by Eman Al-Nafjan aus Riad

The glass dome that tops the Reichstag in Berlin was designed as a symbol of transparency in government. Flickr user alles-schlumpf

I was invited by the German Foreign Ministry to spend ten days in Berlin as part of a blogger tour initiative. I’ve never been to Germany before as a tourist, let alone a guest of the government. It was an educational experience in which I learned a lot about Germany and also the countries of the 14 other bloggers who were invited too.

As a Saudi coming from a strict Islamic country, it took me a couple of days to get into the swing of things–like walking around without my mandatory black cloak on and not stopping to wonder when the next prayer break is when everything has to shut down for thirty minutes.

Once I settled in, I truly enjoyed the presentations and tours we were taken on. I found especially intriguing our visit to the Stasi Archives where I was amazed at how thorough the Germans are in preserving this piece of their history. I was also taken aback by the Parliament Watch project. All I could think was wow what a force of good! Nothing gives transparency and fights corruption like giving so much access and direct communication to the average citizen.

We also got a chance to meet Markus Löning, the Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights. Hearing his point of view was interesting, and I do agree with him that sanctions against a country punish the innocent citizens rather than the government. However I was disappointed that he prioritizes the prevention of the death penalty. As a Saudi, I have yet to formulate my opinion on the death penalty seeing that people in my country are legally discriminated against just for being born female.

What really struck me though is that Germany was able to rise above the Third Reich and its Holocaust and then again rise above the Berlin Mauer until it eventually became a democratic state that values human rights and freedom. After that horrific past, there finally was a light at the end of the tunnel. The glass dome and all the inner glass of Reichstag with its old exterior symbolize everything that is Germany. Being able to see that inspires me and renews my hope that Saudi too will be able to overcome its religious fundamentalism and its systematic discrimination against women.

Saudi Arabia is a beautiful country with a rich heritage. There are villages here that go back more than a thousand years. It’s the birthplace of the Arabic language and literature, and from it rose empires. Unfortunately this is all hidden behind a thick curtain of extremism that might differ superficially from Nazism but has the same debauched core.

From a country where 78% of all female college graduates have little to no chance of finding a job, where women are banned from driving cars and public transportation, where getting a job, getting married, and travelling has to be signed off by a male guardian, this Saudi woman wants to thank Germany for the inspiration and hope for a better future.