In Saudi Arabia, a view from behind the veil

[jaelh]

Has anyone ever read any of the "Sultana" books by Jean Sasson? She befriended a Saudi Princess and wrote at least three books about her life living behind the veil in Saudi Arabia. The stories are sometimes horrific, and this is a woman who lives a privileged life with servants and unending supplies of money.

I've posted this here before, but I have a friend who knew the author - was in Saudi with her for many years. She says the books are *entirely* fiction. Maybe based on a few facts here and there, but at best embellished like crazy. Not in anyway accurate.

[VeraAnne]

Ok, books might be embellished, I have no way of knowing. However, I do know that a woman was recently sentenced to be lashed 10 times for the crime of driving herself to the store. There's no way to spin that situation that isn't completely depraved and horrific.

[keen23]

Even if the books are faked (and I could care less either way), they show the hypocrisy of modern Saudi life. The money to flaunt the law and get away with it, because of the power of your family. Women who wear the veil, and then designer clothes underneath. Drinking copious amounts of alcohol, because you can buy your way past any laws. Even if read as novels, they still depict a pretty accurate picture of life as an upper-class woman in Saudi Arabia.

[jaelh]

Ok, books might be embellished, I have no way of knowing. However, I do know that a woman was recently sentenced to be lashed 10 times for the crime of driving herself to the store. There's no way to spin that situation that isn't completely depraved and horrific.

I'm not saying it's not horrific! it sure is. Rather than the Princess books aren't necessarily a reliable source of information.

[anniebgood]

We often see the Saudi Royal Flight parked at the West Terminal at LAX. They fly a 747 over here, are met by a limo and off they go. I saw 1 man and 8 women get off the airplane and they weren't robed. They come here and spend copious amounts of money. It costs next to a small fortune to fly a 747 and they use them like their personal cars. Kids I knew who went to UCLA and USC said they wouldn't have known some of their class mates were Saudi until the relatives showed up in abayas and robes, frowning. The men liked to party, have an American girlfriend and then at the end of their studies, took off and went back to Saudi and forgot about all the freedoms Western women enjoyed.

As long as the oil flows, they'll be spending their money here.