Essay Example on No freedom no rights no personal Opinion

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No freedom no rights no personal opinion I'm not describing a situation in the 18th century but in present day Saudi Arabia What would you say if your identity was stolen If you felt helpless to the extent where you could not do anything on your own That is the case for women in Saudi Arabia due to them being so dependent on male relatives Whether it is getting married or even entering and leaving the country Everything would have to be approved by the male guardian or in some cases they even have to accompany them Can you walk around freely drive a car and work This was not the case for women in Saudi Arabia not too long ago Over many years women's rights in Saudi Arabia have drastically changed Not necessarily for better due to the King at that time who played a huge role when it came to rules and regulations He would therefore be responsible for the way everything would be perceived in the country I ve been living in Saudi Arabia for 16 years growing up with a Lebanese father and an Austrian mother This therefore led me to having two completely opposing cultural backgrounds and to a certain extent different living norms and standards

Well I'm here to take you on my life journey of living in Jeddah Saudi Arabia The first few years were very blurry but one thing that is clearly engraved in my brain would be the time I went to nursery I attended a Saudi nursery which as some may think consisted almost only of Saudi Children Which led me to feeling misplaced I felt that way for many reasons one being the looks I clearly looked different I did not have the typical dark hair dark eyes an Arab girl would usually have I was the complete opposite blond with green eyes Which made me feel like the odd one out at just 4 years old which is completely absurd This feeling haunted me throughout the rest of my education It would follow me like a shadow no matter where I went In school I encountered various problems I had to learn to deal with always being labeled as a foreigner It was a burden I had to carry around with me for the years I lived in Saudi Arabia I was so frustrated with the thought that people thought they knew me better then I knew myself Even though part of me was Arab people always considered me as a European which was extremely aggravating at times I must admit I was not that connected to the Arab side of me but nor to the European Due to different people labeling me as something different I felt like I had no identity Starting from that point on the frustration and helplessness turned into pure anger

Such as for instance the time my mother and I went to the mall We were approached by the religious Saudi police mutawa that sometimes are sent by the King to popular places in Jeddah The mutawa check if young boys and girls are spending time together Although in my case not wearing the hijab Try imagining this my mother and I wearing the abaya which you would have to wear due to the regulations of the country Even though it is not formally stated in the Quran people still follow the rules Visiting the mall like it was a normal day walking around We were being shouted at by men where I firstly thought who do they think they are to talk to us this way When suddenly I froze fear swept over me at first I did not come to realize what was going on As I was full of shock I didn't know what to say or what to think I was scared yes I really was I did not really know how to behave in such a situation since all I heard were stories of the religious Saudi police and how horrifying they can actually be My mother shook me back to reality when all I heard her saying was just throw your hijab over your head and walk away I was shocked to think that these men thought or even had so much control over everything that there were no boundaries We were treated like prisoners women were oppressed in this country that is what I was thinking 



This was my first encounter with the religious Saudi police but I was worried confused and frankly extremely frustrated What really is freedom What is being independent Those are two things I couldn t be in Saudi Arabia Do you know how difficult it is for a young girl Let me tell you why Think about how you would feel if you could freely walk through a mall without some men staring at you following you or even whistling at you I consider this so degrading as a female being thought about this way and being categorized as an object This happened to me and a few friends as we walked through the mall after school looking through shops I noticed two men following us and whistling at us from time to time I felt disgusted sick to my stomach on the one hand but also terrified that they would do something I felt vulnerable in my own skin Do you know the feeling of disgust anger and helplessness when you wish you could do something but your hands are tied That's the situation I was in at only 15 years old I was asking myself questions which to my opinion a young girl shouldn't think about As young girl living in Saudi Arabia you are encountered with ups and downs It was a difficult time I must admit and it wasn't always easy but I learnt a lot


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