Defamation of Saudi women on Twitter must be stopped

Defamation of Saudi women on Twitter must be stopped

December 30, 2016
Hanan Alnufaie
Hanan Alnufaie

Hanan Alnufaie
There are a lot of discussions on Twitter, some of which are constructive. However, the majority of the social discussions mainly focus on defaming women who have chosen to study or work in majors other than the field of teaching, which is considered to be the safest profession due to its separate-gender environment. However, I am a firm believer that defamation is a crime equal to murder and corruption, and people who commit this inhumane crime must be severely punished.

These disrespectful people try, unconvincingly, to justify their slander by claiming that they are defenders of Islam. One thing is for sure: these people are fanatics as far as the principles of Islam are concerned. I am sure everyone is aware that Islam has a clear and stern warning against people who accuse women of immoral actions and that people who do this will be cursed in this life and in the Hereafter for their major sin. The Holy Qur’an says: “Those who slander chaste women, indiscreet but believing, are cursed in this life and in the Hereafter: for them is a grievous penalty.”

Moreover, slandering women is considered one of the seven sins that doom a person to Hell. So after this, who on earth can believe that defamation is a part of Islam?

Moreover, Islam gives equal rights to all women to seek knowledge and work in professions for which they have a genuine passion – as long as they are attired according to the guidelines of Islam and the work atmosphere is respectable.

Those who defame women on Twitter also call themselves strong protectors of customs and traditions. However, here is a simple question: Do you think that harming the reputation of women is a part of any kind of custom or tradition on earth? While I am a firm believer that many traditions in our society are illogical and must be totally removed from our mindset, I have never heard that our traditions call for accusing women of immoral actions just because they choose to study abroad with a male relative or work in different professions.

And here is a quick reminder: In our customs and traditions, it is manly NOT to talk about the reputations of women or to damage their honor under any circumstances.

No one has any right to besmirch a woman’s reputation. There is a big difference between expressing opinions and spreading false accusations about women who pursue their studies abroad, or choose to work in professions such as medicine, nursing or law. In the worst scenario, even if there is an immoral woman, this does not give anyone the right to stereotype all women. How can a society progress without the contribution of women? Over time, Saudi women have proven their morals, ethics, and professional ability.

Women are part and parcel of modern society and the male gender should support them under all circumstances. I call on the concerned authorities to impose deterrent punishment for anyone who tries to defame women. I am sure that if there were strict laws against the defamation of women, we would not be seeing such a large number of posts on Twitter trying to ruin women’s social image. A point of interest to note is that Kuwait has recently implemented a law to cope with slandering. Let us take this as an example and implement something similar here in the Kingdom.

Hanan Alnufaie


December 30, 2016
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