My Alphabetical Biography List: Bin Ladin, Carmen - former sister-in-law of Osama Bin Laden (they spell it differently with the English alphabet)

"Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia"
Fascinating story, and a quick read.
Bin Ladin was born and raised in Switzerland, the daughter of a Swiss father and Persian mother. She grew up going to (a then safe) Iran during school holidays, so when she met a Middle Eastern man when she was older, she felt little apprehension about what life would be like for her in his country. He warned her that as a woman she would have no freedom, and that there would be expectations that she wouldn't be used to, but she couldn't have imagined what life would become for her. All of our stereotypes were confirmed. She was property, she had to be completely covered at all times, she couldn't speak to a man, all of that.
Bin Ladin struggled with not only the restrictions, but also the fact that the women seemed resigned to them. She felt that if the women would only step up and demand a few small freedoms, society could move forward. However, from what she saw, the women didn't want change. And while she may have been able to tolerate that for herself, once she had daughters, everything changed.
She herself had been able to choose her husband. Her husband had lived both in Switzerland and in America, so he had seen some of the Western culture, and was more laid back. Her husband also appreciated having a wife who could think. Her daughters might not be that lucky.
The longer they lived in Saudi Arabia, the more 'Saudi' she felt her husband became. Part of that was due to the political situation in the Middle East, part due to his family, and part due to the culture. Bin Ladin was, I felt, very fair in acknowledging that her husband tried in the beginning. He loved her, he gave her freedoms, he took her to Switzerland whenever he could, but as things changed in Saudi Arabia, he changed. Eventually she realized that this couldn't go on. She had to get out; if not for her own sake, then for that of her daughters.
Bin Ladin skimmed over the details of her leaving the country and her husband. She said that was a messy part of her life and she didn't feel that it would benefit anyone for her to go into it. I appreciate that. And I like how gracious she was concerning her ex-husband. "Despite everything we have gone through and no matter what the future holds for us, I want my daughters to know that I will never regret saying yes to their father. As a young girl, I accepted him and loved him madly. Unfortunately, I found that as a mother and a woman, I could not accept the beliefs and values that were such an important part of him." I think that's a very nice way of putting it.
At the end of the book, Bin Ladin also issues a warning to those of us in the West. She acknowledges that the percentage of Muslims who are fanatics is slim, but states that she can see their culture creeping in and that it is something about which we should be concerned. "We should not allow them to use our tolerance to impose their intolerance on us." A profound statement that covers a multitude of facets.