Saudi Women Revolution
10 MarI’ve been keeping a pleased eye on the hash tag Saudi Women Revolution on Twitter for some time now and I’m pleased to say a Facebook page has also been set up with the same title.
What Saudi women want does not conflict with Islam nor are their demands unreasonable. In this interview on France 24, the following points are made by Rasha from Riyadh.
Rasha says that a group of women started on Twitter and then moved onto Facebook as well. Now there is talk of initiating meetings between these women in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar to discuss ideas and to organize.
In recent years, Saudi women have become more aware of their rights they have been denied under the current system. In Saudi Arabia, a woman is under the control of her guardian (father, brother, or husband, or son in some cases) at all times and cannot do anything without his consent regardless of her age. A Saudi woman needs her male guardian’s consent for all matters in her life regarding education, travel, medical care, and work.
Saudi women do not have an independent personal identification card but follow the family card belonging to her male gaurdian.
Rasah says these archaic ways are governed by manmade customs and traditions.
The usual argument against change is fear for a women’s welfare but Rasha thinks it is very probably a fear of women.
These arachaic desert traditions are reminiscent of the Jahiliyya, pre-Islamic act of infanticide of baby girls by burying them alive in the sand. It is the same now but women are buried alive within their homes.
There are many men within this campaign and Rahsa’s husband too is at the head of the group. She says it is not a battle of the sexes – of women against men or vice versa. There are many men who support this campaign.
Rasha says she is ready to protest on the streets for this campaign and believes calling for women’s rights is a peaceful cause. The only thing holding back protests on the streets for this cause now is that they have been deemed illegal in Saudi Arabia The religious clerics have deemed going out to the streets in protests as anti-sharia’a and against the teachings of Islam. Rasha says that although she can’t disagree with the religious clerics she can voice her opinion. Islam is not against freedom of expression especially for as expressing a peaceful cause as women’s rights.
Rasha hopes that women will gain the right to a persoanl identification card and be be able to choose her life path and make independent decisions concerning her life oonce she is 18 years old.
Rasha’s greatest personal grievance has been her inability to drive. She says she has not suffered as other women because both her father and her husband have been supportive of her. However, not having the right to drive is a problem. Every outing has to be planned and depends on the readiness and availabilty of the driver. Not every woman can afford a driver. In addition, Rasha says it is infuriating to see young boys driving their cars aimlessly around the streets just because they are male while she who is in her 30′s and a working mother or student, must wait for a driver or someone else to drive her to her destination and run her errands.
The argument is always what is the necessity of the woman going out? That she says is not an argument even to be discussed. Whatever the reason for a woman going out, it cannot be less important than the adolescents driving aimlessly around in his car.
About jewaira
Bits of pleasure and fantasy. My own room with a view from Kuwait.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
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