by Heather Chen
Deserts, camels, and a fiery sun – these are what most people think of when you mention Saudi Arabia, a distant and mysterious kingdom. Luckily, due to my father’s occupation, I had the opportunity to go and explore this mysterious land. After spending six years there the desert kingdom’s mysterious face gradually unveiled and I found that there was more than just deserts and camels. The people’s lifestyle in Saudi Arabia is very special and different from most other countries -— so different that I often felt as if I had entered into another world. Saudi Arabia is a country where religion plays a great role. The main religion is Islam or Mohammedism. The power of religion reaches everywhere and strongly dominates people’s everyday lives. Every Moslem has five duties: to recite the Koran; to pray and worship five times a day facing in the direction of Mecca; to give a portion of his or her property to the poor; to make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca in his or her lifetime; and to fast from dawn to sunset every day in the month of Ramadan (the ninth month of the Moslem calendar). During this period no Moslem is allowed to eat, drink, or even smoke, for they believe that by undergoing the experience of starvation and thirst, one can come to realize the plight of the poor and feel sympathy for them. Everyone must fast except infants and the sick —- however, the sick have to make it up after they have recovered. The appearance of the new moon at the end of the fasting month marks the beginning of a series of fasts. Every family gives presents to their children and people wear new clothes -— much like Chinese New Year. The religion also has a strong influence on Saudi laws. Islamic laws are based upon the Koran; the laws are very strict and violations are severely punished. Murderers and rapists are beheaded, adulterers are beaten to death in a flurry of stones, and thieves either have their hands severed or they are flogged in public. Idolatry as well as human and animal representations are strongly prohibited. A vivid illustration is that women’s pictures in imported newspapers and magazines are covered with dark ink. There are also many taboos, such as prostitution, gambling, and drinking liquor; even photographing in public is forbidden. Saudis are preoccupied with these canons and have become very conservative as a result – at least to foreign eyes. Their conservativeness is most obvious in their relationships between men and women. Here, there is are clear separations between the sexes -— men work outside the home and women stay home. They are separated from each other in all their activities. To the Saudis women are stupid, ignorant, and are viewed merely as a kind of possession. Men forbid them to have any contact with outsiders or strangers, for they fear that outsiders might seduce them. When a woman goes out, she has to wear an “abaiya” (a loose back robe) and cover her face with a veil —- she must not expose her hair or any part of her body. If a woman should overlook this rule, she would become the focus of universal attention and be regarded as a corrupting influence. Women of foreign nationalities are also required to follow the same customs. As a result, when we were there my mother had to wear an “abaiya” as well whenever she went out, but she actually enjoyed it, she says, for it saved plenty of time not having to worry about what to wear. Moreover, for most Arabs top priority is given to marriage with a cousin. Most people marry through a matchmaker and with the consent of their parents. Dating before marriage is contrary to their traditions. In the past, a bridegroom and his bride could not even meet each other before their wedding ceremony. Today, the custom is gradually changing; both can now exchange photos and talk on the telephone. After their marriage, most women have no recreation and cannot go anywhere without men or maids accompanying them. They seem to do little else than stay at home and give birth to babies. Furthermore, a Saudi man is allowed to have four wives legally —- one of whom may be a non-Moslem as long as she chooses to convert before marriage —- and he does not have to pay any alimony if he divorces. Saudi women can only marry Moslem men and can only serve their husbands for her entire life, even if she is divorced by him. Indeed, most people would agree that there are no women’s rights in this country. Nonetheless, the majority of women in Saudi Arabia seem to remain very traditional and uneager to change their present situation. Career women used to be unheard of, but in recent years, through changes and improved education more and more women are beginning to work, although they still avoid jobs that require face-to-face contact with men. Contradiction is a word often used to describe Saudi Arabia. For example, though the canons of Islam strictly outlaw the worship of any idol or representation of the human figure, the king and crown prince’s portraits are hung everywhere for the public to pay homage to them. Moreover, Saudi men’s conservativeness in sexual matters presents a striking contrast with their polygamy. Different standards for different people, perhaps. But Saudi attitudes toward religion and women’s rights have long been an issue of debate. Why do they seem to ban almost everything? Are they really protecting women or just discriminating against them? Well, after spending six years there, I still don’t know the answer. What I do know is that I will always cherish the memory of that exotic land —- a land where noise, pollution, and environmental nuisances seemed to be absent, a land with deserts, camels and a fiery sun.
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by Angela Lu
Harry Potter fever took the world by storm this summer with the publication of J.K. Rowling’s fourth volume in her seven-book series. Some of you may even have read the first three already; the first was published in January 1998. As for me, I had no idea who Harry Potter was until I saw what a great stir it was causing in the U.S. during my summer vacation. I expected news reports about Forth of July celebrations; instead I was bombarded with stories about the newest Harry Potter novel. So what? I thought. It’s only a children’s book. But as I saw on the news how a nine-year-old boy, who I had assumed was crazy about Pokemon and video games, excitedly announced that he didn’t like to read until he read Harry Potter. “It’s so fantastic! You’ve got to read it!” And when I learned that bookstores were holding pajama parties for thousands of children in Britain and North America, who stayed up late just to grab the first copies of the book when it finally went on sale at 12:01 a.m. on July 8th, I surrendered. I just had to read the book, too. Orphaned at the age of one, Harry mysteriously survived a murderous assault by Voldemort, a wicked wizard so evil that other wizards dare only refer to him as “He who Must Not Be Named.” But Voldemort lost nearly all his power when he tried to kill Harry, and his attack left a thunderbolt scar on Harry’s forehead as a mark of his own power and his triumph over evil. For the next ten years, Harry was brought up in the non-magic human world – by his mean guardians and a spoiled bully cousin. Harry had to sleep in a closet and eat leftovers. But all this changed on Harry’s eleventh birthday, when he was informed being accepted by a boarding school for aspiring witches and wizards. Harry was then introduced to world of magic, where his true identity as a wizard lay. Each book in the series takes him through another school year. Written for eight- to twelve-year-olds, Harry Potter appeals equally to adults. Like most readers, I, too, found it hard to put the book down once I started reading about Harry’s magical adventures. Although the books has been challenged and even banned in some part of the U.S. due to conservative parents and religious leaders, who claim that Rowling advocates witchcraft, Harry Potter books have earned an estimated US$480 million in three years, and there are at least 35 million copies in print in 35 different languages. This phenomenal success story has not only made Rowling, once a struggling single mother, the highest paid woman in Britain, but it has also given her major book awards in England and top spots on best-seller lists around the world. Harry Potter fever hit Taiwan when the first volume was translated in Chinese in August. Overwhelmed by the first book, readers in Taiwan then started seeking the original English versions instead of waiting for more volumes to be translated. In the children’s foreign language bookstore where I work part-time, I see people –mostly adult readers – asking for the books every day. When they’re all sold out, and I tell them to come and check again in a few weeks, they usually notice my own copies, which I bought when I was abroad, and enviously ask me where I managed to get them. But according to Harry Potter fans on the web, the Eslite, Hess, and Lai Lai bookstores have sufficient supplies of the versions from England, but if you are looking for the full collection the American edition, published by Scholastic with better binding and illustrations on the cover, the Silex bookstore and Costco would be good choices. Ready to experience the charm and magic of Harry Potter? Grab a copy today and find out for yourself! |
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May 2024
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