Women in saudi arabia?

Question

As a headcovering christian from europe,i am disgusted with saudi arabia's behaviour regarding women.the koran does not say that women cannot travel aboard without a male family member permission or that a woman cannot drive.this male dominance is wrong.could i possibly have some saudi's perspectives on it?

Answer 1

They are not follow the Quarn laws, they follow sheriya laws

Answer 2

it is part of their morals.......trust me i think its bs too but they believe in the old morals....its part of their religion....they believe in those stupid morals that say the parents rule the children, the men rule the women, and the upper class rules the lower class.....its very stereotypical....

Answer 3

Give us a break! we respect women a hundred times better than you do in Europe and in the US.

- We don't have women working in pornography and strip clubs, we refused to turn women into s*x machines.

- Women in your country work 8 to 10 hours everyday and leave their kids with the babysitter, our women do not need to work cause us men are obliged to provide them with security, money and respect.

- The divorce rate in Europe and the US is unbelievably high and causing the population to shrink, you have kids that don't know who their parents are, but we have low divorce rate and high fertility rate and that means a healthy society.

So if you consider yourself respected because you can wear a bikini and travel alone then honey you have no idea what respect is.

monty069: Read the Quran before talking about it, at least we did not burn people alive like Christians did in the mid ages because they refused to enter the church.

Kenzie: we have better morals than your ancestors who killed the majority of indians and turned africans into slaves.

shaded and oh_yeah : the precentage of educated people here is far more than some of the US states, we created algebra and astronomy and put the basics of the modern surgery techniques when your ancestors where running after cows and gold mines.

Austin blue: your comment is too stupid for me to reply at.

Answer 4

{from California, USA}

No matter WHO a person is or what they believe, EVERYONE should be respected.

Male DOMINANCE is over-rated and should NOT be an EXCUSE to use FORCE or CONTROL.

Women should be -

LOVED, not abused.

CARED for, not harmed.

RESPECTED, not rejected.

"WOMEN" - give them a chance, they gave you one.

If men don't have respect for women, then, in their next life their mothers will abort them!

Answer 5

It is a part of their cultural and has been for thousands of years. They are not going to change their ways for a person like you, nor should they.

Answer 6

Being a Saudi ..I am not fully  satisfied of what is happening here  regarding this matter and that is just my opinion ..It is not also true that all Saudi men agree with this kind of law..As a matter of fact men suffer the most from limiting what ladies can do in our society aside from just raising kids ..Young men here like young  ladies  are  pushed by traditions  to blind marriages and made to suffer from divorce alone( Divorce rate is high ) ..Married people are suffering the most from carrying most of the responsibility of marriage upon their  shoulders ..Men almost do everything regarding getting things done  from paying  for home to catering the kids to bringing housemaids to help around  ..if any  of those rings  break  ,men definitely  will  suffer the most  because they are going to redo the things all over again by themselves and themselves alone most of the time  ...So a change is in need ..  ladies must come out and  take more responsibilities ,give more hand to build a rightful society ,and be very essential participant in shaping our future ...It may sound like a dream,but some dreams can come true..

Answer 7

I'm a saudi woman, born..raised and educated in jeddah, the west coast of saudi arabia. both my parents are saudi...both were born raised and educated in saudi...so if it's a saudi womans perspective you're asking for...here it is:

most of us saudi women are happy with our lives...i say most cause there's no country or civilization that could please every single individual (man or woman) in it..

we love our country and we love our religion...and in recent years we've been under extreme critisism and attack from all over...so if we sound a bit defensive or even aggressive in our responses...please pardon us, we've certainly had enough of people that do not do thier homework by not searching and studying the culture, the history and the religion as well as talk to as many people as they can and compare saudi arabia with other arab nations or islamic countries all around the world...they just hear what they hear on the media and from isolated individuals and launch a war on us...

women of my country are not opressed, depressed or inslaved....they are happy, healthy, respected, accomplished and loved and cared for better than women in many places around the world. "just me" and "alhamdullallah" gave some great points you should consider....if you really care about women and life in general in saudi arabia i suggest you read more about the very successful business women (why don't you check forbes list of the most powerful arab business women and see how many saudis are on it ), the famous writers and journalists, the painters and artists, the fashion and jewelry designers, and many more of successful old and young saudi women: all have at least an undergraduate degree...many already have thier post graduate degrees...started a family..raising children and started thier careers or own personal businesses before even hitting 30! and they did it in thier so called "male dominated" country...with the help, encouragement and support of male family members and friends

if driving a car (not allowed in saudi due to many reasons, none being the islamic faith) and travelling alone (i suggest you research this issue in the islamic faith my country runs by) in your opinion determines weither a woman is respected and given her rights, then i'm sorry to tell you that you lack the logic or maturity needed to understand womens rights and freedom and therefore you're not in a position to judge or comment on an entire country you know so little about.

as many already told you, life in saudi arabia revolves around families and their comfort and security. and the core of every family is the woman...

one more thing, saudi arabia...my country...is developing and advancing in a record setting rate...it doesn't take steps...it leaps into the future...why don't you read about it's history...no need to dig back a thousand years...just take a look at it's growth in the past ...say 70 years, a duration equal to one persons life....when you do that...all of that...come again and ask us some more...or maybe it's not our perspective that'll be discussed next time...

