Moving to Saudi Arabia

Question

My dad has just been offered a job in Saudi Arabia, as a Family we are seriously considering it. I'm 15 and if we move it will be net summer when I've done my GCSE's, what I've read about the country isn't good, women have no rights at all, they cant even drive! I had wanted to go to university and become a vet. Excuse my ignorance but I have no ideas what education opportunities there would be. The clothing also bothers me, having to cover up? If we went it would be me, my dad and my younger brother, we would miss family but I've been told there are English communities there? Does anyone have any experience or advice? It would help a lot.

Answer 1

Dear what your reading is anti Saudi, and Anti Muslim propaganda.  Women are catered to in Saudi Arabia.  If anyone is oppressed in Saudi Arabia it is single men.  Single men can not do anything without a female relative escorting them.  Women are diamonds and jewels in Islam.  They cover to protect themselves from the heat, and also to protect their modesty and guard their chastity.  Everything in Saudi Arabia is catered to women and families.  The Saudi Government pays Saudis who are married and with children, more money then single Saudi men who study abroad.    It is an obligation upon all Muslimahs who have reached puberty to cover like crows according to Bukhari and Muslim, and the Qur'an.  Don't believe Western anti Muslim propaganda because it's usually written by liars and non Muslims who have no knowledge of Saudi culture or of Islam.  All forgein women and Saudi women are required to wear Abaya.  Forgein women are not required to wear hijab to my knowledge anyway.  The resturants are seperated by s*x, as are the schools, malls, and daily life.  This is to avoid fitnah(temptation) between the sexes and to protect the women from being harassed and molested on the streets by single young Saudi men.  Muslim women are queens in Islam.  In fact Islam places high importance on the mother.  She is what holds the family together.  The prophet Muhamamd(Salla Allahu alahi Wa Salaam) said three times that we should honor our mother, and after our mother then our father.  Children are taught to give 2/3 love to their mother, while the father has to deal with the remaining 1/3.  In fact Islam says that Jinnah(heaven) is under the feet of the mothers.  In Islam, women don't have to contribute to the household income.  They have to be taken care of all their lives by their father until they are married, by their husband all their marriage(even if the woman is rich), and by their sons, uncles, brothers, and father if they become widowed or divorced.  Saudi women have drivers, and don't have to give any money to their husbands.  It is theirs to use as they will in a lawful way.  Some Saudi women have maids and servants because they think it's required to have servants, and they don't know how to cook or clean or raise children, especially the oil boom generation.   Women in Saudi Arabia can work and get an education, as long as she is putting her household needs and family before her education, job and career.  A woman needs her husand's or father's permission to get an education in Saudi Arabia, from my experience.  All the colleges are segregated by s*x(though some give preference to male students only).  Effat College in Jeddah, is the only all women college in the Kingdom.  

Answer 2

moood

Answer 3

Saudi Arabia is fun for shopping :P

Women there do work, and get university education, and all that... but according to terms and conditions (like separate universities based on gender I think, etc).

For me (I live in Bahrain), I would never fit in living there... I'm just SO used to the open society here in Bahrain... so it would be so hard for me to cope there.

Note that I heard Jeddah truly differs from other areas, where people there are very open-minded... similar to Bahrain I think.

But in other places, you might have to cover up  a bit or something.

Don't worry about education, because you can study there. But google colleges and universities to make sure the Major you want is available there.

I would have to say, Saudi Arabia is really changing... it's  SLOWLY becoming more open... but it just needs much more time... so till then, there are some constraints.

Answer 4

Im 16 and i moved to saudi arabia from america 3 years ago. It all really depends on where your going to live. I came to madinah, so i had a rough time adjusting since its a very religious city. The best cities to move to are jeddah and dammam/khober. Since they are international cities, you wont be picked on by religious cops for not covering. Riyadh is probably the hardest place to live. Even though its the most organized and clean city in saudi, its also the most strict. If you live in riyadh then you will have to be careful of what youre doing. No boyfriends or else you could get thrown in jail and get lashes. No makeup when youre going out. At least in jeddah and other cities,  you wont have to cover your hair and can actually have relationships. Where ever you live in saudi, you have to wear the abaya, or long black robe. Its a must. You could get into big trouble for not wearing it. As for the head cover, you wont need to wear it unless youre in makkah or madinah. As for english communities, theyre everywhere. If you live in a compound your question is solved. Theyre are a number of english schools here as well as universities. Go to wikipedia.com and search for universities in saudi arabia, theyre all there. Good luck, and im here if u have anymore questions. Email me at [e-mail]. Tc.

