Women’s Rights in Saudi ArabiaThe IssueWomen in Saudi Arabia are less represented in political, social, economic and scientific fields than women in any other Arab or Muslim country. Women were barred from participating in the only municipal elections in the history of the Saudi State in 2005. They are prohibited from studying certain subjects in schools, such as chemistry and biology. They may not legally drive and must obtain “permission” from a male “guardian” to travel within or outside the country. Women must ride in the back of public buses, even when the buses are empty. Saudi girls are not allowed to play sports in schools, which, by Saudi health official admission, is causing health problems and staggering expenses. All marriages are arranged by male relatives. If a Saudi woman divorces her husband, she loses custody of her children over age six. Women have little or no freedom to effectively prosecute sexual abuse cases, being required to produce four witnesses. In court, a woman’s testimony is equivalent to half that of a man’s. These conditions violate women’s human rights and have devastating personal and social effects. Read More… |
 -The camouflaged, in black, is a human being who admires a wedding gown her gender in Saudi Arabia can only dream of putting on at their wedding occasions, show their beauty and share their joy with their families, friends, competitors and the world publicly. That would be considered infidels’ Beda’h, novelty, designed to destroy Saudi supreme culture and religious dignity.- |
CDHR Commemorates International Women’s Day
Saudi Women Still Face Challenges
March 8, 2008
Women in Saudi Arabia will not be allowed to hold public debates or peaceful demonstrations to celebrate International Women’s Day. Universal human rights standards mandate that women assume productive and equal roles in society. For decades, the Saudi government has ignored and severely violated women’s most basic human rights through discriminatory economic, political, and social policies.
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From CDHRProtecting Women From Whom? At a point in history in which women are competing for everything society has to offer, the Saudis are still mired in endless debates as to whether or not women are capable of working, driving, using common sense, protecting themselves, thinking rationally, or even worthy of full citizenship. The Saudi men, from the king down to the garbage collectors, see women as nothing more than second class citizens, who must be controlled and remain dependent on and protected from predators. The question is: who are these predators? Read More… International Women’s Day
They Are Allowed to Hurt, but not to Improve their Health
Improved Situation for Saudi Women?
Benefit Saudi Women?
One Wife Won’t Do A Saudi delegation was recently questioned by a U.N. watchdog group in Geneva, concerning the lack of progress in women’s equality in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi delegation attributed the failure to implement International Women’s Rights Declarations to a variety of factors, including tradition, religion, and the sexual needs of men. Read More… They Ran out of Ammunition - Women Do Exist and Can Rent Hotel Rooms Finally, the Saudi ruling religious, political and traditionalist elites, along with their religious devotees, realize that they are running out of the centuries-old fictitious excuses which they have used to deny women their basic human, divine and natural rights. They have decided now that women actually exist and are competent and able to rent a hotel room where they can sleep. This is instead of spending the night in a rented taxi in a dark and dangerous ally because they could not rent a hotel room without a male relative present. Read More… Bhutto’s Assassination sends a Shrill Message The assassination of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, is a great tragedy for Pakistan, for pro-democracy Muslims, and especially for Muslim women worldwide. With all of her shortcomings, Bhutto was pro-democracy and adamantly opposed to any tolerance of extremists. Read More… Majority Supports Saudi Women’s Rights According to a recent Gallup Survey, the majority of Saudi men and women who were interviewed support Saudi women’s rights to drive, have equal salary for equal jobs, and hold high positions in government. There is no doubt that there will be substantial opposition to any changes in the present male-dominant society in Saudi Arabia, but that is to be expected in countries where one segment of society has control over every domain, professional or otherwise. Read More… Tormenting the Victim The vindictive punishment in the form of 200 lashes and six months imprisonment given to a 19-year-old Saudi rape victim, known as bint Al-Qatief (daughter of Qatief, a Shiite town in eastern Saudi Arabia), generated unprecedented international and domestic condemnation of the arbitrary Saudi judicial system in late November of 2007. A little over one year ago, the then 18-year-old rape victim was spotted with a man in a car parked next to a busy area. Read More… How to achieve Rights for Muslim Women The recently highlighted rape cases in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are not exceptional. Unfortunately, these cases are representative of the plight of millions of Muslim women worldwide. The maltreatment and marginalization of Muslim women in the name of Islam calls for a new interpretation of the Quran and Shariah law under which, “There can be no full rights or protection for Muslim women as interpreted and implemented now.” Read More… Apartheid Bordering on Modern Slavery The recent Saudi royal religious court’s cruel ruling against a 19-year-old gang raped victim and the revoking of her courageous lawyer, Mr. Abdurrahman Al-Latham’s license, generated global condemnation. The blatant unjustness of this system should convince the West that the Saudi government (royal family) is operating an Apartheid system of the lowest order. Read More… Mrs. Bush in Black Mrs. Bush is the First Lady of the most democratic