Answer 8

Saudi Arabia is a holy country.  Do you like living in church?

Also its not by a male's permission.  The male is obligated to take his woman where she needs to be because he is obligated to protect her.

Kenzie what old morals?  They are following "Al Shari'a" since it is a holy place of worship.  Please don't answer if you don't have a clue.

shaded, the church doesn't allow a woman to speak up unless the permission of her husband.  Try living at your church for a bit and see how you like it.  

Just because they follow their Shari'a tradition as it is a holy place doesn't mean its Totalitarianism, it means people in Saudi Arabia are living by morals.  Islam does talk about equality and there are a lot of Muslim countries that show equality.  Just because some countries are not absolute followers doesn't mean the religion is at fault.  

Also just because people don't follow the religion doesn't mean we should judge the religion it self.  It's not Christianity's fault when you see a priest molesting a child is it?

Here are some things from the bible that you might have ignored:

"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." (Genesis 3:16)

"If, however, the charge is not true and no proof of the girls virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her fathers house and there the men of the town shall stone her to death." (Deut. 22:20-21)

The Lord said to Moses, "Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man." (Num. 31:17)

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands, as unto the Lord...Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything." (Eph. 5:22-24)

"Women should remain silent in churches. They are not allowed to speak; but must be in submission as the Law says." (I Cor. 14:34-35)

"A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner." (I Tim. 2:11-14)

"The head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is man." (I Cor. 11:3)

"For man did not come from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man." (I Cor. 11:8-9)

Answer 9

The Saudis don't allow women to do these things for one reason. People will get more educated and they can challenge the government which means a rift in the kingdom. Islam talks about equality and yet they don't show any equality.  The foreigners are totally alien.  

Their religious police monitors everything in the country.  It is the Mecca of Islam (literally) yet they undermine anyone who has something otherwise to say.  

Addition: To the first answering guy up there.  

I lived in Saudi for five months. I don't recommend even my enemies to go there.  I tell u a small example. I once was going on the street and the call for the prayer was made. The nearest mosque was about 5-7 minute walk and I WAS GOING THERE. However I was rudely stopped by Mutawas, who accused me that what am I doing outside during the prayer time and I told them, I was on my way there. They didn't believe me. They said to me to get in the car with them so they can take me to THEIR mosque to pray under their watchful eyes.  Which I did, however they didn't pray, they left me with some other people there. Once I finished my pray, I asked one of the guys, so who is controlling these people to pray, they are also outside at the time of the salah.  

Often times, I and a lot of other people I know have been called Kharji (outsider) or Habshi (Black arabic word for N-word, even though I am brown).  

That place sucks.

I am not saying that everyone is corrupt but most of them have gone nuts because of stupid restrictions.

A woman may die because of pregnancy (numerous cases I heard from the locals) because there was no FEMALE doctor available.

So dear get ur facts straight before u go out and criticize others.  This is an opinionated debate.  We all can say what we want whether we have a clue or not.

Although there are few individuals (male) from the royal family who openly defy these rules. They'd eat pork or drink alcohol or have s*x without marriage and then in public they'll denounce these things. Totally hypocritical.

Answer 10

.....now Saudi Arabia is becoming open for change for the better unlike the old generation where minds are closed and sometimes narrowminded....so it means, couple of years women will be given enough rights like driving and travelling alone included.

Answer 11

You asked this question in the Ramadan section.  I'm happy you brought it over here.  My husband was the one who wrote the response for me yesterday using my yahoo ID.

What I'd like to say is...you have to understand that Saudi Arabia is a really new country.  The Saudis didn't have a government or anything before oil was discovered around 1933.  The country started developing overnight.  You take a very strong tribal culture and try to make them like the rest of the world, and you'll get a lot of resistance.  There are still people living in Saudi Arabia in the same way they lived 100 years ago.  At the same time, you find very modern cities with the best technology.  