Answer 5

Well there are compounds where the Girngos hang out. You'll be with your own kind in the compounds so no problem there. But once your in the real Saudi Arabia you're gonna have to cover up and be modest and above all respect the customs of the people there. Dress how you want in America this is Saudi Arabia dont like it go back to America.

Answer 6

you probably will be living in a large western style housing apartmentvilla type compound, where there are other people with similar interests and culture.. Very rarely do companies make you live outside on your own.. There are many such compounds.. and the western communities have their own interests and activities for themselvfes to keep occupied..

It is a bit difficult for a young teen western girl to be thrown into this concervative society for the first time.. You might be overwhelmed by the strictness..

Its not as bad as you think though.. You are required while out and about in town to dress concervatively and wear the abaya.. but you wont find it odd when everyone else is doing it.. so you'll feel like you fit right in..

everyone speaks english here, so no problem there.. You probably will have to return to your home country to go to univerisity.. We dont have womens english universities here (the ones we have are in arabic).. Many foreigners also send their kids to other places like Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, and even Europe. they all have American/western universities

Sure you wont drive, but that doesnt stop us women from getting to where we want to go.. We take taxi's everywhere.. Also all the housing compounds hire shuttle busses to take their residents to and from all the major shopping malls and hot spots in town.. (free for the residents)

You know.. give it a try.. you might enlighten yourself culturally... ^_^

.

Answer 7

i am 21 years old man saudi guy

i am very handsome btw.

id like to leave it here because im a fun guy and here its boring

how about we replace countries for a while ?

it;d be great expereince for u and me. sicne u r older than me i am sure u will have no problem

older people love boring places

bye

Answer 8

I lived in Jeddah for two years in the 1970s because I was in the same situation that you are in -- my father worked for an oil company and I was 10 years old at the time. Back then, there was no high school in Jeddah but I think that has changed and there is a British secondary school. What part of the kingdom will you be living in?

As far as what to expect, none of your family should ever leave the compound unescorted because of the strict laws in Saudi Arabia. In addition, women are forbidden from driving in Saudi Arabia but foreign women are not required to wear the head-to-toe black covering. Shorts, clevage, form-fitting clothes and skirts higher than the ankles are a no-no in public. Another no-no is anything that might be deemed offensive to Muslims, and the list is quite long. Your father's firm should provide some kind of cultural handbook on this.

When we (Americans) went there in the late 1970s, we had a large 3-ring binder that covered basic Arabic, SA history, customs, culture and a list of things that you cannot bring into the kingdom. This list includes anything having to do with alcoholic beverages, pornographic images, weapons, images of pigs (even cartoons) and anything having to do with Israel. Bibles and anything that might be deemed as proselytizing material is also forbidden.

When you ship your furniture, houseware, clothes, etc., the Saudi customs police WILL check the shipments for the aforementioned contraband items. Also, Internet access is heavily restricted within the Kingdom and it was only a few years ago that the ANY Internet access was allowed into the kingdom.

Another thing is to keep with other Brits or Americans and stay in groups whenever out in public because kidnapping non-Saudi girls into prostitution is common there. Your father's company, will most likely provide a driver service to take you to school and the female spouses shopping during the day. Also, don't buy the nonsense from the Muslims on this board who say that Islam protects women; women are property in SA and are treated as such. Read Inside the Kingdom for more information.

Once you are inside the compound, which is most likely the kind of housing that you'll have, you can wear shorts and go swimming and play ball just like you would back home. The dry heat will probably take some getting used to, since you are moving from England. Also, bring lots of sunscreen to protect your exposed skin.  

Answer 9

yes there are English communities .Saudi Arabia is developed a lot

from its old form{desert} because of import and export of petroleum. you

get air conditioned houses.there are education opportunities like teaching

and many  more ............and you also have  good  roads and good cars

which you will find there.