Inside the Kingdom : My Life in Saudi Arabia

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully written, couldn't put it down
Review: What a fascinating inside look into the role of women in Saudi Arabia. Thank you Carmen for sharing your expereinces and opening your life to those of us who wondered what it was like for a woman in the Middle East. The honest sharing, dichotomy of lives from Western to Eastern cultures gave tremendous insite into this culture and its impact on women. This was a book I did not put down and shared with my friends. Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: "For the Saudis...what is hidden does not exist."
Review: You may have noticed this book because of the name of the author. To clear it up right away: yes, Carmen bin Ladin was once related to Osama bin Laden. She was married to Osama's brother Yeslam for many years, and met Osama several times, most of which are mentioned in this book.

Carmen begins and ends with a reflection on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This changed her life as it did so many others, but it also had a unique effect of putting her in a spotlight, and in "Inside the Kingdom" she uses that spotlight to light the darkness of Saudi Arabian culture and its deplorable treatment of women. As a native of Western culture and a natural-born son of the freedoms we enjoy here, I found it hard to believe, at first, that a culture still exists that supports the subjugation of women so utterly. But in reading this book, I am forced to face the hard reality...and still, I am lucky. Carmen bin Laden had to live it.

In this book, you will see what she saw, delivered in honest and open terms by her words. You will see what it's like to wear the abaya, the stifling black cloth that must cover everything, even the face, in public at all times. You will feel the frustration of being unable to talk to any man in public. You will understand the fear that comes from knowing that your husband could leave you childless and penniless at any time, even have you killed with impunity for some offenses. And finally, you will see the hypocrisy of a culture which pretends to hold itself to the highest standard of piety and holiness, but in truth hides the worst of its sins away in the dark and tries to convince the rest of the world that they don't exist.

Carmen bin Laden is not a great writer, frankly. She tells her story in a fairly straightforward way, with no flourishes and very little stylistic flair. This is not a book to read for style or literary talent -- it is a book to read for substance and for educating oneself. Her lack of artifice in her writing gives the reader a chance to focus more on what she is saying, and this works to the book's benefit.

If you're looking to learn something about Osama bin Laden specifically, then this book may be something of a disappointment. He makes appearances here and there and is certainly a major figure in the Bin Laden clan, but he's not a big part of Carmen's story, other than as a prime example of the worst of what Saudi Arabian culture has come to represent. The Osama we see in these pages, in brief glimpses, is a zealot who cares more about his beliefs than he does about the welfare of his own children, and believes firmly in the overall authority of the male over the female in all things. But here's the thing...in this book, you will see that Osama is not unique in this, and in fact that while many Saudi Arabian men are more moderate than Osama in their beliefs, many are not. When Carmen makes the conclusion that "The Saudis are the Taliban, in luxury," she is not exaggerating in the least.

Saudi Arabian culture is one in which children, when they are schooled at all, spend a great deal of time during the school day learning about religion. They are taught that things like birthday parties and dancing are "haram" (shameful), and always, that boys have ultimate authority over girls. While reading the book I found myself angry that this culture exists, but more than that, I became angry that my culture, my government supports these injustices. There are those in the United States who make a great deal of political hay out of "liberating" the women of Afghanistan or Iraq, but when those same people are making deals with and supporting the Saudi Arabian culture the hypocrisy of our own culture also becomes clear. If we are to truly say that we fight injustice, then we must do it everywhere, among our enemies and our allies alike. Our support of Saudi Arabia and its culture of exclusion is shameful in itself.

What Carmen bin Ladin did in taking her daughters and herself out of Saudi Arabia was nothing short of courageous. What she has done in writing this book is equally brave. I hope that more people will read it so that the truth is no longer hidden, so that someday, the hypocrisy will end and freedom will become the way of life for all cultures -- not through war, but through understanding. Carmen bin Laden, with this book, contributes to that understanding and contributes to the process of making things better for all.