Emily Said Ruete

This is a thoroughly enjoyable slim tome illustrated with contemporary photographs, a very short and interesting read. The book has nothing in common with [a:Jean Sasson|11203|Jean P. Sasson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1264512428p2/11203.jpg]'s writings on female Saudi royalty as the form of Islam practiced by the royal family of Zanzibar, at least at that time, seems to have been a great deal more relaxed than present-day Saudia Arabia.

There are three very odd things about the book. The first is that it is almost, from beginning to end, a paean in praise of Islam and the Oriental way of life as opposed to the awfulness of European culture and Christianity. Very odd because at a young age the princess converted to Christianity, married a German commoner and apart from travels abroad, spent the rest of her life in Germany.

The second very odd thing is her defence of women as living greatly self-empowered lives of equality (within the home, or palace) in Zanzibar but excluding concubines from this as 'bought women' for whom she has no respect. It was the males of her family forcibly buying these girls, what did they do to earn her disapproval? They couldn't say no, they couldn't say we'd rather be a self-empowered maid Sire, than have to screw you.

The last odd thing is her defence of African slavery by Arabs as opposed to American and European slavery, saying that although it was pretty hard to start with and although they weren't paid for their work, they never had another worry in their lives. To some extent this must have been true as slaves were commonly armed and a dozen or so might escort a princess and her serving women as she walked through the streets at night. Obviously, the slaves were not in revolt. She makes a great point of saying very approvingly how slavery had to be ended in British possessions in Africa but not in Zanzibar which belonged to her family.

It is hard to read the extreme racism she quite overtly displays in her discussion of the native Africans, she herself being Arabian. But is the most honest I have ever read on racial attitudes, slavery and the rights of women in Islam, not just because the author was a product of her time, but also, despite her long years in the West, she was so absolutely convinced they were the right ones and that the West, whose freedoms she so enjoyed, were wrong.

These Islamic and Arab attitudes of the last century (she died in 1928) seem to have been passed down wholesale in Sudan, where Arab enslavement of Africans (whether Christian, Animist or Islamic) is mostly ignored by the world. Where is the talk of human rights? Exchanged for oil, for 'we shouldn't interfere in other people's culture', for sympathies because of a non-too-different set-up (Saudi Arabia) or just because we can't take on the world's troubles.

What do we elect politicans for if not to take them on then? Why do we pay through our taxes for politicians to represent us in the United Nations and in the European Parliament if they won't uphold our values and fight such evils as slavery? Is it really, when push comes to shove, only possible negative effects on business that will spur them on to 'humanitarian' action?

(For further reading I suggest the wonderful Slave, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/178460.Slave by [a:Mende Nazer|103952|Mende Nazer|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg], [a:Francis Bok|59693|Francis Bok|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]'s [b:Escape From Slavery|3146625|Escape From Slavery|Francis Bok|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|99609] and perhaps the top model's [a:Alek Wek|774153|Alek Wek|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]'s most moving biography, [b:Alek From Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel|1678369|Alek From Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel|Alek Wek|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1186720482s/1678369.jpg|1673477]. All five-star, excellent easy-reading!)… (més)