Opinion

LVP -- The ambassador and women's rights

May 14, 2017
LVP -- The ambassador and women's rights

Saudi Gazette

In fact, women contribute more to building and maintaining the family than men and there is no truth whatsoever to the statement that Saudi women do not bear the cost of household expenses.

By Sattam Al-Mugrin

Al-Watan

A STATEMENT attributed to the Saudi ambassador in Oslo on the status of women in the Kingdom has sparked an uproar on social media platforms.

The ambassador allegedly said: “Women in Saudi Arabia have drivers who can take them anywhere they want to go. Saudi women do not have the responsibility of sharing the family expenses with their husbands. Even if she is an employee and her income is higher than his, the husband takes the full responsibility of family expenses.”

The ambassador condemned those who try to change the women’s status in Saudi Arabia, saying they were influenced by the Western culture.

He deplored the conditions in which Norwegian women live. He cited a statement purported made by the tax directorate in the country indicating hundreds of Norwegian women live in secret hideouts away from their homes for fear of being harmed or killed by their male relatives. He said the salary level of women in Norway is much less than their male counterparts while their working hours are more.

I am extremely sorry to say that the Saudi ambassador’s remarks on Saudi women were inappropriate and gratuitous. His remarks do not differ in substance from the ruthless statements made by some of the extremist clerics, who always ignore the positive side of the Western civilization and its achievements.

The ambassador did not stop there. He leveled accusations against those who call for women’s rights on the basis of international charters.

The extremist clerics usually consider calls for women's rights as devilish. According to them, such calls aim to humiliate women, satisfy men's lust and use them as tools for entertainment and for making money.

These clerics also claim that Western women have paid a heavy price in terms of losing their dignity and facing psychological problems while women in Muslim countries enjoy greater dignity, psychological stability, equanimity and happiness in life.

I would like to ask the ambassador a few questions: Are women in our society better off than their Western counterparts? Have we ever asked why some of our women leave their culture entirely when they travel abroad and emulate the Western model? What are the reasons behind the growing number of divorces in Saudi society and what about their negative fallout? Have we studied the problems facing Saudi women in matters related to marriage, inheritance, polygamy and family violence?

It is surprising that people who become vocal about the important role of women in society keep silent on the injustice perpetrated against them through divorce, family violence and polygamy. We simply claim that Islam preserves the dignity of woman and describe her as a protected jewel. At the same time, we assume that women in the West do not have any dignity and they face humiliation in society.

The ambassador knows that every culture has its pros and cons and good and bad aspects but if we want to reform and uplift a society we should not cover up its negative side.

The ambassador says that Saudi women who are employed do not pay for family expenses. This is contrary to the reality. He makes this point while ignoring the fact that many Saudi women try hard and encounter many difficulties to make a living.

Extremist clerics have prevented women from going out of their homes to work and compelled them to obey their husbands who presumably pay for their expenses. The women’s main responsibility, according to them, is taking care of children, in addition to cooking and serving their men.

Several Saudi women have filed many lawsuits against men who defaulted on payment of alimony and child support. There are many women who are forced to meet the expenses of their children, not to mention of men who take away the salaries and wealth of their wives without even seeking their consent.

In fact, women contribute more to building and maintaining the family than men and there is no truth whatsoever to the statement that Saudi women do not bear the cost of household expenses.

The ambassador says that Saudi women have drivers. I wonder whether the presence of a foreign driver in the family is a positive thing or one of the dangerous negativities in Saudi society. Does the ambassador know the feelings of the parents when they send their sons and daughters alone with their family driver to school?

Moreover, most Saudi families do not have the financial capability to employ drivers. Does the ambassador know the difficulties of women traveling in a taxi and meeting its expenses?

The ambassador also stated that the vast majority of Saudi women do not demand any major reform. This may be true in the past when they were not open to modern civilization and women were not aware that they have rights other than what they actually enjoy.

Today, women are conscious about their existence and their independent entity, and they are bold to demand their rights and freedom. Women are ready to sacrifice the benefits such as their expenses and the provision of a driver to gain their independence.

The ambassador should know that the West understands well what their women’s status was when they were under the hegemony of the church and the clergy. Opponents of women’s rights and independence often raise this matter to justify their views.


May 14, 2017
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