Women Out

Arab News columnist Abeer Mishkhas writes about yet another incident where Saudi women are treated as inferior and second grade citizens.

 Just when you think you have heard it all, something new and incredible tops everything that has gone before. Are you ready? Well, just a day or two ago, a group of women doctors — medical doctors — attending a conference in Riyadh were asked to leave the hall since a male speaker — a PhD on the teaching staff at King Saud University — refused to address a group consisting of both men and women. And so what happened next? Surely, I hoped, the man was told he had two choices: Either deliver his speech to the mixed audience of doctors or leave. No, that is not what happened. The organizers in fact asked the women to leave the hall and in spite of protests from them, they left the hall in yet another battering to the worth and dignity of Saudi women.

Whenever I read such stories, I get reminded of the struggle for civil rights in America, which was a fight against racism, discrimination and segregation. However, in Saudi, we are far from any organized movement and I am not sure when the idea that sexism and inequality should no longer be tolerated will ever sink in.

Comments

[Trevely]

My aunt was there and as she was telling me the story I was absolutely fuming. If any of the men in the audience had even a smidgen of decency they would've gotten up as well and refused to hear the jackass's speech.

Fools, the whole fuckin lot of them. Just keeps reminding me why I shouldn't even consider going back there to work.

[Aya]

Sorry Trevely, I know this outrageous! I am also reminded that this $#@* is practiced all over the country and in every field. I think those women should have simply refused to leave.

[1001 Kuwaiti Nights]

I don't blame the women for leaving. They probably didn't want to make a scene. I feel really bad for them though, how incredibly humiliating. The organizers ought to make sure they never invite that guy again. They also should make sure that they tell whatever speakers from the get go that THERE WILL BE WOMEN there.

[Northern Shewolf]

I am with Aya on this one: all the women should have stuck it out! When will the Saudi sisters require more of themselves: like a righteous dedication to their own cause? When will they follow the great example of all these women who have fought (in the West) and still fight (India) for their rightful place in society? When?
I keep thinking of Dotsson, probably one of the tiny number of Saudi males with a conscience; would they all wake up and share his moral outrage.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

the direction being followed in saudi just depresses me. when i was there, many years ago when i was young, it was such a beautiful country, so much promise, and my time there was and remains a life changing experience for me. now ive watched from a distance as the skyline of riyadh has become that of a beautiful modern city, but in matters such as this things seem to be going nowhere, or even backwards. as one who has very fond memories of living in ksa, it makes my soul ache. i cannot even imagine the frustration and anger for those, female and male, who call it home.

LoA.

[Sunrunner]

It is interesting that you mention the US Civil Rights Aya.

When I lived in KSA in the 90s, before it was on the radar of the collective awareness, I was often asked by friends and family to describe what it was like. I often found myself comparing KSA to the antebellum south. If you really think about it, it is not so far fetched, particularly when you think about the way high and mighty live and think.

Yesterday, My local PBS station ran the entire series of the Civil Rights documentary, "The Eye on the Prize." There was quite a bit of footage of interviews of staunch "segregationists" and interestingly , one of the most often-repeated defenses was that they had a right to their "traditions."

It is an amazing series--I spent over 5 hours watching the whole thing yesterday. Really worth checking out: http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20060114_eyesontheprize.html

[Sunrunner]

A couple more links to Eyes on the Prize.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/index.html

http://videoindex.pbs.org/main/index.jsp

[Aya]

1001 Kuwaiti Knights, the problem is that this idiot represents a persistent ideology and convinction and if he is not invited next time, others with the same mentality will pop up in other events- which is already happening.

Northern Shewolf is right, we Saudi women, simply lack enough dedication to our cause. A group of five-ten pissed off women here and there will not solve this. We need an organized movement with big goals in mind, and from that high point we can compromise and negotiate, instead of what is happening now which is settling at the bottom.

I admire the Kuwaiti women's persistence and organization, they didn't just sit there complaining and accepting the male exclusivity in politics and did something about it. We surely need to look more towards our neighbor.

Lawrence of Arabia, the situation in Saudi Arabia is standstill. Every proposed progressive measure is followed by a repressive one, and so on. This has become the norm unfortunately.

Thanks Sunnruner for the links, I will definitely check them out. The American civil liberties movement is a statement of history that we should learn from, only action will alleviate oppression.

[1001 Kuwaiti Nights]

See the thing is, and correct me if I'm wrong, the situation with us women in Kuwait is not nearly the same as in Saudi Arabia. In our case, it’s not women against men, a lot of our men actually support us and are active in supporting us. There are certainly men against women having equal rights but there are plenty of men who fight for women's rights as well. That way, as a young woman, I wouldn't feel ostracized by SOCIETY AS A WHOLE if I speak openly about feminism or women's rights or attend a demonstration. Even our late Emir, Alla yir7ima, Jabir Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah actually issued a decree asking for the right for women to vote but the decree was shot down by the parliament. Still, he really got the ball rolling. Now that THANK GOD we FINALLY have the right to vote politicians are trying to court us. The reason I sympathize so much with Saudi women is that I feel it would take 100 times more courage for them to protest publicly in Saudi Arabia than it would take us Kuwaiti women in Kuwait. We don’t get punished by our dads or feel like we’re embarrassing our brothers when we attend these demonstrations. It’s completely acceptable.

I say get the boys in your own family on board with the issue first. They already have power and are more likely to be effective in pursuing women’s rights than you are since right now you’re still at the bottom end of the food chain.

[MD]

with freedom and opening, the whole human race will change.
Power to women

[Dahleez]

Aya,
You're not the only one who's notig the lack of organized activism--or perhaps the lack of activism all together!
I've been reading Bin Saad's blog, and she, along with other bloggers she quotes, are also noting the absence of organized activism.

Bint Saad is from Egypt. Apparently they've been having many demonstrations and protests against illebral actions on the side of the government (the Gub'Men, as Damon Wayens calls it in In Living Color! Sorry!!). As we all know, the cultural and institutional makeup of Saudi doesn't allow people--or perhaps is not oppressive enough for people to go out demonstrating opposition peacefully on the streets! We don't ven have people who walk on the streets!

Point is, why not have parties? I mean political parties. Organized and rational and led by individuals who are masters of rhetoric, so that they can express their views in ways that wouldn't incriminate them. I guess I am trying to say, why not organize this opposition and have POLITICIANS represent it?

The Saudi liberals might have fine ideas and visions, but without organizing I doubt that anything would change. I don't believe we could put all our eggs in one basket and wait for the UN to do us justice!

Of course, all easier said than done. I aplogize for not having a very quick and practical contribution :-)

[Aya]

Dahleez, I know it's a pessimistic view, but if we want to be realistic it is important to acknowledge that any group which organizes a political party in Saudi will most probably end up in prison. The laws in the country are geared towards obstructing any mass movements or organizations. Unfortunately, even petitioning is disallowed. However, that didn't stop people from doing it.