Rania Al Baz might be a prominent Saudi but is far from liked by Saudis. She used to work as a presenter on the Saudi national channel. In April 2004 she was seriously beaten up by her husband. After a photo of the aftermath was published in local media, sympathy came pouring in. Her hospital bill was taken care of by a member of the royal family. Her husband was duly punished and she was granted custody of her two sons. She also has a daughter from a previous marriage. There were people who raised doubts about why her husband got that angry in the first place. There were even rumors that she was on the phone flirting with another man when her husband came in. Lucky for Rania, the husband lost a lot of his credibility when he shot at his sister in Egypt and then kidnapped her in Lebanon for singing. This is a video of an interview that the couple did on an MBC program soon after the beating.
Rania made a full recovery. She then was given jobs on Al Arabiya and then on the Lebanese channel Future TV. She lost some of her Saudi backing and fans when she decided to appear publicly without a headscarf. But generally she was on the right track up until her Oprah interview. On that show Oprah interviewed women from all over the world, all of them positive representatives of their countries except for Rania. Everyone back here was justifiably offended. Why couldn’t they have chosen someone else; Mona Abu Sulieman, Dr. Salwa Al Hazza, Lubna Olayan, Dr. Maha Al-Mounif, Rusha Al Hoshan…etc. It’s like bringing in Natascha Kampusch to represent all Austrian women. Anyway if you want a complete rant on the topic, read this post.
If Rania had condemned the Oprah episode, then she could have gained back a little of what was lost. Even the journalist who arranged the interview was unhappy about how it was edited. Rania on the other hand issued a statement to local press that she was satisfied with the show and that Saudis should not be so sensitive. That coupled with a memoir, originally published in French, which portrayed her whole life in Saudi Arabia as one great big tragedy really pushed Saudis away. It seems as if she used her calamity as a ticket to victim-hood fame. If she had truly cared about the plight of Saudi domestic violence victims, she would have written her memoirs in Arabic rather then French. She could have done more interviews locally rather than joining the rest of the world in their Saudi bashing. Ideally, she could have taken advantage of the initial surge of Saudi support to start a hotline, association, or/and a center. Instead she chose to publicly take off her hijab and to be interviewed reportedly drinking and smoking. Rather than help other Saudi women in her position by raising awareness within the country, Rania willingly and purposely became the global poster-child for anti- Saudi Arabia and anti- Islam.
21 Comments
December 5, 2008 at 6:35 am
It’s a tough one. While I see and concur with your points I am also trying to see things from her point of view. Thankfully most of us will never go through the traumatic experience and suffer as she has suffered. It is hard to predict and therefore understand how that experience has affected her psychologically, physically and in many other ways. Perhaps she simply is not strong enough to face her experience and turn it around head on to assist and promote against domestic violence in Saudi Arabia?
December 5, 2008 at 11:36 am
Why would she, and only she, offend Saudi sensibility, when her husband precipitated the whole incident by trying to kill her? He, not she, is the real impetus behind this traumatizing experience.
Nevertheless, your point is well-taken; she could have done better for other victims within the Kingdom. She could have anticipated that her subsequent behavior would drive a larger wedge between Saudis and the rest of the world. Maybe her anger propelled her to “throw out the baby with the bathwater.”
This video was made by free-christian-voice.net, and as such, will be interpreted as a representation of genuine, mainstream Islam, rather than the perversion of a major world religion. I dare say- ironically- Arabs and Muslims will condemn this incident; others will hold it up to support their twisted understanding of Islam.
December 5, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I was thinking who is this lady because I couldn’t recognize her without a headscarf!!
She made a fuss and true she lost some good friends and contacts!!
December 5, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Rania actually did condemn the editing on Oprah’s show in an interview i watched recently. It was in Alhura channel. Her husband thought he could justify his actions by accusing her of having an affair. She could have handled things better though by staying in her country.
December 5, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Marahm
The video was not made by free-christian-voice.net nor translated by them. It’s an interview by the Gulf channel MBC and translated by MEMRI. Free Christian are the ones that still have it on Youtube because it is a few years old.
December 5, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Thank you, saudiwoman, for correcting me.
The fact that the interview is a few years old reinforces my point. The Christians want this episode to continue to villify Islam.
December 5, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Salam alaykum, Good point Iman. I agree with you completely, here. From A to Z.
December 5, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I think when she took off her hijab, some twisted people may have then sided with her husband and thought that maybe she did do something that deserved a beatdown. Nothing she did could have deserved that and even the husband said that he regretted getting so angry that he beat her, so now by removing her hijab it will cast doubts as to her character.
I wonder why removing the hijab is usually the first thing scorned Muslim women do?
