A week in the kingdom
A female SAISer’s perspective
By Tania Nour Hamod

For the second-year ladies of the Middle East Department, this spring break was anything but sunshine, bikinis and margaritas. Well, there was sun. But while many SAIS students soaked in the rays on exotic beaches, we were granted the unique opportunity to spend a week in a land unknown and mysterious to many: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Everybody prepared themselves for the long 12-hour flight either by packing books, schoolwork or sleeping medication. To our pleasant surprise, the plane was quite empty and each SAIS student was able to lie down and take up to four seats, sleeping off the fatigue of the midterms that were all too fresh in our minds.

Thirty minutes before the plane landed, each of the women had to go to the bathroom cabin to change our clothing.  We dressed ourselves in the customary attire of the realm; black abayahs covered our bodies, and black hijabs veiled our heads. We did not wear the niqab over our faces, yet many other women on the plane did. One thing I learned on this trip is that being covered is not necessarily a religious obligation, as many may tend to think. Although some women may remain covered because of their religion, many choose to do so because it is an important custom and tradition. Several Saudi women whom we met expressed their sincere gratitude that we chose to respect their dress and observe it ourselves. Throughout our entire stay, the SAIS women were more than content to show that respect. Of course, we were exhilarated once we boarded our flight home and no longer had to wear black.

One of the most interesting meetings that we attended was at the King Saud University for women. While the men from the SAIS delegation went to the men’s campus, we ladies went to the women’s campus. As we walked through the doors, the male minders who drove us to the university had to stay behind. In the lobby, we were greeted by female professors and students, all uncovered. In fact, the entire campus was filled with women who were not wearing hijabs and abayahs. Instead, they sported the latest fashions, and they sported them well. I consider myself to be quite the fashionista, and even I was utterly impressed.
    
We were taken to a conference room where we met with incredibly intelligent, articulate, personable women, most of whom had doctorates. They discussed how many women in the Kingdom spend years attaining their degrees only to then be faced with limited job availability in the private sector. They also said that even though the government may be pushing for private sector employment opportunities for women, societal pressures often hold the women back. As a result, most females end up teaching as a profession. Our hosts were more than eager to hear our opinions about Riyadh, our own education, and of course, U.S. foreign policy.

Perhaps it was my own incorrect preconceptions that threw me off, but I was inspired and surprised by these women. As we were about to go on our tour of the campus, we approached a golf cart that was to serve as our means of transportation. There, our tour guide whipped around and said, “Now you’re going to see how a Saudi woman drives.”

Another meeting that both the men and women were able to attend was that of The Khadijah Bint Khuwalid Businesswomen Center of the Chamber of Commerce. Our group unanimously agreed that this was one of our more interesting meetings. I was struck by a particular conversation that we had in regards to women’s reform in Saudi Arabia. The speaker told us how we in the United States cannot expect our prescription of women’s reform to work in the Kingdom. She explained they live in a land that encompasses its own unique traditions and society, and that in order for reform to succeed, it must successfully be integrated into both. Change is happening, she said, but slowly and in a way that can only work for Saudi Arabia.

There is simply too much to be said about what I learned on this trip. The female students in particular were able to engage in truly interesting dialogue with women of the Saudi realm. Of course, with all that was shared with us, there remained a great deal that was not shared. Hopefully we each will have the chance to go back again one day and further extend the bridge of understanding. Inshallah.

Tania Nour Hamod is a 2nd year MA candidate in Middle East Studies