Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery Chapters 1 and 2

The first two chapters of Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery are very interesting. I really like the beginning of this book. I am really interested in all of the traditions and beliefs they have. It is weird to me that they wont allow Safiyya to attend school because she is too pretty. This seems like such a silly reason for a girl to not attend school. But school seems less important in their culture as well which is odd because it is extremely important in America and extremely common between girls and boys. However, if she is this pretty the suitors would try and take her, which reminds me of another interesting custom, the way suitors come to ask Safiyya's "father" if they may have her. I beleive this is extremely degrading, but He does allow Safiyya to make the final decision on whether or not to marry the bey. This took me by surprise because I always thought it was 100% the fathers choice. This clarified the stereotype I had about how women were just sold off without their own consent. I don't know if it is only Safiyya's father that makes it her final decision but that is very respectable that he gives her the final decision. I am excited to learn more of their beliefs and traditions throughout the rest of the book.