Many Saudi women fear being relegated to spinsterhood - quarter of a man, better than none

Houston Chronicle ^ | Sept. 13, 2002, 7:48PM | DONNA ABU-NASR, AP

[Salman]

But regardless of their polygamous marriages, males and females are born in approximately equal numbers, no? So what's up with the excess men? Too poor to pay the bride price or just not interested?

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

I don't know if they care. In Egypt, 97% of women are given female circumcisions. I'm not sure of the percentage in Saudi Arabia, but I imagine it's pretty high.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

I heard a rumor about what the surplus men do, just a rumor. Guess I won't repeat it.

[Greeklawyer]

bump for later reading

[RAY]

Been there, seen it. When asked about the plight of women, the "educated" Saudi men always had some feeble explanation - along the lines of "for the good and protection of the women – or the women really prefer it this way". However, it was really a sight to see “their” women rush to the john and change into “hip” Western clothing as soon as the airliner cleared Saudi air space.

[wotan]

In Saudi Arabia, the social pressure on women
is to get married and have children.

In the US, the social pressure on women is to have a
career.

Social pressure works.

That's why Islam is winning. Muslims are arriving in
ever greater numbers in the US and Europe while
the birth rate for European and American whites
is too low to sustain their population.

[NYpeanut]

Dear God, I am glad to be an American.

[jrlc]

The liberal press needs to take off the eye shades. The valued sexual "property" in Saudi Arabia is a boy prior to the age of puberty. Boy Buggering is the prefered sexual outlet -- women are considered dirty -- worthy only for procreation. Women bleed, as the Rolling Stones liked to point out -- so in this Muslim world, they are dirty. A little boy is a precious fruit -- too bad the Catholic Priests hadn't discovered Saudi Arabia. Their Muslim brethern would have welcomed their "boy love" society.

[hoosierham]

Hope you have on your asbestos suit ! .....And you are correct ; a society that does not want children will become extinct.

[wattsmag2]

Apparently, a free camel is more interesting to the young Saudi men than a dowried wife.

[Greeklawyer]

I once met a muslim and his two wives here in the states. all were educated and all worked in the states. They were devout to their faith and happy to be living in the states.

We should not be so quick to condem the what the article is stating. After all, did not a study come out and state after 28, female fertility goes way down? How is having hirer illigitimacy better than having a desire to be legitimatly married?

Those who live in glass houses should not cast stones. OR

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

[Paleo Conservative]

Meanwhile, as Saudi families have migrated to cities and large clans have fragmented, it has become harder to keep matchmaking within the tribe, "So even the traditional way of arranging marriage has become difficult," Abu-Khalid said.

It's getting harder for them to marry first cousins. That's not such a bad thing. Saudi Arabia has very high rates of rare inherited diseases. These are due to thousands of years of marrying close relatvies.

[Lewite]

Forty years ago when I was in the U.S. Air Force, our men retuning from service in islamic lands spoke often of the sodomites they had seen there. Boy love in islamic states was in high gear. The Saudi kings prefered ten year old boys to girls. One king could only have (rape) sex with a virgin girl or young boys. An article in a magazine in the eighties asked how much of the millions the U.S. was sending the saudi family of rulers, went to purchase the children the "royal" family was abuseing!!!!

[ItsJeff]

... the rhythmic beat of a tambourine rising above their chatter

Ah, reminds me of my daughter's wedding. The high pitched shreiking over the banging of tambourines...

[hoosierham]

What glass houses ?

It is a scientific fact that if a species (culture) does not produce new individuals that it will die out. Where did I write in favor of illegitamcy ? or even against polygamy ?

As for the Saudi women's complaint that the men desired younger 2nd wives, this does makes sense if more children are desired. While the 40 year old lady may be a charming helpmate, the ruthless facts of nature mean she is much less likely to have babies than a 20 year old. I suppose that if the Saudi man married the older woman second (or third) she would then complain it was only to secure a fulltime babysitter and helper for the younger mother(s) !

It would probably be safer and easier to dance drunken in a minefield than try to placate four spouses !!!!

[Greeklawyer]

I appologize, perhaps I should not have linked my response to your post. I had no intention of offending. I only wished to point out that the United States has its own problems with single women and illegitimacy. It is wrong to criticize on society for wanting marriage and implying praise for United States' society with a high amount of single mothers and out of wedlock births.

With career women postponing birth to the late thirties, there is a kernel (all be it a small kernel) to having a family earlier is better for a woman it that she will be more likely to get pregnant.

Again I did not intend to offend, I only wished to contribute to the thread.

[Squawk 8888]

Polygamy is allowed by Islam because in a warrior culture, very few men live long enough to procreate. The practice started when the holy wars decimated the male population of the Arab world to the point where there were roughly four women to each man.

[maica]

That's why Islam is winning. Muslims are arriving in ever greater numbers in the US and Europe while the birth rate for European and American whites is too low to sustain their population.

---

A serious problem which gets no publicity because it goes against the credo of the NOW/NARAL supporters.

Canada and the longest unprotected border in the world are now a threat to the US because their SOLE population increase is from third world immigration and the LARGE numbers of children that these immigrants are having after they reach Canada. Because of the extreme emphasis on multiculturalism, these people have NO feelings for the traditional Western Values.

Recipe for disaster, IMO!

[Greeklawyer]

After a recent visit I was quite shocked. Canada has definitly mangaged to produce a seperate but equal culture. There are neighborhoods which are openly marketed as ethnic. If that type of real estate herding was done in the us the real estate agent would be in violation of the fair housing act.