When she delivered her baby, she felt most vulnerable

Findings from a focus group session I ran with Arab women living in Kuwait:

Razan remarked, "When I worked in the lingerie shop, some of the women wanted me to call them whenever we received any new and exciting pieces of lingerie. They were especially eager to have these after they had delivered their baby, since it was then that they felt most vulnerable and thought their husbands might be looking for a younger bride!" She continued, "One woman used to call me every other day to check to see if there were any new arrivals. She was horrified when she discovered that her husband had rented an apartment in Salmiya (a place where mostly expatriates live in Kuwait). "He disappears there for two or three nights a week. He found a new one!" she used to tell me. An aging wife once told me, "I am getting old; he is certainly looking for a new one, as I feel I am not pleasing him anymore!"

Seeing my disbelief and curiosity, Inas said, "Some imams counsel women whose husbands marry a new wife, saying, 'Allah said, 'Announce to the patient women that paradise will be their reward,' and 'Resignation is an eternal treasure.'

How a mother can care for her infants and other children in such an environment has become an obsession for me.