Non-Fiction Blog Post #2:"Growing Up in Saudi"

“Dating is forbidden. Movie theaters are banned. Concerts are out lawed,” This quote was from the article “Growing up in Saudi” by Karen Elliot House. The text recently stated refers to the idea of how might women and men face their lives in Saudi Arabia, of what kind of freedoms they are being limited too. In the article there were many aspects of how there are strict religious limitations that people in Saudi Arabia have to follow, especially the women out there. Women must have to wear a head to toe covering called abayas in public, and marriages are arranged by families, where the couples meet during the engagement the first time. The limited freedom youngsters in Saudi are enduring is resulting with some bloodshed being done, meaning murders were taking place. Also the concern youngsters have is that all they do is wake up, take a shower, go to school, come back for lunch, and do homework. After those events of their day have past, they have nothing else to do. Young women’s are kept under family surveillance until its marriage hasn’t taken place. But some changes that have occurred in Saudi are the raise of more women driving and more jobs being worked by them. This whole article was based on how tough life is in Saudi Arabia and what aspects of it make it tough.

A thought I had when reading this article was that; parents are giving their children less freedom than they should but it is just creating hatred and rage towards their mind, that later on turns into a worse situation, so what are they gaining from limiting their freedom?  I think parents in Saudi just limit their children’s freedom because other people around them do it and this how this problem might continue or start in many different houses.  Also it just makes me feel pathetic on what the thoughts people have in Saudi, because young girls having to be kept under surveillance by family members until their married off, it just shows how insecure they are with girls. If girls are treated like that then how are they going to face the real world without help and support, if they get stuck alone somewhere?  Parents’ not giving girls and boys freedom will not make them able to stand up on their own feet and learn how to live aspects of life. I think in the article at least created some hopes for the kids, especially girls when it mentions how some women are at least getting to drive and getting to go to work. Overall the life in Saudi Arabia has harsh and strict limitations that I think need to be changed somehow.

I feel lucky about the freedom I am receiving because after seeing the limited freedoms children are receiving there seems way worse than I possibly could imagine. I think we should all appreciate for the things we have right now including the rights we have received from our parents because people are going through worse situation then us, like the girls over there who are kept under surveillance, and for people over there that have the same events occurring again and again in their life. We should be glad for what we have and try to make and see a change of the shallow thoughts people have in Saudi Arabia.