You've paraphrased and conflated a couple of those stories. The "Princess" series was written by a woman named Jean Sasson, for a Saudi princess using the pseudonym "Sultana," who told Ms. Sasson her story. There's three books, so far, about the abuses of women in fundamentalist-Muslim societies.
The man who drowned his daughter in the family swimming pool (sickening, but true) did so because she had exposed her naked body to men while retaining her veil and hiding her face - a severe violation of fundamentalist Muslim religious laws. One of her friends, who had participated in her activities, was married away to a nomadic man as his (I think) third wife. It was quite sickening to read about.
The first of the books is here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0967673747/qid=1107368764/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i4_xgl14/104-2258660-9764716?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
Re: Sadly, I know I'll be declared a knuckle dragger
The man who drowned his daughter in the family swimming pool (sickening, but true) did so because she had exposed her naked body to men while retaining her veil and hiding her face - a severe violation of fundamentalist Muslim religious laws. One of her friends, who had participated in her activities, was married away to a nomadic man as his (I think) third wife. It was quite sickening to read about.
The first of the books is here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0967673747/qid=1107368764/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i4_xgl14/104-2258660-9764716?v=glance&s=books&n=507846