Sam Grant -Williams

9/16/15
Columbus State Community College
ENGL 2367
Scott O' Callaghan
Writing Project 1: Textual Response- Cultural Analysis

Black Ghosts in the Middle East:

Analyzing Nicholas D. Kristof's "Saudis in Bikinis"

Looking back on my own life I am able to see that I had and still have a lot of privileges handed
to me just because I was born male. As I am a male I do not know what it is like for women who are
oppressed and repressed. However as someone who was born and raised in a very progressive
household and whose mother is an archetypal feminist, I would like to think that I am a very
progressive and pro-feminist man and that I am able to sympathize with women who are repressed.

The key words to my dilemma are 'like to' because after reading the short essay "Saudis in
Bikinis" by Nicholas D. Kristof' and hearing about his interesting experience in a Saudi Arabian mall, I
realized that my views were somewhat flawed. Although I was raised and taught to treat women as
equal to myself and to give them the respect any human being deserves I can see that definition of what
equality is, has been twisted by my own western, specifically American perspective. As a consequence
of this what I consider to be equality for women may not be the same as what a Saudi Arabian woman
might think is equality for women and that is all right. After all it would be both hypocritical and
arrogant of me to say that my definition of equality is more truthful than what the Saudi Arabian
woman says is equality, as then I would be demeaning the woman and would be no better than a man
who believes all women must be subservient to men.

In his essay, Nicholas D. Kristof recounts an experience that occurred on his first night visiting
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Kristof witnessed a group of what he calls Black Ghosts, looking at an
advertisement for women's clothing in a busy mall. These black ghosts were in fact Saudi Arabian
women dressed in the traditional Islamic garb which is known as an Abaya along with a face
concealing headscarf called a Niqb. In Saudi Arabia as well as many other Islamic countries, women
are expected to follow a strict dress code of modesty known as Hijab to which both the Abaya and
Niqb are a part of. The Hijab is traditionally to be worn by post-pubescent women in the presence of
adult males outside of their immediate family and in some interpretations is also to be worn in the
company of all non-Islamic adults. In Saudi Arabia the Hijab is enforced as part of what is called
Shariah or Islamic law and women's clothing must meet at least three criteria. One: a woman must
have her entire body covered with the exception of one or both eyes out of necessity. Two: she must
wear a loose fitting Abaya and Niqb, and three: both the women's clothes and Abaya should not be
made in bright colors or be adorned with anything as this may tempt men.

The traditional justification for why women are expected to adhere to such a strict dress code is
a particular piece of the Quran which reads as follows: "O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters,
and the believing women, to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies. It is better that they should be
known (as respectable women) so as not to be harassed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful. (Quran 33:59) Around the world, particularly in places such as Western Europe and the
United States of America, there is a lot of criticism drawn at both the Islamic nations and Islam as a
whole for its treatment of women pertaining to both a women's place in society, and especially the
expectation that women will cover themselves through the use of the Hijab.

In stark contrast to the stereotypical western belief that Saudi Arabian women are completely
repressed, the women that Nicholas talked to said that they are completely free and it is the western

women who are the ones that are repressed, especially by men! One woman, named Lana told Kristof
that having to wear the Abaya is not as limiting as it seems saying: I can swim, do sports and go to
restaurants. I wear what I want, but not in front of men. Why should I show my legs and breasts to
men? Is that really freedom? (Nicholas D. Kristof. Saudis in Bikinis. October 25, 2002. New York
Times)

The women talking to Kristof go on to say that the women of the West who sell Coke and
hamburgers with their bodies are the ones who are slaves, and that they have become the toys of
men. (Nicholas D. Kristof. Saudis in Bikinis. October 25, 2002. New York Times) They talk about
how they are glad that in their own eyes they are good pious women; who are happy to follow God's
rules. From the point of view of these women having to follow the rules of the Hijab dress code is not a
burden and is in fact liberating them from things like sexual harassment and being shamed or judged
for their bodies.They feel relief knowing that when they apply for a job, the size of their breasts is not a
deciding factor in who gets hired. They are happy knowing that they can wear whatever they want so
long as it is not in the presence of a man; a Saudi Arabian women can enjoy the comfort of a Bikini
without a man drooling over her. Not all Saudi Arabian women are content with the way they are
treated in their own country but they say the issue is not with the expectation to wear an Abaya and
Niqb.

Other women who talked to Nicholas D. Kristof talk about how there are still a lot of issues on
how women are treated in Saudi Arabia. They explain that they have trouble driving a car or going to
school for more the five to six years because of men who say a woman does not need to drive a car and
only needs to go to school until they can read and write.However they insist the Hijab dress code is not
part of the problem other than the fact that it is not a choice.

The Saudi Arabian women that Nicholas D. Kristof talk to say that over all things are getting
better in Saudi Arabia for women. They say that they have more rights and opportunities than ever
before. What the problem is according to them is that Westerns keep trying to meddle with and shame
their culture, they say that the issues of women's rights should be solved by the women of Saudi Arabia
themselves. Many of them do concede that there are still things that need to be fixed in their country
and many others say that it would be better if they had the choice to wear the Abaya and Niqb, but
they also say that choosing to follow the Hijab is not choosing to be a second class citizen nor is it
detrimental to the rights of women in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else in the world.

It is these profound statements that make me reevaluate my own views on - what is equality?
Although I do not agree with everything these women say, nor do I accept the position of Nicholas
Kristof as stated at the end of the article that "Saudi Arabia is stuck in the fifteenth century," (Nicholas
D. Kristof. Saudis in Bikinis. October 25, 2002. New York Times) I agree that the issue of women's
rights in Saudi Arabia is best left in the hands of Saudi Arabian women. Who knows, just what we
Americans could teach Saudi Arabia about women's rights? Maybe Saudi Arabia can teach us
Americans something about women's rights too, and together, we could make the world a better place
for women everywhere.

Bibliography
Peterson, Linda H., and John C. Brereton. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction. 13th
ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2004. Print.
Nicholas D. Kristof. Saudis in Bikinis. October 25, 2002. New York Times
Quran 33:59 Translated by Ahmed Ali
Murphy, Paul Austin. "Articles: Niquabs vs. the West." Articles: Niquabs vs. the West. N.p., 29
Sept. 2013. Web. 23 Sep. 2015.
Stacey, Aisha. "Dress Code of Muslim Women | Islam.ru." Dress Code of Muslim Women |
Islam.ru. N.p., 6 May 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
"Saudi Arabia's Dress Code for Women." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 28 Jan.
2015. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.