Background of the Study

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Basically, human being can be differed as men and women sexually. The difference of human being as women and men is a God’s will of course. This condition cannot be changed and it is a permanent. But in fact, in society perception, if someone has attributed to women or men, it will affect at the difference of role in social life. The difference of gender happened caused by the order, tradition and the interrelation between masculine and feminine. These all cause the division of power between men and women, and then it can impact to other social life. For example, grows a myth that men have higher position than women because men are considered have more intelligent approach, strong, and they are not emotional. 1 Besides, the patriarchal culture power reside in men also caused loss to women. Men hold special role in society because in assuming, they are stronger, productive and potential, whereas women who have production organ, in assuming to weaken, less potential and is unproductive. 1 Tim Penulis PSW UIN Jakarta, Pengantar Kajian Gender. Jakarta: PSW UIN Jakarta, p. vii Some factors which trigger appearance of women and men stereotype in dissociation of sector public and domestic for example is patriarchal culture which embraces some nation in the world such as in Arab world. Patriarchy is a social system in which the father or eldest male is head of the household, having authority over women and children. Patriarchy also refers to government system by males and to the dominance of men in social or cultural systems. It may also include title being traced through the male line. Patriarchy is inclined in application of the view of life which predominated by men male-dominated, determined by men male- identified, and centre on men male-centered. The characteristic of this culture is its entirely sustaining each other to build this culture and also institutionalizing, so it becomes the base for the public motion space and the view of life in general 2 Women in the Arab world have throughout history experienced discrimination and have been the subject of the restrictions of their freedoms and rights. Some of these practices are based on religious beliefs, but many of the limitations are cultural and emanate from tradition rather than religion. Based on the reasons mentioned above, in the early of nineteenth century there was a movement from women to increase women dignity, which claimed for the equality of rights between women and men. For the first time 2 Ibid , Johnson, 1997. p. 60 the word ‘feminism’ appeared to represent their movement. Feminism is the belief in the right of women to have political, social, and economic equality with men. There are some definitions about feminism, such as from Kamla Bhasin Ahmad and Night Said Khan 1955:5 describe that feminism is “an awareness of extortion and grind will to women in society at workplace and in family and also conscious action by men and women to alter the situation”. 3 The term feminism can be used to describe a political, cultural or economic movement aimed at establishing equal rights and legal protection for women. Feminism involves political, cultural and sociological theories, as well as philosophical theories concerned with issues of gender difference. It is also a movement that advocates gender equality for women and campaigns for womens rights and interests. 4 In this paper, the writer is interested to analyze one of the Islamic novels entitled The Girls of Riyadh. Written originally in Arabic, titled “Banat al Riyadh ” is written by Rajaa Al Sanea. Al Sanea’s book follows the lives of four close school friends as they marry, get divorced and become mothers. It contains about kind of gender discrimination experienced by them and their feminist idea against the conservative culture which is very restrictive to women. What the novel speaks about are traditions that are not part of Shari’a and have simply hampered their way of life to the point that they have resulted 3 Tim Penulis PSW UIN Jakarta, Pengantar Kajian Gender. Jakarta: PSW UIN Jakarta, p.60 4 http:id.wikipedia.orgwikiFeminism , accessed on January 23 rd , 2010 in the misery and suffering of people in society. The novel describes four Saudi girls who are studying at the university in Riyadh, the Capital of Saudi Arabia. Their names are Sadeem, Gamrah, Lamees and Mashael her name is similar to Michelle in pronunciation. She is half Saudi and half American. Her American mother and friends prefer to call her Michelle. The girls look for happiness but stymied by a system that allows them only limited freedoms and has very specific expectations and demands. There are some different factors that have an impact on determining women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. The first factor is religion. Islam affects all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia. The Sunni Muslims country -- almost 90 of the population -- follow Wahhabism 5 . The Ulama 6 strongly against the equality of the sexes. The second factor is society. Societal norms and rules are patriarchal and women are treated and seen as second-class citizens only. Males also have a clearly dominant role within the family and have full control over their wives or daughters. Females are expected to obey their male guardians. The third factor is government. The Mutaween 7 enforce rules of strict gender segregation in the Kingdom and unrelated men and women are 5 Wahhabism is known for its conservative regulations which have impact on all aspects of life. 6 Ulama is religious authorities who have a great influence on the Saudi citizenry. 7 The Mutaween is the Saudi religious police. separated in all public places. 8 The last is culture. The cultural setting of Saudi Arabia, promotes a strict Purdah 9 system. This novel is a corps of the continued e-mails that represents a real story of four Saudi girls. This novel becomes interesting to be read because in Arab society, women do not have freedom in deciding something, everything that concern their life is determined by men, including the marriage. Raja Al Sanea wrote this novel because she wanted to open the screen that covered the reality of part of woman in Riyadh through these e-mails. But in this novel, all the main characters do their own modes of resistance and self-determination toward the conservative tradition in their country. They attempt to find their true love and freedom in life without the shadow of men. Gamrah, the first character who becomes to marry first. Like most of girls, Gamrah’s marriage also has been arranged by her family. All her friends are very regretting about this marriage because, after that, everybody knows that she is not happy with her marriage. Sadeem’s story, the second character, is not less tragic than Gamrah. Her emotional tragedy is caused by Firas whom she meets in London. He breaks his relationship with Sadeem just because she is a divorced woman. 8 http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiWomen27s_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia , accessed on Dec 12 th , 2010. 9 Purdah is a curtain which makes sharp separation between the world of man and that of a woman, between the community as a whole and the family which is its heart, between the street and the home, the public and the private, just as it sharply separates society and the individual. Meanwhile, Michelle, the third character, finds a visionary man named Faishal who can easily infiltrate cultural partitions of Arab society. But, Michelle is finally disappointed after knowing that Faishal’s family does not agree his relation with Michelle just because she is a half of American and Saudi Arabia. Law enforcement in Saudi Arabia is very tight. It experienced by Lamees, the last character. Police of Shari’a catch her and Ali when they are in a café. Their relation is separated, more than anything else because Ali a follower of Shiah which is in many things is different with Sunni. One by one their loves collapse to be punched by storm. Dishonesty, arranged marriage with an unwilling bride and groom, difference of religion become the reason of why their love is extinct. But all the characters do not give up for looking what they want. They keep struggling to find their true happiness even though their movement always contradicts with the culture and tradition which restrict them. And they fall deeply in love just like women anywhere else. Little by little some of these women are beginning to carve out their own way - not the Western way, but one that keeps what is good about the values of their religion and culture, while allowing to reform. Based on the explanation above, the writer is interested to analyze kind of discrimination experienced by the four major characters and their attitude toward the discrimination in the novel The Girls of Riyadh .

B. Focus of the Study