Inside the Kingdom, My Life in Saudi Arabia by Carmen Bin Ladin
Review by Vicki Carver
A thought-provoking new autobiography has recently been published. It is
titled Inside the Kingdom, My Life in Saudi Arabia and tells the story
of Carmen Bin Ladin.
Carmen was born in the early 1950’s, daughter of a Swiss father and
Persian mother. She lived a privileged life growing up in Geneva,
Switzerland and Iran. In 1973 she met Yeslam Bin Laden and quickly fell
in love. The young couple spent time together in Switzerland and the
United States.
In 1974 Carmen and Yeslam were married in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Soon
after their marriage life begin to drastically change for Carmen. The
young couple settled in Jeddah to live near Yeslam’s family. They had
two daughters and begin to assume roles under the strict rules of the
fundamentalist Islamic religion.
Carmen, who had always enjoyed being free, was dismayed by the severe
restrictions placed upon her as an Islamic woman living in Saudi Arabia.
Conditions had been improving for women during the 1970’s which allowed
women a certain amount of freedom. Excitement was intense when a Safeway
grocery store was built where women could shop. Of course they had to
wear black abayas which completely covered them, including their faces.
Carmen bristled under the restrictions but did try to adapt to life in
her husband’s homeland.
The Bin Laden family was very large and wealthy. Carmen’s husband Yeslam
was a younger brother of Osama Bin Laden. Carmen met the austere Osama
several times but never became friends. Osama’s young wife had borne him
seven sons by the age of 30 but was never allowed to spend time with Carmen.
Carmen was considered a foreigner to the Bin Laden family and was
increasingly scrutinized by them as she struggled to live within the
rules of Islam. She feared for her daughters’ safety and well being as
the restrictions were tightened for women, especially after Khomeni came
to power in Iran in 1979.
Eventually Carmen had to make some tough decisions as she became
increasingly aware of the increasing danger she and her daughters
potentially faced. As she struggled under the strict Islamic rule,
Carmen finally realized she had to take charge of her own life and
protect her daughters which now included a third child.
Inside the Kingdom gives a great portrayal of contemporary life in
Middle Eastern countries. It explains the plight of women who are forced
to live under the strict rules and regulations of the fundamentalist
Islamic religion. It is also a “wake-up call” to free nations to realize
the potential terrorist threat which needs to be recognized in order to
ensure our safety as freedom loving individuals.