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susie's big adventure
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Documenting an American woman's move to her husband's native Saudi Arabia in a post 9/11 world
Recent Posts Tagged With 'moslem'
Peace, Tolerance and Compassion
The big story coming out of Kent, Connecticut, this past week has to do with a grieving father pitted against town officials over the wording for a proposed memorial to the man's son who perished in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on 9/11/20...
The Stoning of Soraya M
The Stoning of Soraya M is a powerful movie based on a best-selling book that leaves the viewer in utter disbelief that something like this true story could actually happen in real life. That supposedly pious men can get away with such barbaric beha...
Ramadan Kareem
Ramadan will be starting very soon. That's the month out of every year when all Muslims fast from sunrise until sundown. Because it is so difficult to fast during the daytime in the extreme heat of Saudi Arabia, many people here reverse their days ...
Widowed in Saudi Arabia, Part 2
This is Part 2 of a 4-part series. Click here for Part 1. The night that Abdul died, Asima left the hospital with her kids after a particularly horrifying episode their dad had from the side effects of his treatment. The following morning, Abdulâ€...
Widowed in Saudi Arabia - Part 1
This is Part 1 of a 4-part series.This is the true story of a young British woman who fell in love and got married to the man of her dreams, only to have her dreams shattered into an unimaginable nightmare when she became widowed in Saudi Arabia. H...
Halal Meat: A Disturbing Lesson
WARNING: THIS POST IS GRUESOME! Muslims eat meat, but much like the Jewish term "kosher," the meat that Muslims eat is supposed to be "halal." What makes meat halal? Well, there are several conditions required. First, the animal to be slaughte...
X-Treme Censorship
The other night I went to a music shop to purchase a few CDs for my son, Adam, AKA Captain Kabob, who just loves music. He comes by his love for music honestly. I have always loved to sing and I like all kinds of music. Listening to music brings m...
Hair Do or Hair Don't?
Yesterday our family was invited for dinner to the home of a Lebanese family whose son is friends with our son Adam. They live in a residential compound where women can walk around the grounds without an abaya or having to cover their hair. I was v...
The Battle of Mount Uhud
When we were in Madinah last month, I got excited when it was announced that we would be going to “the mountain.” I had visions of a picnic, lots of tall shady trees and fresh air. Well, that’s not exactly what I got. The “mountain” woul...
Celebrity Sighting and Cultural Clash
We rolled into Madinah just as the sun was setting. I immediately liked the place. For some reason I just felt comfortable there. I loved the drive there - the farther we got from Jeddah, the more mountainous the terrain became. Groves of date pa...
The Road to Madinah
Early December marked the time here in Saudi Arabia when millions of Muslims from around the world came to perform what is called the annual Hajj - a requirement of the faith stipulating that all able bodied Muslims must visit the holy city of Mecca ...
Noor: TV Soap a Threat to Islam?
There is a craze sweeping like wild fire across the Middle East from Saudi Arabia to the West Bank, from Syria and Lebanon to Oman and Yemen and all points in between. “Noor” is a wildly popular lavish Turkish soap opera, and interestingly enough...
Islam & Me - When in Rome...
Let me just start off by saying that the intent of this post is not to offend anyone or any religion. The opinions expressed here are solely my personal feelings and beliefs and I realize many people out there will not agree with what I have to say, ...
Land of Contrasts & Contradictions
As a newcomer, I have observed that Saudi Arabia is a very interesting place - a land of stark contrasts and confusing contradictions.For example, in an area of new and elegant walled villas in the city, the neighboring empty lot is, more often than ...
My 1st "Eid" in Arabia
Ramadan ended exactly one week after I arrived in Arabia. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during the daylight hours and are allowed to eat at sundown. They can eat as much as they want until the next morning at sunrise. That's why most peop...
