Princess: Stepping Out of the Shadows, стр. 48
‘Oh, Sara. And the mother did nothing?’
‘From what Nona told us last evening, her mother is routinely raped and beaten by her husband. The woman is living in terror for herself and can find no courage to fight for her daughter.’
I sat upright, so incensed that I gripped Sara’s hand with a strength I never knew I had.
‘Sultana,’ my sister shouted, and pulled her hand away.
I looked at Sara, whose eyes had momentarily popped open from the pain. She was rubbing her hands together, but still reclining and soon closed her eyes once again. Her behaviour would be considered bizarre by those unfamiliar with her full story, regarding the sexual abuse and physical violence she endured at the hands of her first husband. But I knew that Sara had been so scarred by the trauma that she had found ways to soldier through the toughest moments. If keeping her eyes closed while she discussed the acts inflicted on Nona that once she had experienced herself made it possible to relay the details, then I felt confident she had correctly assessed what she could and could not withstand.
‘Sorry, Sara, sorry.’
‘That is not the worst of it, Sultana.’
‘No?’
‘No. Nona recently discovered that she is pregnant.’
‘Pregnant?’
‘Yes, pregnant by her own father. Nona finally confessed everything to her mother yesterday. Her mother confronted her husband when he arrived home for the noon-time meal, but all she gained from her new-found courage was to be beaten severely. Nona says that her father punched her mother in the face, knocked her to the floor, then kicked her. Her mother lost several teeth and has some broken ribs, along with numerous cuts and bruises. She was not allowed medical treatment and is now locked in her room, forbidden to come out. She is a virtual prisoner in her own home. Her husband has retrieved all her communication devices, so she cannot call her mother or her sisters. He has a guard by the door. He has told his wife that he would never allow her a divorce, so she is trapped in that marriage, most likely until one of them dies.’
‘And Nona?’
‘Her father told her that she will be getting an abortion. There are numerous back-alley abortionists to be found in Jeddah, or so he claims. He is bringing one of them to their home tomorrow.’
‘Oh, Sara.’
Sara was silent for a long moment. ‘Sadly, that is not the worst of it, Sultana.’
I leaned in to my sister. ‘What, Sara, what could be worse than being raped and getting pregnant by your own father and forced to get an abortion?’
Sara’s voice was flat and unemotional. ‘Her father has arranged a marriage. Nona is going to be married within ten days of having an abortion. The creepy man her father has chosen works in one of his companies and is known for abusing his wives – he has three wives already – and Nona will be his fourth.’
‘No, no, no,’ I said, exhaling. ‘We must do something.’
Sara was right. This horrifying incident nearly mirrored her own experience. This poor girl was just being passed from one disastrous situation to another.
‘Nona is hiding out at our home, but her father called Assad and he is threatening to notify the authorities that we are harbouring a minor against the wishes of her guardian. He is pressuring my husband to turn Nona over to him, saying that he will tell everyone that Assad is the father of Nona’s child.’
‘Surely he will not do that!’
‘Well, he can, but we are not worried about that point. Assad is meeting with Kareem now, and they will come up with a plan, I am sure. This man cannot harm Assad. My husband is well known throughout the entire family as a decent man who is faithful to his wife. And of course we do not believe that Nona’s father will be so stupid as to start advertising that his daughter is pregnant. That would raise suspicions too close to home.’
I shook my head, inhaling and exhaling loudly. After a moment of thought, I was not worried about Assad either. His reputation is sterling, and in addition he is exceptionally close friends with one of the members of the ruling family. This association would protect my brother-in-law from such a false accusation.
It is worth noting that in Saudi Arabia anyone who gives false testimony can be subjected to eighty lashes. In my country, a person’s good reputation is taken seriously, and it is considered a crime to falsely accuse anyone of anything unlawful. Nona’s father would risk a very painful punishment should he dare to threaten Assad’s impeccable reputation in public.
‘How are you going to help Nona, Sara?’ I asked.
Both of us knew that the guardianship law gave Nona’s father the right to seal his wife in a room for ever, if he so chose. No one would free her. The guardianship law also gave him the right to marry his daughter to anyone he might select. No person would or could intervene. Neither would the government intercede in a man’s decision with regards to the women he ‘protected’ as their guardian.
Even if Nona wanted to go to court to reveal her father’s sexual abuse, she would not get very far, for she would not be allowed to report him to the authorities ‘without the guardian’s approval’. Therefore, if her father refused Nona the right to report him, she could not do so. Even if she managed to convince a court to hear her complaint, no one would believe her word over that of her father. Although women may now testify in court, their testimony is still considered to be worth only half that of a man, so in the case of conflicting testimony, the male