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Editor’s Note

     Many months ago, when we began collecting submissions for the premiere issue of passionfruit, we received a story written by a woman who’d recently taken a business trip to Saudi Arabia. The story, Stranded on Another Planet, details the writer’s unpleasant stay in the Riyadh airport, where her passport is confiscated and she is left to wait for her male “sponsor” to claim her. She finds herself stranded in a room full of Indonesian women who’ve come to Saudi Arabia to work as domestic servants. The writer notes that human rights organizations have documented abuses against domestic servants in Saudi Arabia, and, as she watches the Indonesian women from across the room, she expresses concern for their fate.
     I thought the story was nicely written and contained important information for any woman who might have occasion to travel to Saudi Arabia. And I also thought a women’s magazine shouldn’t shrink from publishing information about possible human rights abuses against women.
     But at the same time, I was hesitant to print yet another negative story about the much-maligned Middle East. It seems there’s a gulf of misunderstanding separating the Middle East from the West, which I feel is perpetuated by media coverage that overwhelmingly emphasizes – I’d even say exaggerates – what we in the West view as the worst elements of Middle Eastern society.
     We decided to see if we could pull together a collection of stories that would give a broader, more balanced view of Middle Eastern culture. We gathered stories from Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, and from the Muslim west African nations of Morocco and Mauritania. We’ve also included a historical essay about Middle East explorer and archaeologist Gertrude Bell and a book review about a journey to Syria. These stories capture the sights, sounds and smells of the region, and they contain heartwarming moments of connection and goodwill between Westerners and Middle Easterners.
     Of course, a 48-page magazine can’t possibly give a comprehensive view of a region as large and complex as the Middle East, but nonetheless, we hope this issue will challenge assumptions and perhaps spark a new curiosity about the region in some of our readers.
Let us know what you think.

Michele Jin
editor