November/December 2007

In the fall of 2006, I applied for the Educators to Saudi Arabia program sponsored by Aramco Oil Company. When I learned that I had been accepted, I quickly discovered that there are basically two responses to that news: Wow! And Why? Many people wondered aloud why a middle-aged school librarian would want to travel to Saudi Arabia, a nation that does not welcome tourists. Others simply said, “Wow! That will be quite a trip! Aren’t you scared?”

I read many books in the months before traveling. Saudi Arabia is a monarchy, a theocracy, and a dictatorship. Those who have the power exercise it in seemingly capricious ways. It is also a nation that is only seventy years old. Many people who have lived in Saudi Arabia write about the harsh living conditions for all but male Saudi citizens. Women, in particular, write of the bleak life of Saudi women. Illiterate by law until the early 1970’s, Saudi women struggle to gain access to education and power. Women are essentially absent from the streets, businesses, restaurants and stores. Cultural life as we know it does not exist. Married couples do not go to theaters, concert halls or even sporting events together. Yet Saudis stress that they enjoy entertainment of all varieties within the confines of their family homes. Many Americans see a nation that seemingly looks back at how life has always been rather than looking forward to the twenty-first century.

Historically Islamic nations thrived on lively intellectual debate. Discovery, invention, and even archival efforts to preserve early Greek and Roman documents were paramount to the intellectual life of the area. Today Saudi Arabia espouses a strict interpretation of the Koran that precludes open dialogue. Religious leaders are allowed to use their understanding of the Koran to administer the laws of the kingdom. Many citizens have questioned this seemingly arbitrary application of the laws. Dr. Mohammed T. Al-Rasheed wrote in the Arab News, “(They) ban a history book that has the portrait of Marie Antoinette with a particularly low cut dress. Worse, they allow in a book in English yet ban the Arabic translation… It appears that they will pass judgment and make life miserable for anyone who brings in a book picked up at an airport somewhere.” For travelers, it is difficult, if not impossible, to understand these distinctions. We were given a rather lengthy list of packing rules that ranged from a strict ban on any symbol or literature of another religion to the simple sentence on the visa application, “If I violate the laws and regulations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I shall be subject to penalty and understand that smuggling or selling drugs in the Kingdom is punishable by death”.

The Trip

Our trip took us to three cities in Saudi Arabia – Riyadh, Dammam, and Jeddah. We were treated royally- our days were filled with fascinating visits to a variety of business locations, schools, libraries, and museums. We dined in gourmet restaurants and slept in five star hotels. The Saudi citizens who joined us for meals and conversations were amazing- each more interesting than the last. We had more than enough opportunities to ask questions, probe into the Saudi culture, and to converse about our lives and professions.

We left Houston for Saudi Arabia on March 29, 2007. After arriving in Damman, we went to the Aramco compound in Dhahran. Aramco houses its foreign workers in this secure compound. Once inside, it would be difficult to believe that you were not in Florida. Schools, pools, and stores are easily accessible. Women drive, wear western clothes and generally lead a comfortable life. Beautiful homes are available to employees for very reasonable rent. Few Americans would find it hard to live in Dhahran.

We visited a small school that educated Aramco employees who needed additional skills. The school library was housed in an oversized classroom. The signage was very familiar. The collection was surprisingly familiar, yet small. I was amazed to see a Stephen King novel. I was also surprised to learn that Saudi women prefer not to be photographed, opting to shield their faces. The stated reason was either modesty or a fear that the picture would end up on the Internet. The school librarian actually left the room to avoid the possibility of being photographed. Several classrooms of young women were also reluctant to be photographed; many pulled their hijabs (scarves) over their heads to shield their faces while others openly primped for the camera.

We also visited a bookmobile. This bus was housed in the Aramco parking lot and basically consisted of shelving on two sides of the bus and a very minimal number of children’s titles. Most titles had many copies but the selection was very limited. We did not meet anyone who could explain where the bus traveled, who the target audience was, or how the library worked.

