Glimpses of the Island

Class Day

Cathy stood in front of the building, checking the address one last time. This was to be the first day for her classroom sessions. Mark had dropped her off on his way to work and would be picking her up at the end of the day. Anna had explained that there would be several days of classes as part of the qualification process toward an ownership contract. She had provided the date, time and location for Cathy's group. As Cathy walked up the steps to the door, which simply read "Adult Education" on the front, she thought back to her first year in college. This won't be as much work. Anna had explained it was more a seminar than a real class, and there would be no tests or grades. The only hard and fast rule was that she had to attend every session.

Inside the door was an information desk. Cathy stopped and asked the receptionist about where she should go. The woman at the desk first checked for her name on a printout then pointed out the directions to the room on a small map. The woman informed her that the class would start in about ten minutes. Cathy went down a corridor and stopped at the open door matching the room number.

Inside was a long conference room table with several chairs. At one end was a whiteboard and what looked to be some kind of slide projector. Five other women were sitting at the table as Cathy came in. The one at the head of the table Cathy took to be the instructor, for she was the only one in the room wearing a collar. She also had a scarf covering her hair.

"Hello, come in and take a seat anywhere. We'll be starting as soon as everyone is here. I'll be leading the discussion today. Could I have your name?" She picked up a sheet of paper.

"Cathy Sturgis," Cathy answered as she sat down. "I hope I'm in the right place. I was supposed to be scheduled for the first orientation class?" The woman had an odd accent, almost British, but she couldn't place it.

"This is the right room. We have one more on the list yet to arrive. There is tea and coffee in the corner if you would like some. Make yourself comfortable." Cathy stood and went for some coffee. As she was fixing it a young woman walked into the classroom, dressed in what looked to be a company uniform. Cathy recognized the company logo on her blouse and skirt, the same engineering company Mark worked for. The instructor went through the identical greeting, checking her name off and pointing out the refreshments.

As soon as everyone was seated the teacher stood, closed the door, and went back to the front of the room. "Good morning, everyone. My name is Fatima Maktoum and I will be the instructor today. As I'm sure you are all aware, this class is part of the program that is required before you can enter into a voluntary ownership agreement. At the end of the day I will provide you with information on when the next session will be held. There is a legal requirement that you attend every session, but otherwise you are free to participate as much or as little as you wish.

"That little speech was mandatory. Now I'd like to add a personal comment. Everything we will be doing here today is for your benefit. I see from the list you all come from different parts of the world. I myself am from a small country, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Our backgrounds make us look at the world in different terms. What each of us took for granted in our previous homes may not apply here on the Island. My purpose is to help you understand the cultural differences and what it will mean to you if you choose to complete the program.

"By way of introduction I am currently in a permanent unrestricted agreement with my owner and master. He decided my experience and knowledge should be shared with others so he offered my services to this school. I have been teaching these classes for the last three years. I can tell you that those who think they have nothing to learn here are the ones who had the hardest time after they found themselves wearing the collar. We are going to talk of reality, not erotic fantasy. All of you are at the beginning of a major change in your life. Beyond a certain point you will not be able to control how that change progresses, so consider that it may be to your benefit to know what to expect.

"Now, why don't we start by going around the table and have each of you introduce yourself?" She sat down and picked up some papers, as each woman in turn gave her name. Cathy was surprised at the range of ages and country of origin, young and old, from four continents. After introductions the instructor verified full names and addresses, went over some history of the Island, and talked about how the ownership contract worked.

The morning went quickly as they talked about the Island. Most of the information Cathy had known but there were some interesting details she had not come across before. There was a chain of islands, the large one they lived on and some smaller ones that stretched out beyond the horizon. Not all were inhabited, and not all were open to visitors. Fatima warned them not to take a boat to any of the other islands without checking its status. She would not elaborate on why some places were closed to the public.

When they paused for lunch Fatima mentioned there was a small cafeteria in the building, or they could go out. Being new Cathy decided to stay inside. It seemed the others had the same idea when the whole group followed Fatima to the lunchroom. Cathy was pleasantly surprised to find the cook was from northern Mexico. The food was all standard Mexican border fare familiar to anyone from southern California. She spent a few moments explaining to other members of the group the difference between taco, tamale, and a torta sandwich. She ordered a taco salad and then joined the rest at a table.

At first everyone sat quietly eating. Cathy took the opportunity to ask Fatima how she came to live on the Island. "As I mentioned my husband and I are both from Dubai, a seaport on the Persian Gulf. He is a chemical engineer and consults around the world at refineries and petrochemical plants. He met several colleagues who live here and gradually found out about the Island.

