Summary
In this article, the author seeks to highlight how the practice of temporary marriages by the wealthy in Saudi Arabia, commonly known as misyar, is a form of human trafficking. According to the author, Saudi Arabia is known for its notorious policies that promote widespread discrimination against women in the region. The country has entrenched chauvinistic Islam traditions, which the monarchy has continuously used to exploit women through retrogressive practices such as temporal marriages. Additionally, the author argues that the definition of human trafficking, especially in the context of the Middle East, has many salient factors, some of which are under looked.
Analysis
The main point that the author raises in this article is that the intimate “relationship between gender roles and national identity demonstrates that the exploitation of women through misyar marriage stems primarily from the cultural and political emphasis on preserving a unified Islamic nation” (Doe 1). The concept of temporary marriage is essentially sex-tourism or simply prostitution whereby wealthy Gulf Arabs are allowed to rent flats “furnished with housemaids” (Doe 4) for personal pleasure.
The main theoretical issue that arises from this reading is that of gender roles, specifically in patriarchal societies, such as those found in the Middle East. In this region, women continue to be seen as objects whose sole purpose is to take care of their men and families. The main question that arises from this reading is – what is the role of gender stereotypes in shaping people’s perceptions towards women in the Middle East? How do patriarchy and Islam traditions work together to promote the demeaning aspect of temporal marriages in Saudi Arabia?
I agree with the author that while the concept of wealth Gulf Arabs renting flats where they promote prostitution might seem like the normal sex industry in any society, the force behind it within the Saudi Arabian society is misyar. This reading challenges other readings that argue that the sex industry in Saudi Arabia operates the same way as that of other societies where women trade sex for money.