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310Such 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