"I was raised in the Islamic faith, which teaches that a good wife submits to her husband's authority. I was fortunate that I did not have to conceal my desire to be submissive and please my husband. We had been married for three years when he told me about the Island. I wasn't at all enthusiastic about moving. You have to understand, I grew up in Bedouin society where men ruled and women did as they were told. I fit in quite well. Unlike some in my country I had no desire to move to a Western society.

"Our concern was that the Emirates are a modern cosmopolitan country. We could see it was becoming more Western. Groups were pushing to change traditions and how women were treated. I didn't want to lose what I had. I like being sheltered and protected, to have him take care of me.

"We considered Saudi Arabia but they don't want immigrants, even ones from the Emirates. So he decided it would be best for us to move to the Island. We did check to make sure none of the local laws would be in conflict with our beliefs. There are none, which explains the large number of Muslims who live here. We have been on the Island for ten years now, and I do not leave except when my husband takes me to visit relatives."

The woman in the company uniform asked Fatima about the Islamic dress code. After taking a few bites from her lunch Fatima answered. "You mean wearing the hijab , that long black dress that covers you completely? It is from the Koran. We are taught that in public a devout Muslim woman must wear plain, concealing clothes, and cover herself except for face and hands. Some believe even a type of veil should be worn, since there is a surah which says a woman may not speak to a strange man except through a curtain. Usually a hijab is black, but it can be another color as long as it is drab. I have several, all black, which I wear when attending prayers or if I have to go out during the day by myself. I wore one when we traveled to Mecca for our hadjj , our pilgrimage, but then in Saudi Arabia it's expected. Most Islamic countries leave it to the individual, but there are a few places where it is mandatory, like Iran. I must confess, I am a bit liberal when it comes to hijab . I have some colorful ones too, not as drab as they should be, but I wear those only here on the Island.

"My husband allows me to wear western clothes in public on some occasions, for instance when I am teaching here at school. He does insist I cover my head in public, which is why I wear this scarf, and that I dress modestly. No miniskirts or halter tops for me." The group at the table laughed at her joke.

"He is strict with me in most ways. You must remember he is a very traditional Arab man. I cannot leave our house without permission, nor am I allowed to drive a car. Except to shop at the market or to attend prayers I may not travel unless accompanied by my husband or a mahram approved by him. You remember I mentioned that's a restriction you will all have to live with.

"When he decided I should be an instructor here one of the conditions is that the class must be segregated, that I would only be teaching women or children, which is in line with conservative Islamic principles. He brings me here in the morning. I am not permitted to leave the building until he comes to pick me up. I am expected to have only minimal interaction with the male staff unless my husband is present.

"One surprise you may not know about though. The school must pay me, not my husband, and he cannot take my earnings. I choose to give them to him, but he can't order me to do so. We'll talk more about that this afternoon, how the ownership contracts can vary."

They finished lunch and headed back to the classroom for the afternoon session. After everyone was seated Fatima began, "I thought we would continue the discussion from lunch, since it fits in with the afternoon's subject matter. Each of you is here because you intend to give yourself to someone else. Give in the sense that you surrender your freedom to the control of your man. However, the way in which you give yourself over to ownership can take many forms.

"I know that none of you are totally unaware of what you are doing. If you were not submissive you would not be here. I think it likely each of you is in a relationship where you are devoted to your man, eager to please, and happy to fulfill his slightest wish. But think of this, in one month you will be in a position where you literally cannot say no. You may tell yourself that's how it is now, but you would be wrong. Before moving here you always had that option to walk out the door, perhaps with friends or family to help you.

"It's different on this island. If you walk out the door there will be no place for you to go. No one will help you, for you will have broken the vow we all hold sacred. Every hand will be turned against you. You will be hunted down as a criminal and severely punished. No matter what the reason, there will be no sympathy for you. No one will take your side. No one will be interested in your version of the story."

Fatima put a hand to her collar. "Make no mistake about what this means. It is not some abstract symbol announcing your love and dedication to the world. It is a claim of ownership stating for all to see that you belong to a specific person and no other. It is locked on and you will not have the means to remove it, just as you cannot remove your master's entitlement to determine your life. Your existence narrows to an extension of his world. He draws your boundaries, beyond which you can never go. He has the right to claim every minute of your time, to demand you reveal your innermost thoughts and secrets to him. And never forget, he also has the right to force this on you if you are unwilling to do it on your own. A right you will freely give to him knowing full well he can and will use it at any time."

Cathy had never thought of Mark having the right to force her against her will, but she could see that Fatima was right. Mark had never struck her in anger or physically forced her to obey him. She liked to think it never would happen because she would never put Mark in that position. Then there was the small matter that in California it would have been spousal abuse, and he could go to jail for it. Here there would be no such restriction. She would be the one who could wind up in jail for the crime of defying him. She better make sure of this right now.

