Mike's Saudi (24) Saudi Arabs and the expatriate

Some of you who have followed our blog will realise that we loved Saudi at the time we were there 1974 onwards, we integrated with the locals as far as our two languages would permit and became close friends with some. At the time I was an expatriate working in an OJT project with the Royal Saudi Airforce where like other expatriates I was involved on a daily basis with many Saudi men. I enjoyed their company and discussing their life style and beliefs yet many of the expatriate community failed to understand them or even try to.

Sybil and I became so upset by the expatriate’s ignorance that Sybil decided to write a book about it, realising that we didn’t have the knowledge to write about it in an authoritive way she decided on a story about Saudi family life. To add interest and excitement to the tale she introduced a love story between a girl from the family and an expatriate showing how both sides reacted to the situation both from a Saudi and a Western viewpoint. This was the 1970s and sharia law was enforced strictly and the consequences of the romance being discovered would have been disastrous, especially for the girl. However it enabled Sybil to show the life styles of the Saudis and the expatriate at that time. The end of the book is quite ambivalent and can be interpreted in two ways depending on  your background and religion, it was designed that way as it is a book designed to be read by both Saudis and Westerners and for each to decide on the consequences left hanging at the end of the book.

Despite many requests for a sequel it would be impossible to write for two reasons, one we no longer live in Saudi and Saudi has moved on and secondly it would answer the situation at the end of the book. If you read it I do hope you enjoy and empathise with it. amazon.com/dp/B007OIX3XM  

Amazon review

Be prepared to leave the world as you know it, travel back in recent time, and experience life in Saudi Arabia, a Muslim state that had just undergone major changes within its borders. Religion and its customs are harsh, particularly for females, the punishment seems even more harsh for failing to honor millennia-old beliefs. When a gutsy Muslim woman falls in love with a Christian Englishman, it can only spell disaster if they are caught. Is it possible for them to have a future, would the cost be worth it?
Author Sybil Powell has created a beautiful tale of forbidden love in a country that disdains Western ideals and practices, while welcoming Western business and money. Even an unknown infraction of the rules of the land can be met with dire consequences, and reading about them can be difficult to understand, because love is good, right?
I was fascinated with the in depth look into a Saudi family and their interactions, the depth of their beliefs and the acceptance of "how it has always been." The cultural differences are eye-opening and will spark an inner debate with yourself, I guarantee it! Thankfully, it does NOT take away from the love story, but adds to its desperate intensity. You will smell the markets, see the sand and the rock, feel the grit and dust, and think you have just been on a trip to another way of life. Whether you return glad to be home or with new questions regarding the choices in made life, in the name of faith or love, you will be changed by this powerful book! Does it invoke tolerance or further intolerance of others? Only you can decide.