The Kingdom is Alive & Well in Saudi Arabia

I am getting quite a lesson on Saudi Arabia from my new friend living there. It's actually quite amazing how little I (and probably many Americans) really know about the Middle East. Here is an interesting fact: the Saudi Weekend is Thursday and Friday and not Saturday/Sunday as it is here and in other parts of the world. Women can't work or be in mixed company with men outside of their homes and must keep their faces covered. Given this, I can see why news of a university being built for women is a huge deal. My friend sent me some info from the Arab News about this. Here is a bit of it:

"Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will lay the foundation stone of the new campus of Kingdom’s first women university shortly, Princess Al-Jowhara bint Fahd, president of the university, announced yesterday. Located north of Riyadh, the university will have 13 new colleges.

She praised King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan for their tremendous support to Riyadh Women's University, which, she said, will usher in a new era in higher education for women in Saudi Arabia. “We want to make it a leading international university,” Princess Al-Jowhara told Al-Riyadh Arabic daily."

"Veiled to all men beyond her family, a young Bedouin woman wears the classic face covering of her people. Given only passing mention by the Koran, Islam’s holy book, the veil is an ancient custom traced to India and Persia; it was adopted by Arabia’s nomadic tribes, which enforced a strict code of female modesty. "
—From “Women of Saudi Arabia,” October 1987, National Geographic magazine

Learning about other cultures is fascinating, but discussing issues that affect humankind no matter which side of the world we are standing on is even more empowering. I will leave you with a quote my Saudi friend stands by:

"War does not determine who is right, it determines who is left............"