BUSINESS
NADEEN ALSAYAT KSA’S FIRST FEMALE DETECTIVE
major, was very close to my personality and preferences.
By Aabiya Baqai
What were your biggest challenges as the first Saudi female studying to become a detective?
How would you describe yourself?
A young Saudi woman who loves adventures and exploration and always seeks to develop her society.
What got you into the field of criminology and criminal justice?
It was my childhood dream. When I was a child, my favorite cartoon was “Detective Conan,” a detective who had a new crime every day and tried to find the right suspect through collecting and analyzing the evidence. Because of this, I always imagined myself to be that detective. Then when I became a teenager, I liked to read about the analysis of characters and play brain games that were about connectivity and conclusions. So criminal justice, as a
20 DESTINATION RIYADH DECEMBER 2015
Firstly, I had a different issue since my first language is Arabic, and when I went to the US I did not speak English at all. So, I studied English and finished the program in one year, and then I started the Masters program. But, in my opinion, learning English in one year was not enough to study for a master’s degree in Criminal Justice. Since this major uses high-level vocabulary, it was difficult for me to learn the language in one year. I could not understand everything in the classes and I had trouble understanding the school books. Moreover, I was the only Arab student at the school, I sometimes needed help to understand the assignments or the classes since my professors were treating me like the rest of the American students,
ignoring that I am actually an international student and this is my second language. Secondly, this major talks a lot about the international terrorism. And unfortunately, some western people have the belief that Muslims are terrorists. So, I faced some harassment from my classmates because I was the only Muslim in all my classes. Also, some of the books taught some wrong ideas about Islam and Muslims, which definitely bothered me. However, I worked very hard to improve my language and tried as much as I could to set a good example of Muslims by treating them with the utmost courtesy. Also, I tried to fix some misconceptions about Islam by writing all my papers about the security efforts in Saudi Arabia, which show an example of the Islamic community that fights crimes and seeks a safe society. So, I thank Allah, who helped me acquire the degree under all these pressures.
STAFF PHOTO/ MOHAMMED DEGHAISHIM
Her background, experience and hopes for the future.