Lack of Trust and Respect

It’s sad to think about the lack of trust and respect women receive in the Middle East. In the prologue of Nine Parts of Desire, Geraldine Brooks talks about her personal experience with life in the Middle East. When she tried to check into a hotel, they refused to allow her to stay there, because women were not allowed to travel alone or else they would be considered a whore. In the Middle East men are allowed to have up to four wives, because they believe women need to be protected or they would be considered dangerous. Because of the stereotypical precedents set on women because of Mohammed’s wives, in the Middle East they believe a woman should not be left unattended. This reminds me of the laws about children in America, and how it is illegal to leave little kids in the car by themselves for just a minute while you run into the grocery store or something. As kids, we think that is the most ridiculous law ever, but how do you think the women in the Middle East feel about always having to be supervised or under the control of men? If women are considered to be dangerous in the Middle East and yet men control them, why wouldn’t men be considered dangerous, too? -rb