Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Shalash

Al-Jazeera

 

It looks like Saudi men have become monsters, according to some Saudi women who seem to hold a grudge against them. I am not going to generalize and say that all Saudi women think this way – only some think this way and this includes those Saudi women who claim to be modern and educated. Generalization is wrong and unfair. Besides, there are Saudi women who are wise and fair and have great respect for Saudi men.



But all of a sudden, Saudi men are described by some Saudi women as cruel, unromantic and tyrannical. Why are these men viewed as desert creatures or monsters without any decent sentiments or feelings? Why are they described as woman-haters who do not have tender feelings for their wives? Are Saudi men selfish, chauvinistic, condescending beings who get great satisfaction from treating women unfairly, taking everything from them and not giving them their rights? Have these men been spoiled by society because they want everything readily available for them?



It seems to me that there is a group of women who are trying to ruin the image of Saudi men by focusing on certain cases where men were cruel to women. It is a campaign that has been going on for a few years now. Personally, I do not see the point of this campaign and why it continues, especially since the government has granted women many privileges and has appointed them to senior positions.



 Of course, some women have been affected by their personal experiences with men, which were negative. Such cases eventually end up in court for judicial authorities to decide on. Because of the bad experiences these women had, they decided to launch a campaign to depict Saudi men as monsters. However, I am not absolving those men who have made mistakes.



They are irresponsible and do not know the real meaning of manhood. But how many irresponsible men there are in our society? Are Saudi men the only ones who treat women unfairly? What about men in other parts of the world? In fact when we compare Saudi men with other men in the world, it is clear that Saudi men are chivalrous and passionate and are always kind and supportive of women. Who helped Saudi women reach the position they now hold in society? Yes, it was Saudi men who  did so, not some aliens who came from other planets.



 For many years, some Saudi columnists and writers have been writing about empowering Saudi women. Some husbands have decided to leave their jobs and travel with their wives abroad. The sacrifices made by men are countless.  My advice to Saudi women who hate men is to focus more on the complimentary role between men and women instead of attacking men. In the long run, such an approach will have a negative effect on society.