A Saudi Homestay Visit

Rooli and her husband welcome us to their home.

Rooli is a very animated and passionate speaker.

Some of their living space.

Their TV was on and pictures of Mecca were being broadcast...

The Kaaba is a stone building, which is empty but represents the body of the Prophet, at the center of Islam's most important mosque and the holiest site, 

the Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca.

 I thought this photo was interesting in that as Rooli was speaking her husband stood outside the door, that is big role reversal from the past.

Sunday, January 25th (continued)

Finally we boarded the coach for our last stop: a homestay dinner at Roola’s house. We were welcomed by her husband with Saudi coffee and dates. We were served a buffet style dinner of chicken and rice, with salads, stuffed peppers and other dishes. We ate outside in their inner courtyard. Rula is a very energetic and fast talker who spoke to us at length about her family history, her life, including going to university and getting two degrees, in Utah, and the changes that have been brought into being by the crown prince. I wish she had given out handouts as there was so much interesting information, but here are a few things I remember. She explained how women were treated in the past where their marriages were arranged from a young age to often much older men and they then belonged to the man and were expected to have children, raise them and remain in the home. She explained how her mother and that generation were not required to wear burqas but that changed when the religious leaders became all important and implemented newer stricter rules and enforced by the religious police who could beat or imprison offenders. The Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (knicknamed MBS) has removed those rules and dismantled the religious police and now women are no longer required to wear the burqas but many still chose to; women can now drive; women now have a say in who they marry and can refuse; many women don’t get married or, like the west are marrying later and having fewer children; women are encouraged to join the work force and most do to add to family income; women are becoming more equal and women now hold positions of responsibility in the work force. She is delighted by the changes the country is going through and although there are still some rules that westerners would find harsh, she explained that the people love their Prince and follow the laws and guidelines he makes without the need for elections because they are well paid, and food and accommodation is affordable.  She talked about education still being most segregated by sex, except for a few university degrees such as medicine, and that she thought that was a good thing. She told us there were now different beaches for people of different standards, traditional, more liberal and those wishing to wear western style bathing suits. She also talked about how the kids are learning English and in some areas Chinese and many of them are not learning to read Arabic. Apparently the oral Arabic that the families speak is very different from the written form. As a result the younger generation is moving away from the formal Arabic and they prefer to learn to speak English, which they see all over the internet and hear on the international television programs.

So it is obvious that Saudi Arabia is becoming a much less closed and secretive society and that there have been some very dramatic changes in the last twenty years and that most of the society, especially the younger generation, is on board. With the country opening up to tourism (since 2021) that may increase the speed of the change, time will tell.