and powerful nation on earth. During her recent visit to Saudi Arabia recently she covered herself in the Saudi black abaya, which Saudi women are forced to wear when in public or work places. Whether she knew it or not, Mrs. Bush was validating one of the most repressive symbols of human oppression and isolation. Read More… Oppression and Marginalization of Saudi Women Saudi reforms are a charade at best, contrary to the deceptive and misleading pronouncements by the Saudi government and it propagandists in Europe and the US. King Abdullah has initiated high-profile changes such as the formation of government human rights agencies, national dialogue, and the partial and exclusionary municipal elections in 2005 (women, anyone under 21 and all members of security and military personnel were barred). Read More… Admonish and Beat Wives, But Don’t Disfigure Them Dr. Muhammad Al-‘Arifi, a prominent Saudi cleric with substantial and mostly young followers, exerts substantial influence on his young audience. He is allowed to promote his denigrating and barbaric treatment of women on Saudi government national TV. Read More… Women Lead for Reform Movement Despite severe restrictions, discriminatory policies and social condemnation, Saudi women are fighting to create a just and tolerant society. They work to transform the educational system, promote political inclusion and eradicate the root causes of extremism and terrorism. Their courage to fight for their rights is admirable in a society in which men, led by the government, its institutions and extremist religious establishment, use religion, tradition and physical coercive measures to deny women the right to full citizenship. Saudi women are resisting and making progress. Read More… Woman Jumped out of Her Apartment to avoid Arrest by Religious Police On June 1, 2007, members of the Saudi government’s religious police stormed an apartment looking for people accused of improper dress code and other unclear social misconduct. A frightened expatriate woman jumped from her fourth floor apartment building to avoid the involuntary trip to one of the many notorious religious police interrogation centers where she could be beaten, imprisoned and deported. The woman was severely injured and was taken to a hospital where she told the doctors about her misfortune. Read More… CDHR Commends the Spanish Minister of Justice The Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR), commends the Spanish Minister of Justice, Mr. Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, for taking a stand against gender discrimination in Saudi Arabia. Read More… Saudi Women in the Media Saudi women are routinely discriminated against, marginalized and not considered for advancement within their profession. In her recent article, “Empowering Women in Saudi Media,” (Arab News, January 6, 2007), Saudi journalist Maha Akeel discusses the importance of empowering women who work in the media. Read More… Faulting the Rape Victim There can be no greater failure by a system of justice than to punish the victim of a crime. Such a failure does much more than bring injustice to the individual who should be receiving it; it renders totally impotent and irrelevant the system that allowed it. This is so because in order for such a tragedy to come about, the system in question must be based on fundamentally flawed views of morality and criminality. Such is the case with the Saudi system of justice. Read More… Oppression of Women is Entrenched in the Saudi system Marginalization of, discrimination against and contemptuous attitude toward Saudi women are entrenched in the Saudi royal family’s political and socialization process, upbringing and culture. The highly praised King Abdul Aziz, father and grandfather to the current rulers, used to brag to his British confidant and advisor St. John Philby about the fact that he could not remember how many women he had married and could harldy remember any of their names. Read More… In Saudi Arabia, Divorce can have Shocking Aspects Forced marriages, marriages between family members and those of radically different ages, and chauvinist tribal traditions enforced by a combination of austere political and arbitrary religious judicial systems are taking a high toll on Saudi society, especially its women. Read More… |
In the NewsJanadriya Festival — Ban on Families to Stay “In what is seen as a setback for group family entertainment in the Kingdom, the organizers of Saudi Arabia’s annual national heritage festival, Al-Janadriya, announced that like previous years families will not be allowed to attend the event this year.”
Women Seek King’s Intervention in Fatima Case “Fearing for the future of the rights of Saudi women that are slowly being taken away from them in the name of Shariah after an appeals court upheld the forceful divorce of Fatima and Mansour, a group of Saudi women from across the Kingdom have launched a petition to be presented to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.”
Fatima’s Lawyer Wants Her in Women’s Shelter “Fatima, the 34-year-old woman who was divorced by a judge in absentia at the request of her half-brothers, has refused to leave prison in Dammam into the custody of her only legal male guardians (mahram), the men who broke up her marriage.”
Women’s College Launches Course in Banking “Women students who are interested in numbers and money matters will have the opportunity for the first time in the Kingdom to pursue a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance. The Ministry of Higher Education recently accredited Dar Al-Hekma Women’s College to offer these curriculums.”
“In an interview with the Saudi English-language daily Arab News, Princess Adelah bint Abdallah, daughter of the Saudi king, talked about the role of women in Saudi society. She said that “Saudi women must be given the opportunity to participate in social development in all areas,” and expressed her support for women’s employment. At the same time, the princess stressed that traditional values must be preserved.”
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