{"id":12230,"date":"2012-08-31T10:17:11","date_gmt":"2012-08-31T17:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/?p=12230"},"modified":"2012-08-31T10:17:57","modified_gmt":"2012-08-31T17:17:57","slug":"saudi-arabia-the-arab-woman-the-muslim-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/?p=12230","title":{"rendered":"Saudi Arabia: The Arab Woman; The Muslim Country"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a satirical poem titled \u201cWhen,\u201d posted on Arabic reformist websites including www.aafaq.org , reformist Saudi author and journalist Wajeha Al-Huwaider lamented what she regards as the conditions in the Arab world. In the introduction to this poem, she wrote: \u201c\u2018When\u2019 is an ode to the troubles of the Arab citizen. Both men and women participated in its [writing], and it is still open to additions. This ode will be hung on the walls of the palaces of the Arab rulers, [1] so feel free to add you contributions.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia: The Arab Woman; The Muslim Country<\/strong>
\n31 August – by from aafaq.com – Poetry by Wajeha Al-Huwaider<\/p>\n

The following are excerpts from the poem “When”<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you cannot find a single garden in your city, but there is a mosque on every corner \u2013 you know that you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you see people living in the past with all the trappings of modernity \u2013 do not be surprised, you are in an Arab country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen religion has control over science \u2013 you can be sure that you are in an Arab country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen clerics are referred to as \u2018scholars\u2019 \u2013 don\u2019t be astonished, you are in an Arab country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you see the ruler transformed into a demigod who never dies or relinquishes his power, and whom nobody is permitted to criticize \u2013 do not be too upset, you are in an Arab country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you find that the large majority of people oppose freedom and find joy in slavery \u2013 do not be too distressed, you are in an Arab country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you hear the clerics saying that democracy is heresy, but [see them] seizing every opportunity provided by democracy to grab high positions [in the government] \u2013 do not be surprised, you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen monarchies turn into theocracies, and republics into hybrids of monarchy and republic \u2013 do not be taken aback, you are in an Arab country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you find that the members of parliament are nominated [by the ruler], or else that half of them are nominated and the other half have bought their seats through bribery\u2026 \u2013 you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you discover that a woman is worth half of what a man is worth, or less \u2013 do not be surprised, you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you see that the authorities chop off a man\u2019s hand for stealing a loaf of bread or a penny, but praise and glorify those who steal billions \u2013 do not be too surprised, you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you are forced to worship the Creator in school and your teachers grade you for it \u2013 you can be sure that you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen young women students are publicly flogged merely for exposing their eyes \u2013 you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a boy learns about menstruation and childbirth but not about his own [body] and [the changes] it undergoes in puberty \u2013 roll out your prayer mat and beseech Allah to help you deal with your crisis, for you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen land is more important than human beings \u2013 you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen covering the woman\u2019s head is more important than financial and administrative corruption, embezzlement, and betrayal of the homeland \u2013 do not be astonished, you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen minorities are persecuted and oppressed, and if they demand their rights, are accused of being a fifth column or a Trojan horse \u2013 be upset, you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen women are [seen as] house ornaments which can be replaced at any time \u2013 bemoan your fate, you are in an Arab country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen birth control and family planning are perceived as a Western plot \u2013 place your trust in Allah, you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen at any time, there can be a knock on your door and you will be dragged off and buried in a dark prison \u2013 you are in an Arab country\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen fear constantly lives in the eyes of the people \u2013 you can be certain that you are in an Arab country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Endnotes: [1] This is an allusion to the Seven Mu\u2019allaqat, famous sixth century odes which, according to Arab legend, were hung in pre-Islamic times on the walls of the Qa\u2019ba in Mecca.<\/p>\n

…source<\/a><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a satirical poem titled \u201cWhen,\u201d posted on Arabic reformist websites including www.aafaq.org , reformist Saudi author and journalist Wajeha Al-Huwaider lamented what she regards as the conditions in the Arab world. In the introduction to this poem, she wrote: \u201c\u2018When\u2019 is an ode to the troubles of the Arab citizen. Both men and women more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[247],"tags":[3441],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12230"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12230"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12232,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12230\/revisions\/12232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crookedbough.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}