We then flew to Jeddah, a beautiful city on the west coast of Saudi Arabia that is reputed to be the most liberal city in Saudi Arabia. Jeddah is the staging area for the hajj and as such, has almost three million visitors per year from all over the world. Artwork adorns every street and the Red Sea gleams in the background of every scene.

Our first stop in Jeddah was the Help Center, a private therapy center for special needs children. Many of these children have genetic disabilities that result from intermarriages among families. Wealthy Saudi families who need to use these facilities contribute large amounts of money to their programs. The library at the Help Center was also a small room with a very modest children’s collection. The “librarian” was a young man who had graduated from the Help Center the previous year. We never saw anyone else use the library.

The women in our group were the first Americans to be invited to a public school. Previous groups had visited private schools – but always asked that the next group be taken to a public school. We were not permitted to bring cameras into the school. We gathered in the school library, a small room with a very limited collection of materials. Eight shelf units along one wall contained scattered books. We were told that approximately 85% of the students had access to a computer at home and that they did their research there. This made me cringe as I thought about how those computers probably also had limited material. The students had certainly never been taught how to find, select, use and evaluate information for accuracy, currency, and point of view. Young women who spoke impeccable English told us about “awesome Saudi women”. They shared their dreams for careers in science and medicine. And yet the odds of ever reaching their goals are unbelievably long as only 5% of Saudi women are employed.

I have been privileged to correspond with a Saudi email friend, Mohamad, about a wide variety of subjects. Mohamad lived and studied in the United States for many years and is currently back in his hometown of Riyadh. I asked him about his experiences in school libraries as a young Saudi male. “Our school's library was of very good size. I am sure that school libraries vary in terms of size. The real problem is that kids are not encouraged to use the library enough. I have not made a single presentation, or a single report during my grade school years that pushed me to use the library. I do remember that we had class visits to the library, but I think the effort to get us interested was not well planned.” It is unfortunate that this description could easily apply to many U.S. school libraries.

A trip highlight was a visit to the art gallery owned by Safeya Binzagr. Ms. Binzagr is a well-known artist who paints pictures of traditional and contemporary Saudi culture. She also promotes art in the schools and community. She built the gallery to exhibit her art, teach art classes, and house her magnificent collection of art books. I spent a half hour in the library with a woman who identified herself as a “lover of books” and was in charge of the rooms. What a joy to see a library that reflected Binzagr’s love of art.

Our last stop was in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is a very conservative city and the women in our group were instructed to cover completely. We visited a public library- actually defined as three branches – the women’s library, the men’s library, and the children’s library. All were housed in the same building. The children’s library was bright and beautifully furnished. There were many books for children to choose from – several even had familiar covers. Once again, there seemed to be many copies of few titles. Yet it was apparent that the programming for children was important and well used. An exciting initiative involved the library sending monthly books to children who probably did not have books in their homes.

The women in our group went upstairs to visit the women’s library while the men went to the men’s branch. Several women worked quietly at tables throughout the library. There were many books available on two floors. A small coffee shop was available and beautiful artwork by Saudi women adorned the walls. A computer lab was used to offer enrichment courses for women who wanted to improve their computer skills.

We also visited a newspaper plant. The library was certainly filled with information but a closer look revealed dated print sources and a narrow collection of other materials. Approximately fifty journals were displayed – most about journalism and Arab culture. Obviously newspapers are relying on computers to provide information and I was surprised to see that the computers and archival materials were housed separate from the print library. It appeared to me that the print collection was becoming obsolete.

Finally we visited a library in the national government building. It was a stunning room filled with rich wooden furniture. There was no sign that the room was being used for research and many of the sources were dated. Once again, the place was there but the purpose was unclear.

