09
August 2006
“Give Saudi Women their
Rights”!
Elham Manea
She is a single mother of two, a well known
Saudi journalist, and a women activist.
And she decided
to celebrate the first anniversary of King
Abdullah’s accession to power in an unconventional way: She went
to the streets, holding a
poster with one sentence written
on it: Give Women their Rights!
Naturally Wajeha Al-Huwaider was arrested by Saudi security forces on Friday,
04th of August 2006, on Fahd Causeway – the Bridge that has linked Saudi Arabia
to Bahrain since 1987.
“I was arrested after 20 minutes of walking on my feet;
they (the security forces) confiscated my poster and my
passport, and took me to an officer to write a report about the
incident”. Al-Huwaider, who
works as a Program and an evaluation analyst at Aramco,
said in an e-mail.
She added “However, we could not start
the proceedings because we had to wait
for a member of the Religious Police. They told me that any
case that involves a woman requires the presence of a member of the Religious
Police”.
This “requirement”
comes as no surprise. The very existence of the Religious Police in the Kingdom, called
in Arabic as mutawwiin, or members of the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention
of Vice, is perceived by observers as an obstacle to the advancement of Saudi women rights.
Originally established in the nineteenth century, the committee today
numbers around 20,000 clerics who ensure
that the public complies with the puritanical
tenets of Wahhabism, the official religious sect of Saudi Arabia.
Thus, among other duties, it
enforces daily prayer time–when men must attend the mosque and shops
must be closed. It also enforces the
ban on alcohol consumption,
punishes ‘immoral’ conduct,
and makes sure women dress modestly
in public. The last two “duties” made any woman (and any
man) subject to public humiliation, if a member of the Religious
Police deemed her behavior to be “lose” or “immoral”.
The
discrimination against women
is not only restricted to this aspect. In a Memorandum presented in 2003 to the government of Saudi Arabia, Human
Rights Watch stated “women in the kingdom continue to suffer from severe
discrimination in the workplace,
homes, courts, and from
restrictions on their freedom
of movement. Women do not
have the right to leave the house without a male relative
or written permission from their guardian, which is also
required to enroll in school or university, seek medical help, or open a bank account”.
This dire situation did not change much since the accession of King
Abdullah to power in August 1st 2005. Al-Huwaider, who has been banned from writing in Saudi Newspapers since 2003, but was able to publish her articles in leading Arab online
websites, such as Middle East Transparent and Elaph, wanted to remind the King of his own promise.
“The
King has promised us that he will improve
the situation of Saudi women. He asked
us to have patience. A year has passed
and our situations did not change much”. Al-Huwaider said.
This is
due in part to the continuous
influence of fundamental religious
groups who “control the most important ministries”, and are strong enough to tie the
hands of the King himself, and to the conservative nature of
the Saudi society.
Al-Huwaider was treated respectfully
by the security forces. She was released
in the same afternoon but not without delay.
“My
release was delayed because
it was not easy to find a male guardian to vouch for me. They refused my
own guarantees. The Saudi law does
not allow the woman to be responsible
for her behavior. Only when my
brother arrived, who is younger
than me by many years, did they
agree to release me”.
This very
procedure highlights the aim of Al-Huwaider’s
lone demonstration: “I had a message with me when they arrested
me, but they took it from me. In it I said: King Abdullah, give the Saudi
woman her full citizenship rights”.
* Elham
Manea is a Post Doctoral Fellow and a
Lecturer at the Political Science Institute, Zurich University.
Sun, 22 Oct 2006 10:16:43 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: "Naim S. Mahlab" <nsm@videotron.ca>
This article brings
to mind the words of the Bible, Proverbs chapter XXXl., which says
:
Who can find a vituous woman ? for her
price is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband trusts in her.
She will do him good and
not evil all the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax
and works willingly with her hands.
She is like a merchant ship and brings
food from afar.
She rises at dawn and
gives meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
She considers a field and buys
it. With the fruits of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She girds her loins with
strength, and strengthens her arms.
She perceives that her merchandise
is good, and her candles
do not go out at night.
She lays her hands to the spindle, and her
hand holds the distaff.
She streches her hands to the poor and reaches forth
to the needy.
She is not afraid of the cold because her household is
well clothed.
Strength and honour are her clothing and she
shall rejoice in time to come.
She opend her mouth with
wisdom and the laws of kindness.
Her children call her blessed, and
her husband praises her.
Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the
Lord shall be praised..
Considering that this was written
a few thousands year ago in a society that was patriarchal,
It shows a spirit that is difficult
to find.
Naim S. Mahlab
Montreal