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You are here: Experts > Travel > Middle East for Visitors > Saudi Arabia > visit to Saudi
Expert: Lauren Gilkey - 10/28/2009
Question
Dear Lauren,
I am a 20 year old American girl and I am currently applying for a grant to study Muslim women in Arab societies. I think it would be most interesting to observe women in Saudi Arabia due to the controversial treatment of women that the West often references. I would be living somewhere in Saudi Arabia for about a month (details on living yet to be figured out). I was wondering if you think that it would be safe for me to go to Saudi by myself and conduct research. Would I be able to travel by myself?
Thank you in advance!
-Liza
Answer
Dear Liza,
I'm not sure how well this research would work out for you. I agree that it would be fascinating to observe Saudi women, but why question is: how?
Saudi is a fairly closed society. Getting a visa is incredibly difficult; Saudi does not offer tourism or temporary stay visa's. Most visas are given for work or spouse/child companion visas. The few tourist visas that are allowed are sponsored by companies in Saudi where you are kept in a tour group (for scuba diving, etc.). The government is very careful about letting people have visas who are there to inspect or criticize the society, so i would recommend that you be very careful with your visa application.
My other concern is with how you would observe the Saudi women. How do you observe women who are covered head to toe in a black abaya at all times and probably do not speak English? Even in restaurants, the segregated women/family section has privacy screens that a lot of Saudis put around their table to add to their privacy. You will see women in stores at the mall and in restaurants. But you won't see them walking around neighborhoods, in the park, or just hanging around in public.
Another concern is probably you being alone. I do not think you would be in any physical danger - Saudi is very safe. However, a single woman (ESPECIALLY a YOUNG single woman) will draw unwelcome and unwanted attention to herself from two sources. First, young Saudi men. In a society where pre-marital sex, dating, even socializing in mixed groups are illegal. So the young men are known for chasing women who are without the "protection" or companionship of a male. They will chase you, harass you for your phone or email, and they will not stop until someone intervenes for you - like a Mutawah or policeman. The Mutawah are the second people who could give you unwanted attention. These police who are in charge of the prevention of vice are tasked with making sure that men and women do not meet in public unless they are married or a close blood relative (brother, father, uncle). They literally patrol all public areas, including restaurants, shops, and shared public transportation. They will approach women who are alone and demand to see paperwork authorizing them to be out alone in public. They also watch the dress code and will approach women to tell them how they are breaking the dress code. Even though non Muslim women are not required to wear the burqa (covering the hair and head), a Mutawah will tell you to go and buy one and that you must wear one. And they too will follow you around if no one intervenes, trying to get you to comply.
So you have a lot to consider. One thing I recommend to you is reading the book 'In the Land of Invisible Women" by Dr. Qanta Ahmed. She is a Muslim woman who grew up in Great Britain and went to medical school in the USA. She then took a 1 year contract to work in Riyadh, and experienced culture shock. She offers incredible insight into Saudi women - collegues of hers, and wives of her colleagues. She sees the growing work of women fighting for rights and freedoms around Saudi.
My advice - read the book, and maybe try another country that is Arab but a little more open and available to you. Egypt, Jordan, or the UAE would all be good alternatives.
Best,
Lauren
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