In conclusion:

This post is supposed to bring together the two other posts I made about Aunt Safiyya. In short, I think the book does a great job of defying stereotypes Americans have about Arabic speaking countries in general. Because the book is written in English, it may be a bit difficult to successfully understand everything that may have been offered if we could have read it in its original language.
No one in the book is an American hating violent extremist. In fact everyone in the book lives by the Qu' ran in that they have respect for one another. The only one who falls outside of that is Safiyya who in a rage cannot forgive. Even the outlaws have an honor system, much more trustworthy then any criminals I have ever heard of. There is hopefully an honest acknowledgment to the fact that women are considered the weaker sex. However, it is important to know that the story takes place in another time, and that it is at least acknowledged. This is beneficial to English speaking readers forming an opinion of Egyptian culture based on this book. Because te book does not automatically explain every detail of their lives and why they do it, it allows the reader to more fully understand the culture. That might seem counterintuitive, but when things don't have an explanation, you can surmise that its is not something they question either. hat is just the way it is, the way i works. Until something goes very wrong and people are unhappy, no one is going to try to "fix" it. Women maintaining the home is a different situation then some Western countries. In this book, your home is an important place, you family can be judged on the work of the wife. Women also don't have to be held completely responsible for things that their husbands have told them to do. Women also havethe option of getting educated, which some might not know is an option that is available.