Our Women vs. Our Image!: "Women issues have always been hot buttons in Saudi Arabia, just as abortion is in America and immigration in Europe. You push a button and receive instant passionate responses. I wrote a couple of articles about women under stress and heard from so many."...
Take women driving, for example. Bedouin females do drive their cars, because their environment demands it. Urban women, on the other hand, are not allowed. No one claims Islam prohibits it. They do however cite fears and concerns that women driving may compromise Islamic and social values. Women, they say, need to be guarded all the time. Not only are they “treasures” and easy target that may be attacked by the wolves of this world, they are also weak creatures that can’t be trusted. The latter explains why many women are patronized at all stages of their lives. Like children, they maybe loved, adored and well taken care of, but not trusted to decide for themselves. Worse, some don’t trust a woman with emotions, ethics and character. They suspect that she would fall for all kinds of temptation, sexual, intellectual, material and otherwise...
My stand is: We should work on our problems without worrying about who thinks what of us. The fair and wise will know we are doing the right thing. The unfair and unwise will criticize us anyway. Meanwhile, half the population starves for justice.
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2 comments:
Saudi women are being treated as second class citizens..How about we stop this bullshit and brainwashing for a change..We have a problem in Saudi.. and wearing solidarity wristbands and "I'm Proud To Be Saudi" T-Shirts proved futile. People aren't stupid and they're not naive.. it's about time they're given the benifit of the doubt
We lack constructive criticism in this country..everything here is sugar coated...everything here is supposidly "perfect" and everyone is supposidly "cheerful"... well that's not how it really is..
When was the last time you visited an Orphanage? when was the last time you went to a public school? Have you seen how the parents treat their daughters there? When was the last time you went to a rural town outside of the city? Yeah,, u know that Saudi version of a town with no electricity and water? yeah that's what I meant.. when was the last time you went downtown... and I don't mean the fancy shmancy downtown.. No I mean that horrific place that even police officers refuse to raid..
Wake up.. and smell the Goddamn sewage in Jeddah everytime you go by Al-Andalus street.. a problem that *they* have promised to fix
heh.. I'm anticipating my next asthma attack
u know what? i wont even bother.. ive had this crappy argument and it never works... to hell with it
June,,
The sad thing is.. whenever we have the guts to take ONE step ahead,, we suddently "SUB7AAAN ALLAH" find ourselves taking not 10, but 100 steps backwards... I'm f*ing BEYOND pissed.. BEYOND depressed, I have even decended to a level that cannot be expressed verbally.. The most disgusting feeling ever.. and all of that is being imposed upon me...
and I find myself asking Why? I don't deserve this..
As an American male who lived in Riyadh for 20 months I have the following impressions and questions:
1. Before the Iraq war, I was amazed how safe it seemed for me and my wife and children to walk the streets of Riyadh. Personal safety out the street seemed much better to me than in many cities in the US. But (acknowledging what anonymous above said about Al-Andalus street), maybe I was only walking in the better parts of town.
2. Many Saudi men do seem to be incredibly chauvinistic, especially those from small remote towns.
3. Older Saudi women are truly uncomfortable with the idea of removing their veil (not so the younger).
4. Saudi men can be extremely polite and hospitable. But their true personna comes out when they get behind the wheel.
4. There is no enforcement of traffic laws. Are there any traffic laws? The first priority should be to establish traffic police to enforce speed limits and punish moving violations. Let the women drive after Saudi men have learned to drive responsibly. I saw some horrific accidents during my brief time there.
5. Saudi women are able to advance professionally in some areas (medicine for instance), but hindered in others (can't vote, serve in government, drive, etc.). I'm interested on knowing specifically what changes Saudi women would like to see happen in their society.
S.A.
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