RIYADH: In a man's world of domination and hegemony, some women in Saudi Arabia are turning to each other between the sheets in order to feel sexually gratified. A group of young university-age women in the ultra-conservative Gulf country, all married, told Bikyamasr.com that their husbands are rarely around and have found love in the arms of their female friends. “Our husbands are always traveling, going to Southeast Asia and other countries so we know what is going on with them and when they come back they abuse us, so we have kind of fallen in love with each other,” Sumaiya, a 23-year-old mother of a two-year-old little boy, told Bikyamasr.com in her upscale Riyadh flat. She says that her “girlfriend,” also married and 24-year-old Razan will come around almost daily. They both blush as they give a few details of how their relationship began. “We both just started venting to each other about how horrible our husbands are and how they mistreat us,” began Razan. “After our friendship grew over the past few years, we began to watch movies together and have a few drinks while we did so.” They said one evening, with their children at Sumaira's parents' home, the two decided to watch a pornographic film together. They didn't really know what to expect, they said. “We were just watching and the first scene we saw were two women having sex. They looked so into each other. That's when it happened,” Razan admitted, turning her head slightly away in apparent embarrassment. The two said that they decided to emulate the women on the film, stripping naked and indulging in each other. It was a spur of the moment act, they both admitted, but since then have been having sexual escapades together. “Just having someone who cares about each other, our bodies and what we want is loving enough. I couldn't imagine living here and being treated the way I do without her,” Razan said, gripping her lover's hand. Both admitted, however, that since an early age they had feelings toward other women, but in the ultra-conservative Saudi culture, where homosexuality is forbidden, they pushed their thoughts and emotions aside, marrying at a young age and starting a family. “We have so many female friends who are fed up with their husbands' actions that are in similar relationships. Our husbands don't know and probably don't care, so it is okay for us,” Sumaira argued. They consider themselves lesbians and while they would never publicly state the fact, they hope that in the future, as Saudi society begins to open up, women in the country will have more rights and be able to feel loved, by whomever they desire. “I think this is an important time for Saudi. We are women who are suffering. We are lucky we found each other, but other girls are not in the same place and continue to suffer because of our society. This is un-Islamic,” Razan added. For them, they take solace in the fact their husbands are traveling often, but hope that if the time comes, they can run off to Europe and be free. “I want to just get out of here and live my life with Razan because this is what feels right. We will see,” Sumaira said.