Because of the strong culture and the strong respect for Islam, it's hard for big changes to occur.  The driving issue has been an issue for many years.  The government is seriously working on solving the issue and have made plans for women to be driving in the next couple years.  I have heard it may be as early as the end of this year, but everything with the Saudi government takes a long time, so I won't hold my breath on that one.  With that said, most Saudi women have absolutely no desire to drive.  The roads are very dangerous here because no one follows simple traffic laws.  I don't think most women are prepared to drive in traffic like that.  There are places in Saudi Arabia where women drive.  Women can drive in remote places.  Women can also drive within the Aramco compound.  

Travelling - This issue is completely from Islam.  The reason is for the safety of women and children.  You have to remember that people used to walk in the desert as their way of travelling.  It's not safe to be out there alone, even if you're a man.  There are some scholars in Islam who allow women to travel alone as long as they are surrounded with people, such as by train or plane because they will be safe.  Saudi Arabia also allows this with the permission of the husband or father.  This is for the safety of the women.  Women here do travel alone by train and plane to visit their relatives in other cities all the time.  Children also need permission to travel without their parents.  For example, my husband and I took his little brother and sister to Bahrain.  We had to have a paper signed by his father that allowed the minor children to leave the country.  

Most women in Saudi Arabia aren't particularly bothered by not being able to drive and not being able to travel alone without permission.  It's really not as bad as you think it is here.  If you understand the culture and religion, then you will understand why the Saudis are this way.

I'm American btw, and my husband is Saudi.  We live in Saudi Arabia.  I dress like a Saudi when going out wearing a black abaya and niqab.  I have only received respect from men here.  Male dominance is not something you find in everyday life here.  In fact, men complain because most everything is focused on families.  There is security everywhere, and they sometimes don't allow single men to enter malls and other businesses because they want families to feel comfortable and not be bothered by young men.

Yes, Saudi Arabia isn't perfect, but find a perfect country in the world....where is it?

Answer 12

you moved to a country and you don't like the rules, then leave!

my analogy:  i wouldn't ask to stay at someones house and they said ¨yes you can stay but your children have too sleep outside¨, i would just leave!

you say you are not moving to saudi arabia, so my question is why did you bring up this who conversation, was it to stir up some sexiest comments against men?

ok why do you keep bringing up religion, do you want them all to convert to your religion because you think ¨anyone thats not Christian is uncivilized and evil¨? ive ran into many Christians that act that way around me because im ¨atheist¨!

Answer 13

I applaud "Idea$" and "justme"... thankyou . I couldnt have said it better..

And why does everyone outside our country think we Saudi women dont like it?.. I am happy here!.. Its a good moral place.. I feel much safer raising my children here than in USA.. Yes, ive lived in USA, many years.. I have first hand knowledge to compare...

mashallah! "soul".. if I could copy your comments and use them in the future I would... thankyou!... seems a question like this comes up weekly and your comments suits it every time..

thanks for posting here! ^_^

Answer 14

As a Saudi born in the US, I am disgusted by the way some are so judgemental without knowing anything about the history and culture.

My grandparents lived in a houses made of mud. Now the family is a group of people with Ivy league level of education.

Riyadh had 40,000-60,000 people, say, 50-60, or even 80 years ago. Now its a city with six million with skyscrapers and people driving luxury cars at certain places, and pick up trucks at others.

The way things changed is beyond what most laymen in europe- who arent well travelled- can comprehend.

Even the laws related to what may be considered soon, the parliment, and laws governing even issues like, Islamic finance and Islamic banks, and even the Islamic judical sysyem and laws, are all new, and developing...

In some issues ( actually, many ) I feel we need mens rights..

And in the end its not about men or women, but its about so many things that are developing and as they are doing so they must go through lots of change here and there.

So picking on an issue or two, simplifying things, ( and I know ive said this quite a few times here, but its a perfect example ), is the same way George Bush thinks, or was thinking, when invading Iraq, without any knowledge of the culture, diversity, history, and all the complications in the area to understand Iraq in context.. then in the end going "oops" after shoving their own ideas down our throats, and not in a friendly way ( look at how you used words like disgusted for instance, which doesnt sound like a word that would come from a genuinly inquiring mind )...

You see what you consider bad in your culture, and wouldnt even know if we consider those certain things good, bad, or contervertial, because you judged the whole country already, then asked.

So simplifying things that way without understanding them in context, makes a person sound as simple minded as George Bush.

Finally, yes, we have our problems, and we deal with them all the time, but we dont appreciate people expressing their disgust towards us, THEN asking questions.

So as a headcovering christian from europe, maybe you should realize that you're like a needle in a haystack ( being a headcovering woman in Europe ) and have so many problems in your country ( as all countries do ) and should keep yourself busy before expressing your disgust towards other nations as a whole in a disrespectful generalizing manner.

I can go on pointing fingers at bad things in Europe, but then id be acting like a simple minded person myself, and would be lowering my standards, so i'll stop here, as I realize every country has its problems and good and bad, history, culture, and even year of birth!