The Role of Libraries

I asked my friend Mohamad about the role of libraries in Saudi Arabia. “Libraries in Saudi do not play 1/10 of the role they play in the US. I would be tempted to say that most libraries in the Kingdom are more like research libraries. They are rarely visited by people who JUST want to read. I, for one, never visited a library in the Kingdom just to read .” Mohamad told me that Saudis who want to learn about a topic are far more likely to visit a bookstore than a library. He could not explain that choice but said he continued to do that while he lived in Chicago. We visited one of the giant Jarir bookstores that to the American eye looked like a Barnes and Noble. Two large floors of Arabic books provided a much larger variety than any library we had visited. We were able to locate a wide variety of schoolbooks that were bilingual but generally, because the vast majority of the titles are in Arabic, we were unable to evaluate the collection.

It is difficult to reconcile the libraries and bookstores that I saw in Saudi Arabia with our concept of libraries and intellectual freedom. Life in Saudi Arabia is fundamentally different than in the United States. Being Muslim is a way of life that permeates all aspects of the Saudi culture. Saudis interpret the Koran strictly and have framed their legal, educational and cultural structures around this interpretation. Mohamad said he would honestly prefer his children see pornography (“and believe me… I do NOT want them to be exposed to it”) to reading information that would negatively affect their Islamic beliefs. If an idea is in opposition to a basic pillar of Islam, it will not be accepted in Saudi society. Once I understood the basic restrictions that are inherent in the religious construct, I thought of the important tenets of equity and access. Do libraries in Saudi Arabia aim to insure that EVERYONE is given access to information or is access to information limited to those who can afford to buy it in the bookstores or locate it on the Internet? Are there economic barriers to information access? Are there public libraries outside the major cities? Are public schools given the same resources as private schools? Are young women given the same access to information as young men? Do bookstores carry a greater variety of books than libraries or are they also subject to censorship? The answers to these questions are not as easy to find.

The Internet and global communications are changing the rules of access to information. While the government is fully capable of limiting access to information, citizens who travel and citizens with computers can easily skirt most restrictions. Young women are now educated and will use that information to further their participation in the government and society. The government leaders now consult women on issues of concern. The phrase “baby steps” was often heard to describe the progress women are making in Saudi Arabia. The king has ordered national dialogues to take place on contemporary issues. Young people across the kingdom are being trained to participate in debates. Change is happening but at a pace that can be culturally tolerated.

Reflections

Each winter I teach our eleventh graders about censorship in literature. I spend two days outlining the major reasons why books are challenged in the United States and then the students read one of several banned books and come to the library to investigate the censorship history and the literary criticism of that novel. I stress the importance of intellectual freedom and the first amendment. I also point out areas like hate crime and pornography where American citizens are conflicted and often disagree. In Saudi Arabia we were privileged to have numerous opportunities to discuss and reflect on intellectual freedom. Many times I reminded myself of our own areas of censorship. We know that we would generally not find books that promote racism on the shelves in a public library. We may hear of books that deny that the holocaust occurred, but we probably will not find them prominently displayed on the shelves in our libraries. My preconceived notions of what I would see in Saudi Arabia were challenged by a reality where lives are radically different than any I know. I now have a profound respect for the influence of Islam on Saudi culture. I also recognize that change is happening, albeit at a pace that seems almost nonexistent. In every nation and under every creed, there is always resistance to change. The radical right of Saudi Arabia is challenging the direction of change and yet it is also apparent that the ruling authority in Saudi Arabia is encouraging discussion and change. The glut of information from the Internet that has so significantly changed life in the United States is now changing life in Saudi Arabia. Saudis now struggle with familiar issues such as homosexuality, drug abuse, and pornography. As in the United States, it will be impossible to stand still in this world of constant change. Today I have an even deeper respect for those Saudis who are leading the way to a future where there will be true intellectual freedom that ultimately sustains and supports the life that the people choose to live. My hope is that all citizens will have the opportunity to participate in those discussions. In order to do so, libraries must assume a role at the center of each community and be known as a place where people are free to read, talk, think and learn so that they are ultimately free to choose their own path.

 Resources

Kristine Larson Brown is a library media specialist at James Madison Memorial High School in Madison Wisconsin. A former Social Studies teacher, she continues to pursue her love of history in the high school library.