December 5, 2008 at 9:38 pm
One more thing, I didn’t like how that print interview claimed that her shahadah was forced. In her video interview she praised Allah for being able to utter the shahadah because she thought she was dying. As crazy as it sounds, he was reminding her to say the shahadah not forcing her.
December 6, 2008 at 6:42 am
Marahm
I am quite sure that if Christians (do you mean all of us, from Europe via China to Antarctic? ) want to vilify Islam they can find many newer events, say, a terrorist attack at Mumbai or a latest case of prostitution in Emirates. No need to pull out an old stuff.
As for Rania. If I were her I might not want to fight against domestic violence in Saudi Arabia. She may think that fighting inside SA will take too much time with little results to show for all the efforts. On the other hands going abroad and make outsiders to pressure SA will work faster and get better results.
December 6, 2008 at 3:48 pm
“going abroad and make outsiders to pressure SA will work faster and get better results”
LOL, yeah while sipping on some vodka
December 6, 2008 at 7:20 pm
“On the other hands going abroad and make outsiders to pressure SA will work faster and get better results.”
I would disagree with this assessment. Change always comes from within and I think that after awhile outside meddling only starts to breed resentment no matter how well intentioned the meddlers may be. If people within a country itself don’t speak against something and seem rather complacent about their own affairs what reason would a government have to even begin to initiate changes? Because Americans or European governments aren’t happy? What business is it of these governments to begin with really?
With regards to specific individual cases, for example the Qatif girl incident, I do think outside pressure can make a difference but with regards to long lasting changes in actual government policy I don’t think it makes much of a difference and actually proves to be detrimental in the long run.
As for Rania and her hijab… maybe she never really wanted to wear it to begin with and it had nothing to do with her being a “scorned muslim woman” and everything to do with the fact that she was living in a country that didn’t really give her much of a choice in the matter to begin with.
December 6, 2008 at 11:06 pm
“she was living in a country that didn’t really give her much of a choice in the matter to begin with”
Really? she did have a successful career unlike other women in the country
December 7, 2008 at 12:59 am
“Really? she did have a successful career unlike other women in the country”
How does that have anything to do with a headscarf?
December 7, 2008 at 1:01 am
And what does having a good job have to do with your personal clothing preferences?
December 7, 2008 at 5:09 am
tulip
No, american or european government have nothing to do with it. I thought of people, not of the governments. I also thought that perhaps muslims in europe or america will take notice and push for change.
And I agree that outside meddling breeds resentment. When your government is telling out newspapers that we have to be careful what we print or say it does breed resentment.
You see, the resentment goes both ways.
December 10, 2008 at 6:31 am
I wonder why removing the hijab is usually the first thing scorned Muslim women do?
Because they realized that nothing–even being scorned–nothing–even accepting being scorned–would ever–ever–be enough?
December 10, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Eman,
I am not supporting Rania, but I saw her pictures that time, I saw the husband interview and Opprah Interview.. I think she is depressed / she is lost.. She was trying to fix herself and she thought if she appear by this way presenting the untrue side of Saudi Women, she might get something from the Western society, like many examples of Women in the past, I remember that Somali Woman who reject the Islam to win a chair in the Denmark Parliament >>>>I guess!
It is sad story really, I feel so sorry for her, to be beaten by husband and get lots of sympathy from the Saudis and then show the other extreme which in lots of Saudi mentality might think that her husband may was right for beaten her..
Eman.. Time to have your own blog .. believe me!.
December 12, 2008 at 8:47 am
maybe she was just tired of being told how to act and what to wear and who to listen to and how to go about it..
maybe she just wanted to exercise her own will..
December 15, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I agree with ممارس صحي.
Many are holding this unfortunate victim to an unrealistic standard, and not showing her compassion.
When the statement is made “Rania made a full recovery.” I would challenge that assertion.
The external wounds of her body may be healed, but who among us can speak to her wounded ego, to the terrible sense of vulnerability she must now feel.
And to those who criticize Rania for her views on Islam, I would urge that the full set of teachings of the Rasulullah be remembered. The Quran speaks eloquently of compassion, and surely this woman deserves such ongoing compassion.
May 24, 2009 at 1:02 am
je sais pas kesk je vais dire a propos de sa j ai le le roman de rania el baz “deffiguré” mais ché pas g pleuré et je pleuré tt le temps kon je relis ce roman je c pas s il a un coeur ou une pierre mais un aniam ne fais pas sa s il a besoin de manger et c DIEU ki voulé sa mais celui la si g t moi le juge je vous jure ke je voudrais le tuer avec mes mains kesk elle a fait pou k il f sa la jalousie k elle est mieux ke lui mai kont il a f ce geste la il ce met ds une situation pireeeeee un mot resume tt je ke je sens ” HASSBIYA LAH WANIAMA LWAKIL FIH” et j espre ke je puisse parle avec madame Rania el baz j espere de tt mon coeur