the woman thinks to herself while also feeling utterly humiliated.
-This will be fine.
The woman leaves the store blushing and makes a note to self never to purchase underwear in Saudi-Arabia again. Unless it's in the ladies only section of Kingdom shopping mall.


When will this madness and humiliation end?

Soon, if we are to believe that the Kings ruling in June earlier this year to start employing women in Saudi-Arabia's lingerie stores will actually be implemented. According to this news article there have already been measures taken by some large lingerie chains for the switch-over to female staff. A store in the more relaxed city of Jeddah is rumored to have employed women.

Until very recently, women were banned from working in public places like grocery stores because of gender mixing issues. The women that began working at Saudi-Arabia's Panda food chain as cashiers created an uproar of protests from the public and religious authorities. Read about some of the reactions:http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/2010/08/boycott-fatwa-madness-by-supporting.html

Currently if women in the Kingdom wish to purchase the lingerie from saleswomen and have the option of actually trying the clothing on in fitting rooms, they need to go to the female-only sections of shopping malls. It will be interesting to see if the lingerie shops will install fitting rooms along with the change to female only staff. That just might be pushing the limit though.

Closed off from public view, ladies only clothing shops have fitting rooms inside. Will the lingerie shops also be concealed like this to hide the female workers? How will men buy lingerie anymore? Will there be a guard outside to prevent men from entering? Surely there are men out there who wish to buy lingerie as gifts for their wives.

The previous minister of Labour, Dr. Al Qusaibi, issued a law back in 2006 decreeing that only women were to be employed at lingerie shops. It was never implemented because of the strong resistance from religious clerics.

"Women are entrusted to us, we should not involve them in matters far from their nature," mufti Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh said. How far are female body parts from their nature?

A brave Saudi woman Reem Asaad has campaigned for a change to the awkward situation for many years. She reaches out for women to boycott the stores that are non-compliant to the law. She says: "The way that underwear is being sold in Saudi Arabia is simply not acceptable to any population living anywhere in the modern world" . Let alone in the worlds most conservative and private country Saudi-Arabia.


The current Labor Minister Adel Fakieh has given the lingerie stores a deadline of hiring all-female staff by the end of 2011. The law for women working at lingerie stores, make-up stores or other shops selling womens items has a long list of conditions including:

• hired women must be Saudi
• security must be provided
• stores can be family section or women only
• appropriate dress in either traditional abaya or uniforms that conform to hijab
• employer must provide health coverage for female employee and all dependents
• toilets must be provided
• sectioning of female only areas for department stores

Men selling lingerie in Saudi-Arabia has always raised eyebrows and caused unease in both the women buying and the men selling them. Despite the King's ruling, the revised law and social pressure for change, not a single female employee has been seen in Saudi-Arabia's stores, yet.

Time will tell if this time around the Saudi society is ready to have females employed in lingerie stores.

The law issued in July 2011 for females to work at women's item shops: http://www.riyadhchamber.com/tamim/tjobweman.pdf
Read more on women working in Saudi grocery stores here: http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/2010/08/boycott-fatwa-madness-by-supporting.html
More on King Abdullah and his mission to improve the status of Saudi women:
http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/2010/08/king-abdullah-emissary-of-saudi-women.html

Picture an 86-year old bedridden man. He has recently married a 16-year old girl, his third wife. He feels the need for a little "boost" to his manhood to fully enjoy the marital life and satisfy his new bride. Viagra no longer works for him. What can he do? 


The man is fortunate to be a Saudi. He can easily get help with a penile prosthesis, inserted free of charge at the government hospital. If one hospital rejects his request, he will just keep looking until he finds a physician willing to operate on him. Lucky for him it does not matter that he is nearing 90, cannot walk and that his new wife could be considered a child by some. Saudi medical ethics are exceptional in his case. The man is entitled to have some fun after all. At least one limb should be working!

At the hospital the surgeons will pat the mans back and congratulate him on the new wife. Of course the old man needs to be able to perform! Surgery will be planned and an implant inserted to enable a constant "state of readiness" for him. After the operation the room fills with curious male relatives congratulating the man on his new upgrade popping up from under the blanket. He will leave the hospital with a new cane but this one is not meant to assist in walking.

The sensitive issue of erectile dysfunctions are relatively common in Saudi-Arabia. Contributing factors are often social like multiple wives, arranged marriages, consanguinity and lack of sexual education before marriage.

Many of the cases are young newly married men presenting with "honeymoon impotence". Sometimes those men were not able to consummate their marriages simply because the social pressure was too heavy on them. The problem can be so severe it leads to divorce. Unconsummated marriage is not seen as a valid marriage and impotence is a just cause for the woman to file for divorce.

Then there are the 70+ men that seek for a cure for erectile dysfunction. They too feel the social pressure of being a virile and active husband.
Elderly patients with this problem are not a Saudi specific occurrence of course. What makes it different in the Kingdom is the fact that many of the old patients will end up having surgery despite the risks.

Elsewhere and in the western world performing such invasive surgery would be seen as unethical and down right dangerous due to old age and higher complication risks. Penile prosthesis surgery is usually performed on young men with certain medical conditions and older men will be treated with medicine such as sildenafil (Viagra). But in Saudi the lack of medical ethics as we know them and the "gentleman's club" attitude enable these old babas to have their way.

The culture in Saudi-Arabia does not frown upon very old men wanting to enjoy marital life. It's seen as their right. Same does not apply for older women though, after the women reaches menopause she is not seen as a sexual being anymore.
The elderly man of the above story was an extreme case but nevertheless such cases do sometimes occur. And they are viewed as perfectly normal. A new young wife is seen as an acceptable indication for surgery!

