The Great Change: Lubna Hidayat Hussain Pens An Unflinchingly Honest, Emotional Chronicling of Saudi Arabia’s Evolution
“I clearly remember not even allowing myself to think of reforms that were anything beyond glacially paced and superficial. Now I have borne witness to those very changes I could never have imagined possible…”
It has been over a decade since I last wrote in any formal capacity. Much of what I penned was centered around the absurdity of so-called ‘normal’ life 20 years ago. The range of subjects was so expansive that it didn’t take to comment upon a peculiar set of rules that made no sense or lament upon the opacity of who exactly to turn to when addressing such issues.
I lived during an era when women were not allowed to enter cassette shops, abayas with embellishments were routinely burned and little old ladies had to seek permission from their teenage grandsons to leave the country. I believed that it was my duty as a citizen to call out such irrationality embedded in our system, not because I hated my country, but on the contrary, because I loved it.
Lubna Hidayat Hussain
And yet, in spite of my railing against the situation, I have always considered it an incredible privilege to be a Saudi. I chose to live in Riyadh and raise both my daughters here. Like some of my compatriots, I could have sought a future elsewhere, but in spite of some of the most frustrating aspects of life in the Kingdom, nowhere else in the region, or for that matter, the whole world, trumped being here. Prior to the devastating outbreak of COVID-19, I could visit Islam’s holiest sites at my leisure. For me, this was an honour that I constantly availed myself of and was humbled by. The ability to worship in Makkah and Madinah was, I think, the biggest gift I was ever given and I am indeed forever indebted to the Kingdom for this exceptional opportunity.
HRH Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud, Ambassador to the U.S.
Yes, there were various issues, but Saudi was so much more than that. It was a country of rare unequalled beauty, cultural diversity and unrivalled hospitality. The sheer warmth, kindness and generosity of the people were enough to compensate for the other patent idiosyncrasies. One could blame the skewed reporting, ill- informed opinion and hackneyed storylines on parachute journalism, but we, as Saudis, were also culpable in that. How could people really understand the country when it was almost impossible to visit it?
HE Dominique Mineur, Ambassador to Belgium
A former American Ambassador to the Kingdom had once wisely said that, “No one who visits here leaves with a less favourable impression than when they came.” The irony of travel restrictions into the Kingdom meant that the annoying, glaringly inaccurate stereotypes that persisted remained largely unchallenged. I would be hard pushed to think of another country in the world where the gap between reality and perception was so hugely disproportionate.
And the biggest misperception of all was focused around Saudi women. They were largely defined in binary terms: through their inability to drive and the fact that they were veiled. This was in spite of the fact that more than half of all university graduates were female, highly sophisticated, very opinionated and decidedly passionate. Many expatriates would be routinely shocked at how articulate, formidable and fluent these women were. I believe that women are the powerhouse of any nation. Saudi is no different. As I had quipped in a talk on the hijab many years ago, “Our heads may be covered, but our minds are not!”
And now, I find myself writing this piece in a completely different Saudi Arabia. A country that is undergoing a remarkable transformation; a transformation that I never thought would be possible in my lifetime.
Harper’s Bazaar has taken the unusual step for such a well-established magazine to actually launch from the Kingdom. A first, to enable Saudi women to take control of their own narrative to document this exciting journey at an unprecedented time for the country. A time when HRH Princess Reema Bint Bandar, one of the wisest, most accomplished people I know, serves as our Ambassador to the Unites States, continuing to champion women’s rights from Washington. We have two women EU ambassadors currently serving here, inspiring future generations of female leadership. One of them, the wonderfully energetic and fabulous HE Dominique Mineur, the Ambassador to Belgium, recently hosted a fashion show by my dearest friend, the brilliant, multi-faceted Princess Safia Hussein Guerras, Christophe Beaufays and Lomar that showcased the beauty, elegance and chicness of the abaya in an atmosphere that rivalled London, Paris or New York. A testimony to how Saudi women want to embrace their unique identity, honour their heritage and yet progress; modernisation as opposed to westernisation.
Women currently participate across the board in many Saudi government entities and, judging by the current trend, will soon be rewarded with ministerial positions. None of this would have been possible just a few years ago.
The Lomar + Safia show
No nation’s progress can ever be charted as a straight line. Not everything here is fixed. Making mistakes is part of the process. I’m not saying that we are an ideal society, a model nation, or by any means close to perfection. There are many things that I struggle with and find hard to reconcile myself to. Indeed, there is no place I can think of where everything would make sense to me. But surely that also provides us with huge opportunities to introspect, refine our attitudes and revise our policies?
What I am saying is that when you look at the bigger picture, we are definitely moving in the right direction. And relative to where we were half a decade ago, it feels like we have moved at the speed of light. The progress made within such a short time span is pretty remarkable.
Reema Juffali, the first-ever female Saudi racing driver
We have finally begun to welcome the world to our extraordinary nation and to give people the opportunity to firsthand see what Saudi is actually like. As the Minister of Tourism, HE Ahmed Khateeb likes to point out to potential visitors, “Come see with your eyes and not with your ears.”
This experience of reality will no doubt change some impressions and serve to polarise others, but is a huge step forward in allowing the outside world to see us for who we are. Ordinary people who share the same dreams, hopes and aspirations for their children, just like everyone else around the world.
At dinner the other night hosted by a diplomat and attended by some of Saudi’s most intellectual minds, we were casually asked what the greatest single change has been for each of us…? I thought about that question well after I left that evening, because the changes have been so innumerable, transformative and profound. Back in the day as a journalist, I would have answered so many “Do you think this will happen?” type of questions with a well-rehearsed response of, “Not in my lifetime, but inshallah, hopefully during that of my daughters’ lifetimes”. I clearly remember not even allowing myself to think of reforms that were anything beyond glacially paced and superficial. And now I have borne witness to those very changes I could never have imagined possible. This is the same country that I didn’t think my daughters would want to return to a few years ago. The same place where they too have chosen to make a life for themselves. A nation where their future heralds equal pay, equal respect and equal opportunity.
I once visited Oud Square in the diplomatic quarter when women were first allowed to drive and asked a girl fresh out of university how life was different for her, how she felt with the prospect of newfound liberty and what she looked forward to. She grinned widely and said, “For the first time in my life, I feel like I am allowed to dream.” And so, in answer to that diplomat’s question that plagued my mind, to be part of a nation that lives in hope is perhaps the greatest change of all.
Photography: Norah Al Amri. Styling: Latifa Bint Saad. Model: Taleedah Tamer. Make-Up: Eilaf Sabbagh. Hair: Sawsan Lilish. Photography Assistant: Abdulrahman Alosaimi. Fashion Assistants: Amira Abdo and Mohamed.
From Harper’s Bazaar Saudi’s March 2021 issue.