See the mapDo you know what this place is?
Saudi Arabia
Yes, this is Saudi Arabian Raab. Polygamy is practised here, and premarital sex is prohibited; Women here must have a male guardian, and their approval must be obtained for further education and job travel; Drinking alcohol, idolatry, and even casual photography are prohibited here, do you feel particularly unfree as a Chinese?
Saudi Arabia at night
The beauty of Saudi Arabia's night view is the guiding light for the Middle East. The lights represent the prosperity of the people here.
It is hard to imagine that in the modern society of the 21st century, the superiority of men over women can still be practiced to such an extreme. Let's unveil the country.
Saudi Arabia is located in the Gulf region and is rich in oil. Not bad money, everyone is a chieftain and a local tycoon seems to be our consistent understanding of this place. Did you know, however, that drunken sight may only happen to the royal family? For ordinary people, their lives may not be so satisfactory.
Is there a poor person in saudi Arabia? People who make up 1/4 of the country's population are below the subsistence line, and in these impoverished neighborhoods, people who can't find work are begging on the side of the road, and more of them are women and children. It is estimated that only 1 in 5 adult Saudi women can find work. Without the support of men, women without jobs would have to live on the streets. Go online to Dubai to beg to know that it is a paragraph rather than a reality.
Why is that?
Saudi Arabia is a typical theocratic country, Islam is the state religion of the country, and the citizens are devout Muslims.
It is because of this devotion that believers strictly enforce the teachings of Islam, and the taboos in it must not be violated! They believe that all the stimuli of the human senses are a manifestation of depravity, the beginning of sin. Thus, there are the following seemingly bizarre regulations. The doctrine forbids sensory stimulation, for it is a manifestation of depravity, so that everything that can cause sensory stimulation is forbidden. In addition to the drugs and pornography that we are generally familiar with, if a drinker is caught, he or she is flogged 80 times in public, or imprisoned for 6 months to 1 year, and the fine is calculated separately. Anyone who buys alcohol, brews wine without permission or drives after drinking is punishable by a severe sentence, the most severe beheading! So, in the restaurants and supermarkets here, you can't buy products with alcohol.
Not only that, all kinds of movie theaters, dance halls, KTV, etc. can not be found in Saudi Arabia. If you're a fun-loving person, such a life may feel a little boring. Watching fewer movies and reading more books is the right mode of life.
For the average traveler, the above points may not be a big deal, but it may be a little hard to accept that you can't take pictures casually. Because of the doctrine, taking pictures does not exist. No-photo signs are everywhere.
Saudi Arabia also has a left-handed culture. Do you think it's only Indians who eat with their hands?
No, in fact, people in Arab countries eat directly with their hands. Around the world, hundreds of millions of people eat with their hands.
The question arises again, do you know which hand they eat with? Or do you grab it with both hands? The answer is the right hand.
Eat with your right hand
As in India, because the left hand is a symbol of uncleanness in the Arab concept, it is only used in the toilet! After the Arabs go to the toilet, they do not wipe it with toilet paper, but with their left hand and wash it with water. As a Chinese is it unacceptable?
Therefore, never use your left hand when shaking hands with An Arab. The same is true when picking up things, so remember to use your right hand, even with both hands. Speaking of the culture of the hands, it is also worth noting that you should never cross your hands and talk to the Arabs, because that means great insult and disrespect!
Let's talk about male power
In Arab countries, the status of women is generally low, especially in Saudi Arabia. The darker the color of the dress, the lower the status of the woman. Much of this has to do with the beliefs of the locals. The precepts of Islam hold that women are ashamed of their whole body and that it is considered inauspicious if a man sees the face of a strange woman. Therefore, women wear veils not only to protect men, but also to protect themselves. It is said that when you get married, you can only know what the bride looks like, which is a bit of a blind box. As a result, most Saudi women are unemployed, and if they are occupations that must be performed by women, such as flight attendants, they will hire people from other countries. For example, if you've traveled with Emirates, you'll find that the flight attendants above, dressed in Arabian attire, are actually girls from all over the world. However, in recent years, Emirates has also begun to relax the rules and gradually recruit locals. It's progress!.
Foreign flying crew
Saudi women also practice a guardianship system, and they must obtain the consent of their guardians for further education and travel. Guardians can be male members such as fathers, brothers, husbands, etc.
Compared with women, the male power here is very huge. Saudi Arabia pursues polygamy, where a husband can have multiple wives. Women cannot file for divorce, and women are not even allowed to marry non-Muslims or atheists without government permission. However, if a man requests a divorce, the wife cannot have custody of boys over 7 years old and girls over 9 years old.
Saudi Arabia is a polygamous country. At the time of a court statement, the weight of a male's testimony can be equal to that of two females.
Seeing this, some friends may jump out and say, now that it is the 21st century, why can such a thing happen, especially in Saudi Arabia, a relatively rich country? Why are local women so tolerant?
In fact, for the religion and culture of a country, it is difficult for us as outsiders to judge. We cannot measure the lives of others by our own standards and ideas, just as the United States and other Western countries cannot criticize us with what they call universal values. We should all face the local religion and culture with a respectful attitude, rather than allowing ourselves to stand on the moral high ground and criticize ourselves. Otherwise, how are we different from the Americans?
In fact, in the face of the trend of world development, the Saudi government has gradually begun to relax some bans. For example, Saudi women can also drive. For example, for foreign tourists, women only need to wear long-sleeved clothes and trousers when they go out, and they do not need to wrap a large black robe like the locals. In addition, female tourists can also stay in the hotel alone, just need to provide their own identification. Co-ed living is also open to foreign tourists, and couples can stay in the same room without providing a marriage certificate. This is unthinkable for locals, as premarital sex is not allowed in Saudi Arabia.
Lifting the ban on women's rights and opening up tourism can also be regarded as a small exploration of Saudi Arabia's conformity to the trend of the world. After all, although oil is precious, it is far from the whole world, what if one day the energy revolution occurs?
Today, Saudi Arabia has come out of the world and opened its tourist visas to 49 countries, so that we can see what it really is. So, do you want to take a trip to Saudi Arabia? Or where to move bricks? Well, some common sense in Saudi Arabia is introduced here. I believe it will become more and more open. I am a pedestrian who is a sea ice, slowly writing a complete ball of country introductions.