Cathy raised her hand to ask a question. "Do you mean he has the right to beat me if I am mouthy or disobedient?"

"The agreement is very clear on that issue Cathy. Yes he does. There are provisions to address your concerns though. All of you here will be in what's known as a Basic agreement. You can ask for the agreement to be amended to preclude force, or you can ask for limits on it. Part of Islamic law does permit a husband to physically punish his wife, but he may not cause bruises or break bones. Our agreement doesn't prohibit force, but it does state we will both faithfully abide by the Koran and Islamic beliefs. I trust him not to hurt me, but I know if he believes I am misbehaving he will correct me by whatever means he chooses."

Cathy made a mental note to talk to Mark about this issue. They had never really discussed what he might do to punish her. Till now it had never been an issue. She did her best; and he knew it. She needed to go over it with him and see what he thought. She didn't want to be beaten, but neither did she want to restrict Mark's authority over her. The instructor's point was obvious, to build in some kind of stated limit as to what he could do. It was reasonable and a prudent precaution, but Cathy didn't feel comfortable even at the thought of bringing it up with Mark.

Fatima continued. "You remember I mentioned there are variations on the agreement? My husband and I have an unrestricted agreement, which means there are no limits on his power over me. It is also unlimited, which means there is no future date when it must be renewed. I belong to him for a lifetime. But there is a pledge on his part to keep to our beliefs, to abide by Sharia , Islamic law, and to require that I do the same. That guarantee he chose to add, I had no say.

"All of you are starting with the basic agreement. It has a fixed one year duration, which starts the moment you sign it. It has standard provisions that he must keep you in good health, provide for your basic needs, inflict no serious injury, and post a return bond. That bond is a way for you to leave the Island if the agreement is dissolved. In return you vow to be faithful to him, to love and cherish him, diligently obey his commands, to put no other above him, to submit to his authority and keep to both the spirit and the law of his rules for you. You must be honest and forthright, answer his questions truthfully and completely without holding back.

"That's not the end though. Both of you can put in additional clauses. If you have religious beliefs that must be respected, make sure you include them. If you are afraid of being beaten, put that in. If he goes crazy and hurts you the agreement ends, leaving you the bond money if you want to move away. You can go anywhere in the world.

"Think carefully of what you ask to put in the agreement though, because once it begins you cannot change it except by mutual agreement. If you make a mistake, if you discover he is not the man for you but he refuses to terminate the agreement, then you will have no recourse but to wait till it expires. That's why it's for a single year only."

Cathy didn't think she and Mark needed any extra provisions. Nor did it have to be for just a year, but those were the laws on the Island. She had no changes in mind but Mark would decide if they needed any additions.

"While we are on the terms of the agreement I want to make all of you aware of its legal standing. As I mentioned earlier today the legal system here is primarily an extension of the laws of Saudi Arabia, but we do have local autonomy. Penalties for criminal activity are very harsh by Western standards, so don't try to rob a bank." Everyone laughed.

Fatima continued. "Now I don't think any of you are here to rob or murder, but one law that will directly affect you is unique to the Island. Once you agree to ownership, the contract has the force of law. You have a legal obligation to meet the terms, and there are criminal penalties if you do not. I want to stress that, severe penalties. For example, if I were to deliberately disobey my husband or try to leave the Island it would be treated as a crime equivalent to desertion in the military."

One of the other attendees, an older woman from Europe, asked about the range of sentences if convicted of breaking the ownership agreement. Fatima paused for a moment, then answered. "First of all, there is no 'if' about conviction. All it takes is a sworn statement from your owner that you ran away, disobeyed him, or violated some other part of the agreement. The court issues a summary judgment against you. No lawyers, no trial. Your master and the court decide the penalty. They may or may not tell you what it is. What's the worst possible sentence? You are taken away to the detention center where you wait for the time you might be released, a date you never know until the day arrives."

The grim picture silenced everyone at the table. Remembering something Mark had once told her, Cathy asked a question. "My husband likes to tell me that in engineering the worst case is not every case. How often do situations like that occur? Are there any statistics?"

"Good point, Cathy," Fatima responded. "It is unlikely you are going to spend a month in jail because you forget that he wants spaghetti every Friday night for dinner. Criminal cases here are very rare. Those involving ownership are usually settled without formal proceedings. In the last three years I know of only one case of someone who ran away and was prosecuted. I don't know the results since the proceedings aren't made public.

"There is a related point I'd like to make, about attitude. I'm not going to lecture you on submission and accepting his decisions about you. We are here because it is a need in each of us, to be held, controlled, and guided. What I do want to talk about is how you must change in the way you look at your relationship.