Elderly men, regardless of their underlying medical conditions or even their mobility in the most extreme cases, will be granted the implant if they so wish. These old Saudi men will happily continue their marital relations and keep their social status with their eternal erections. Only in Saudi-Arabia!

Some interesting research from the Middle-East region on the matter:

A urologist I used to work with concluded in his study conducted in Saudi-Arabia that patients with penile prosthesis had a 92% satisfaction rate.

The link between low sexual desire and consanguinity: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15672966

Study from Iran about the pressures of the wedding night: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19090943

Researchers found that in "240 cases, unconsummated marriage was due to being under social pressure to have a quick intercourse while relatives waited behind the door to confirm and celebrate coitus by checking a handkerchief that was placed beneath the bride to become bloody by hymen perforation."

Research from Turkey concluded that 67% of honeymoon impotence cases were of psychogenic origin.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11306399

Alarmingly high rate of honeymoon impotence among Saudis due to severe performance anxiety: http://www.partal.com/mares/sexologies/angles/arxius/47/sommaire2.html

American Bedu discusses the popularity of use of Viagra among Saudi men:
http://americanbedu.com/2011/09/10/saudi-arabia-popularity-and-use-of-viagra/

"My Kingdom will survive only insofar as it remains a country difficult to access, where the foreigner will have no other aim, with his task fulfilled, but to get out." - King Abdul Aziz bin Saud, c. 1930


Not exactly the most welcoming words coming from the ruler of a country that is said to be home to one of the most hospitable people in the world. Perhaps the Saudi officials have taken the late King's words too literally when it comes to accommodating for international visitors to Saudi-Arabia.

Currently most of the tourism to Saudi-Arabia is religious and business related. International tourists are kept away from Saudi by imposing numerous limitations on travelers. Saudi-Arabia has great potential for the international tourism market however the industry still remains predominantly under-developed.

Why does Saudi-Arabia need international tourists?
There would be many benefits of having more international travelers visiting the Kingdom:

• Creating new jobs for Saudis all over the country
• Helping Saudis reconnect with their roots and increase national pride
• Giving the Kingdom a more open and accommodating image worldwide. 
• Increasing environmental awareness and nature conservation
• Spreading cultural awareness among Saudis 
• Boosting economy 
• Improving service quality and infrastructure
• Helping to establish a more efficient public transportation system

Discrimination, Restrictions, Surveillance
So what keeps international travelers from coming to the Kingdom? The biggest obstacle for tourists interested in travelling to the Kingdom is the difficulty to obtain tourist visas. A Saudi sponsor is required to start the visa application process. In other words lots of paperwork and time which people are not always willing to invest in when planning recreational travel.

Currently there are only five companies licensed to sponsor tourism visas. They are issued to certain nationalities only and tourists must arrive in groups of minimum four persons. Women must be over 30 or be accompanied by a male relative. Upon arrival the tourists have to be picked up by the tour company representative and they must make sure all the tourists leave the country too. While in the country the tourists are supposed to stay on guided tours and the tour company is responsible for their supervision. Any "lost" tourists must be reported immediately to police.

Here is a full list of restrictions that apply to foreign travelers: http://www.jawlahtours.com/travel-visa.aspx

The Surprising Sand-pit
Another obstacle the tourism industry faces is Saudi-Arabia's bleak image of being a mere sand-pit. Travelers are simply not aware of the rich cultural heritage the Kingdom could offer. Saudi-Arabia boasts incredibly diverse scenery, colorful culture and pristine nature.
There are places of interest that match many international destinations but the ones in Saudi are not ruined by mass tourism. Some sites can still be explored without disturbance from a single other tourist group.

Female Travelers
Many women feel intimidated by the rules and restrictions that apply to them in the Kingdom. They might feel they are not welcome and expect the experience of being a woman in Saudi-Arabia will be mostly negative. Female travelers are usually anxious about what to wear and stress about having to keep the abaya on at all times. The western media paints a very negative image of the treatment of women in the Kingdom which can be off-putting for both the female and male traveler.

In the Future
The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, SCTA (founded in 2000) aims to establish a thriving tourism industry within a time frame of 20 years. SCTA states that its mission is to promote the Kingdom as a tourism destination. The mission according to their website: "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the land of Islam, seeks for variable and distinguished tourism development, with social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits in the framework of its Islamic values and genuine traditional hospitality".

The Commission has launched many ongoing projects aiming to improve the tourism industry. Time will tell if they reach their goals, but with the majority of the potential foreign travelers warded off by unattractive images, strict regulations and discouraging rules, perhaps the Commission should concentrate on getting the visitor into the country in the first place.
At the moment most of the sites will remain accessible to foreigners of the expat community only.

SCTA has launched some videos promoting tourism in the Kingdom. I found the clips surprisingly well made and interesting.
Heritage and Culture of Saudi Arabia:

Tourism in Saudi-Arabia:


The Medinah region is perhaps the most versatile and offers plenty of historical sites including Madain Saleh, The Hijaz railway, Al-Ula. and Al Khuraiba. The region has absolutely stunning scenery from the Red Sea Coast of Yanbu and the Al Harrah mountains to the magnificent Wabha crater.

The late King might be surprised that if given the chance to visit the Kingdom, the foreigner would in fact leave with a smile on his face. The amazing experiences he had and the great hospitality shown to him would spread warm stories of the Saudis and Muslims around the world. His Kingdom and its people would be enriched by the experience and would not only survive, but also thrive.

Why are foreigners not shown the genuine traditional hospitality and welcomed with open arms and doors?

EDIT: As of March 2010 Saudi-Arabia has stopped issuing tourist visas until further notice. Expected to open again in 2012.