'To change values and beliefs, it takes a long time'

The National profiles the princess whose support has allowed Buraida's women's groups survive and even thrive.

Princess Noura supports the women of Buraida's programmes, such as raising awareness about breast cancer in malls.

BURAIDA, SAUDI ARABIA // For more than an hour, the chauffeured cars pulled up to the heavy iron gate in the high wall encircling the palace of Princess Noura bint Mohammed Al Saud. Each vehicle carried one or two women, most of whom were middle-class; they were teachers, social workers, physicians, nurses. About 30 in all. They were arriving to visit, and on this night also dine with, the princess.

It is a scene repeated regularly - sometimes four nights a week - whenever Princess Noura is not travelling. This unusual accessibility for ordinary Saudi women is a major reason why one of tonight's visitors regards the princess as "totally different" from many of her royal colleagues. "Usually, princesses are surrounded by security, and you have to make a lot of appointments to meet them," said Hessa Ahmed Eidan, 37, a supervisor in the public school system.

But with Princess Noura, Ms Eidan said, "I saw her many times and I'm sure that I will see her a lot of times in the future." The progressive-minded princess, who is the wife of Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdul Aziz, governor of Al Qassim province, helps explain why Buraida boasts one of the most dynamic grass-roots women's organisations in Saudi Arabia. Her personal involvement in the activities of the King Abdul Aziz Women's Charity Committee has afforded it a degree of protection from religious conservatives who oppose women working outside the home.

The princess also has tapped her international contacts to bring in development experts and assertiveness trainers from outside, allowing women in Buraida to take advantage of their expertise. "Anything I do, I do it as a group," Princess Noura told The National in a rare interview. That is the first thing to emphasise, she said, "that I don't work alone". A granddaughter of modern Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdul Aziz bin Saud, the princess has acquired a devoted coterie in her 17 years in Buraida. These women say that she listens to them, is not averse to seeing others get credit, and is sincerely interested in the women around her.

She also does more than lend her name to worthy projects. She actually shows up. "She is not only sitting in the palace," said Munirah Al Romeh, a mammography technician. "In each activity ? she will come, she will encourage us, she will talk to us. She is telling us that if we have any difficulties, facing any problems, she is there to help us." The first time she met Princess Noura, Majdah Y Barhamein was surprised to find that "she knew all about me".

The Saudi physician who heads the artificial kidney unit in Al Qassim, described the princess as "very systematic, very organised. And to be honest, a very smart lady. I'm not talking about her this way because she's a princess. She's really, really a leader." Princess Noura, who appears to be in her early 40s, was born in Riyadh. She majored in Arabic at King Saud University. A mother of four, she has three grandchildren.

According to her official resume, she has a special interest in programmes that protect women and children from violence, promote early childhood development and preserve Saudi cultural heritage. "She doesn't think of herself as a princess," said Fawzia al Bakr, a professor at King Saud University. "She sees her royalty as a duty to this country." Normally, any woman in Al Qassim who would like to speak with the princess is permitted to come to the palace if an open house is on the agenda. Many times, visitors are invited to stay for dinner. Invitations are only required if the princess is hosting special guests. On a recent night, when a reporter was invited to Princess Noura's open house, the invited women arrived at different times over a period of about an hour. Each one hung up her abaya in the foyer before entering the large reception hall where the princess sat at one end of a long sofa. She wore a long-skirted grey silk suit with matching, open-toed high heels. Her chin-length, dark hair was cut in bouffant layers. Her make-up was understated, just eyeliner and pale lipstick. She also wore two simple rings, small earrings and, when needed, rimless, Chanel eyeglasses with rhinestones. Her Sony Ericsson cellphone lay on the table next to her. Each of the guests shook hands with the princess, who seemed to recognise most of them. A good number were volunteers in the King Abdul Aziz Women's Charity Committee. They were relaxed and appeared unintimidated by Princess Noura's down-to-earth demeanour. Adorned with huge carpets and twinkling chandeliers, the room swelled with the chatter. Servants brought in trays of tea, juice, nuts and sweets. Princess Noura joined many of the conversations, including one on whether or not the full face veil, the niqab, is required by Islam. The princess's opinion is that it is a "controversial" subject and scholars disagree as to whether it is mandatory. Like most women in Buraida, the princess covers her face in public. Dinner was served in an opulent, high-ceiling room lit by several chandeliers and scores of candles. The women filled only half the seats at an oblong table seemingly as long as a bowling alley. Princess Noura sat in the middle on one side of the table. The multi-course meal was presented by a liveried staff of Asian female servers, supervised by a tall Irish woman who is a senior aide to the princess. Afterwards, Princess Noura spoke with a reporter about her work in Al Qassim. She declined to be photographed or tape-recorded. In the beginning of her development work in Buraida, she said, "the most difficult thing was how to make the women work as a team". And she regards this as one of her successes. "It's not easy to find in other areas ? doctors and housewives [working together]," she said. Indeed, the logo of the women's charity is two hands clasped together. For any development project to be successful, the princess said, it must involve the people affected by it. "It's natural that if you bring a project and you believe in it, and people in the country do not believe in it, then how will you [advance] your project?" she said. People "will refuse your project". Leaning forward in her chair and holding up a cushion, she said, "You cannot say 'OK, this is my project. Now do it!' It will never work." Opportunities are opening up for women, she said. "Everywhere now you find Saudi women as doctors, as business ladies. "Everything is coming with time." But meaningful changes take a while, she said. "It's not easy. If you make a building, it takes maybe a year. But to change values and beliefs, it takes a long time." Princess Noura said she has never had problems with religious conservatives because "all what I do is real Islam ? I didn't do anything against Islam. I speak with you heart to heart. I work on all these projects and I didn't have a problem." As for men in general, she said, their actions speak louder than their words. "If men do not support us, maybe they will not permit their daughters to work with us," she said Truth be told, Ms Eidan confided the next day, there was some trepidation in Buraida's male ranks for a time. "You know when she came here, to be frank, some men were afraid," Ms Eidan said. "Not afraid of her. No. They know she is surrounded by religious men, she cannot do anything without their permission. "But they were afraid that we [women would] exist more." Although many men were accustomed to their wives working outside the home, she said, "they were not thinking that when she finishes her job ? in the afternoon, that she goes and volunteers in another place. And she is working until nine, 10 o'clock and then she comes back [home]." In addition, said Ms Eidan, "sometimes helping people requires you to go to other parts of the city, to other villages" - places most women had only ever been with their husbands. "But now, the princess provides drivers," she said. "It was something new for the husbands. They didn't say 'no'. But they were afraid. What was the next step of this? "We weren't used to this," said Ms Eidan. "It was something new for us." @Email:[e-mail]