Our post from last Sunday about the “open tent” night at a New Hampshire middle school has been noticed by newspaper The Cabinet: ‘Open tent’ project causes national blogger backlash.

If you were wondering why in the world this kind of Saudi Islamic propaganda is being taught to 7th graders in New Hampshire, here’s the answer: Saudi oil company Aramco is behind it. And it’s not just at one school in New Hampshire.

Hinrichs didn’t want to comment for this story, but said in previously published articles that she taught her students about the negative aspects of the culture, as well as the differences, to encourage students to seek a deeper understanding of other cultures.

Hinrichs traveled with 23 teachers from across the country to five Arabian cities in April. The trip was sponsored by Aramco, an Arabian oil company, and was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, said Hinrichs.

“I have traveled to France, England, Ireland and the Barbados, but this trip was so different from any other trip I’ve taken,” she told the Telegraph of Nashua on May 6.

While there, Hinrichs shared her experiences with her students through a blog, “amstosaudiarabia.blogspot.” She corresponded with her students and answered their questions as she toured the cities of Dhahran, Jeddah and Riyadh.

In classroom exercises after she returned, Hinrichs segregated students by sex to mimic the school experience of children in Arabia, where schools are segregated. She shared with students the struggles of women she met on the trip. In a classroom exercise, she encouraged her students to try dressing in the long flowing Arabic clothing she provided in order to break down the tendency to stereotype others by their appearance.

UPDATE at 6/8/07 12:27:06 pm:

Here’s her blog, chronicling her Saudi adventure: AMS to Saudi Arabia 2007.

Here I am in a full face veil and hijab. While I did not have to wear this during my travels, many women in Saudi Arabia opt to be fully covered like this when they are in public.

Hinrichs said despite going into the program with an open mind, there were still a number of instances on the trip when she would fall back to a Western way of thinking. “I kept running into my own ethnocentric cultural viewpoints when I was there,” she said.

However, Hinrichs cited the open dialogue with Saudis throughout the trip as a critical way in establishing a better understanding of a Saudi perspective on life.

One aspect of Saudi culture that Hinrichs has continually been asked about regards the mode of dress for Saudi women, which often includes an abaya and hajab, a head covering and dress that together cover the entire body.

“I think I was a very typical westerner, feeling that women were restricted by wearing these garments in a hot climate,” Hinrichs said.

Hinrichs said while she was in Saudi Arabia, she was able to break free from the Western notions about dress, when she observed a mother hold her infant.

“It dawned on me that since birth this child looks up and sees his mom’s eyes,” said Hinrichs with a smile regarding the enlightening moment. “The child could recognize what their mother thinks, as Westerns can with a smile, grin or wink.”

Hinrichs said despite immediately noticeable variations from typical American dress, she was eventually able to see how dynamic and “liberal-minded” many of the women who decide to wear the traditional Saudi garments were.

“The clothing doesn’t speak to who they are,” Hinrichs said. “It’s an interesting part of who they are, but it’s not all of it.”

Hinrichs emphasized that there is no law designed to make women wear the garments, but that many do wear the clothes out of tradition.

Also see:
Cinnamon Stillwell: Saudi Indoctrination at Amherst Middle School