"Think of a card game. Your new master has all the cards, and he can play those cards any way he wishes. He can even change the rules of the card game. If you try to play against him in the game he will always win. It sounds hopeless, but you have one big advantage. He wants to give you the best cards in the deck so you will be the winner, but you have to play by his rules. You take the cards he deals to you and then wait while he shows you how to use them to win. He will stack the deck, but he will stack it in your favor.

"What you have to avoid is that impulse to negotiate or compete. You have nothing to negotiate with. Remember that. He holds all the power. There is no score, so you can never win on points. Never offer to make a deal with him, or reach some kind of compromise. You aren't allowed to hold anything back. If you offer to trade, he can simply take whatever you try to offer. If you seek a compromise, he can order you to do it his way.

"The manner in which you change is to remember your place when you go to him. If you want something, tell him and explain why. Don't make demands; instead show him your reasons. If you are upset, tell him why, and what he can do to help. Perhaps one of his rules is causing a problem. Explain to him your difficulty with it.

"Then let him do his job. If he is like most men he wants you to be happy. If you aren't content he has to fix it. My husband once told me there are times he thinks about me all day long, am I getting enough attention, is he being too strict, should he make changes, is there something I need but haven't asked about. I don't know how he can take on the responsibility of owning me, or even why he would want it. He does so much to give me an easy life while taking so little in return. I don't pretend to understand why he does it, but I do know he is sincere in the way he is concerned about me. Remember that when the man in your life doesn't seem to understand anything you are telling him.

"What I'm trying to say is, do not be confrontational, ever. Explain instead of argue. Talk softly instead of screaming. Remember what he can do if you make him mad. And remember his word is final. If he listens to you and then says no, the matter is over."

The class stopped for a break. Fatima had certainly given her some much needed insight. Cathy stood up to stretch and walk around. She stopped to say hello to the young woman from Mark's company, who introduced herself as Lois Vallardo from New York. At the end of the break they all sat back down.

"For the final topic today I'm going to talk about what you might expect the first few weeks after the agreement starts. The immediate change will be at home. Of course, you are all different. For some there may be little or no change from your current routine. But from what I've seen I would suggest you make no definite plans. Your master will be like the little boy who is taken to the candy store and once inside is told he now owns everything he sees. He goes around the store tasting every kind of candy, just because he can. But he will settle down to what he likes best.

"Until he does settle down though, you better be prepared for anything he can imagine. No matter how active you have been in the past, the moment you sign yourself over to him he is going to change. You will be giving him something he has desired all his life. Ever see a man with a new set of tools? He has to find something to do to check out every one. You are going to give him a present more valuable than any set of tools, and I promise you he will try it out."

Everyone laughed. Cathy nodded, realizing that Mark fit the description. It could be interesting to try to predict what he might choose to do.

"Something else for you to think about is your public image. Remember, with this collar on everyone will know who you are, and will expect a certain type of social conduct from you. It doesn't mean you have to obey every man you meet. You belong to one person only, don't ever forget that. No one else has any kind of rights over you. You should ask your owner how he wants you to handle situations where someone becomes aggressive or demanding.

"Do not attempt to handle it on your own initiative. You are at a disadvantage because of your natural tendency to worry over how your own manners reflect on your master. Ask him to give you some explicit instructions on how to handle the situation, and then stay with his policy no matter what your own inclination may be. He expects you to hand over these types of problems to him, so don't hold back. Remember, when you act on your master's orders, you bear no personal responsibility other than to faithfully obey his directives.

"This is not a major problem. Overall, you will find the men here to be very polite. If anything they will be somewhat formal with you. They know you must stay within your owner's rules and will understand if you tell them you are not permitted to do certain things. But also remember when you are with your master you will be treated in a way you may not anticipate. Everything will go through him. No one will speak to you directly unless there is some kind of approval from him, even if it's just a nod or a wave of the hand. People may talk as if you aren't even there. That doesn't mean you have become a non-entity or second class person. Rather it means they acknowledge that you are his property, and he determines what you can and cannot do. They will expect him to stand between you and the world, and act accordingly.

"I know it can be difficult, especially for women from Western countries. In my own culture this is not unusual. I grew up knowing there would always be a man to protect me and speak for me, either my husband or a mahram if I were unmarried. I find it difficult to be on my own in public, in mixed company."

Cathy had noticed with Anna how she seemed to step back when she was with John, always waiting for him to proceed first. And several times she had seen how Anna was treated as if she didn't exist. Now Cathy better understood the hidden moves as the manner in which John interceded on her behalf. He was shielding her, only allowing others to interact with Anna if he thought it appropriate.

"This will conclude the session for today. We will meet again tomorrow, in this room and at the same starting time." Fatima said as she ended the class for the day.