Islamic Feminist Intervention into Jean Sasson’s American Chick in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This research paper deals with the issue of representation of Saudi Arabian women in Jean Sasson's novel American Chick in Saudi Arabiafrom Islamic feminist perspective. It criqutes how Sasson belittles and demeans Saudi Arabian Women. The writer brings an orientalist, ‘Sister Other’ attitude when she approaches the Saudi women. She recounts the pitiable condition of Saudi Arabia as a teenage American girl staying in Riyadh to work for a hospital. She preaches the Western version of women’s freedom and banks on the foreign influences and Western modernity to alter the discriminated condition of the Saudi women. Sasson criticizes the Islamic values time and again for being overtly patriarchal. However, she fails to understand that Islamic feminists do not want the Western, secular version of women’s freedom rather they tend to locate gender equality in the spirit of Qur’an and bring about the gender equality remaining faithful to Islam religion at the same time. To justify the claim this research employs the theoretical insights of Islamic Feminists like Anbitta Kynsilehto, Asma Barlas, Liv Tonnerson and the theorist of orientalism Edward Said.