Monday, 22 January 2007
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
After a long struggle women in Morocco have won the right to pass citizenship on to their children from non-national husbands by birth. With the passing of that law, Morocco has put an end to the suffering of thousands of children of non-Moroccan fathers and joined most of the Arab countries, including Egypt, that have already passed similar laws.
By contrast, there are still women in Saudi Arabia who are struggling to keep their marriages to Saudi nationals valid especially in those cases where the marriage does not conform to the interests of the woman’s male relatives.
On Saturday, Okaz, the Arabic-language daily newspaper, published a report of a new marriage case that was nullified by a court in Riyadh. Unlike the previous cases, where the woman’s male guardian invalidated the marriage, this time the tribal chief did. He used the same excuse of “inferior blood” to obtain a court verdict. The couple had been married for years and had two children. They had married after receiving permission of her adult brother as well, according to the paper.
Several months ago, the media also reported a similar case where a couple was divorced, not because they wanted to, but because the wife’s brothers believed the husband’s blood was inferior to theirs.
Both divorces were granted by Saudi judges, adding insult to Saudi women who are suffering form lack of full citizenship rights when it comes to marriage, divorce and passing citizenship to their children from a non-Saudi husband.
Comparing the Saudi women’s situation to that of the Moroccan or even the Egyptian ones, I felt sad that such acts are taking place in a country that was among the first Arab countries to sign the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and above all, is the cradle of Islam.
King Abdullah said on more than one occasion that there should be no differences or discrimination among the Kingdom’s different regions and between men and women when it comes to citizenship. However, we still see regulations and practices that impose restrictions on women and make them a subject to injustice and discrimination inside the Saudi courts.
Saudi women should be given the right to choose their husbands and to pass the citizenship to their non-Saudi children by birth in equality with their male counterparts.
It’s true that the Saudi law allows the children of a Saudi woman from a non-Saudi husband to obtain citizenship when they reach the age of maturity of 18 years, and after spending at least five years in the country. Yet fulfilling those conditions does not guarantee the citizenship and half-Saudi children are still treated in many places as foreigners.
For instance, the mother still must pay an annual amount of SR 1,000 fee in order to renew the residency permit of her children. In the case of divorce or the father’s death, the Saudi mother is not permitted to sponsor her male children when they reach adulthood unless she has a commercial license under which they are registered as employees at her company. Otherwise, she must look for a sponsor, which makes her a subject to blackmailing and hurt feelings of the children who feel that they are unwanted in the only country they consider as home.
Having the merits of being exposed to at least two cultures give children a plus point since they have an international background and Saudi patriotism. People characterize the nation language as one’s mother tongue. The same thing can be said about patriotism that is usually passed from the mother to her children.
The question now is: will we save our assets and pass the same law as that of Morocco or should we lose those children who might get the citizenship one day when they come back as doctors and scientists but with no patriotism for the country that denied them citizenship when they were little kids.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
Wrangling over ‘Empowerment’
Friday, 19 January 2007
Speakers call for Greater Women Participation Based on Islamic Model
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
THE implementation of women empowerment becomes a distant dream when the very mention of the term itself evokes strong reaction from women themselves.
It happened at a seminar held at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday night. Speakers, despite their belief in the importance of women’s empowerment, disagreed over the definition of the term “empowerment” as well as its Western origin.
A well-educated woman in the audience, who introduced herself as the headmistress of a high school in Jeddah, begged speakers to have mercy on Saudi society and stop promoting Western ideas that would destroy the fabric of the Muslim family.
“Have mercy on us and think of our homes and children who have been the victims of such calls as yours,” she shouted. “Our children are brought up by maids and the country’s treasure is exported abroad by expatriate drivers and you are still calling women to leave their houses?”
Attempts by organizers to calm her down failed.
She was only an example of thousands if not millions of Saudi and Arab women who refuse to accept good things under the false presumption that these have Western origin which might spoil their culture and values.
Many speakers, however, agreed on the fact that whatever the term “empowerment” means, it should not mean Westernization and it should be modeled on Islamic values.
They referred to the Holy Qur’an to justify their viewpoints, arguing that in Islamic history women could participate politically, work freely and have a voice in both politics and society.
“Women’s empowerment is among the basic principles upon which the Islamic regulations were based,” said Fatin Halawani, a professor of Islamic studies at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. “Empowerment should be carried out within this framework with no exception,” she said.
As Saudi Arabia has based its Constitution on the Shariah, women’s empowerment is part of the general policy and should not be perceived as something that is invented by the West, she argued.
Halawani said the problem in Saudi society is that people are divided into two extreme groups: one, which likes to keep women at home; and the other, which likes to blindly follow the Western model of women empowerment.
She warned women against running wild after the recently introduced idea of political empowerment. She cited an example from a neighboring country, where women failed because of political immaturity. Saudi women have a long way to go before being ready to participate in politics, she said.
Nora Al-Saad, a professor of social sciences at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, took a different view. She encouraged women to regain the rights that Islam granted and which were lost due to ignorance.
Women’s issues should not be discussed in isolation from those of men, she said, adding that both genders form what social scientists refer to as “individuals.”
“We should not focus on bits and pieces (and forget the bigger picture),” Al-Saad added.
When issues like domestic violence are discussed, the focus should not be placed on women as a subject of violence or the incident itself, she said. On the contrary, the focus should be on the surrounding political, legal and social atmosphere that led to such violence.
Al-Saad urged Saudi women to think globally and take advantage of whatever events take place in the world around them. For instance, she said, though the Sept. 11 attacks brought disaster to the Islamic world, they benefited Saudi women by throwing the spotlight on their issues.
“Let’s take advantage of the outside pressure (on Saudi authorities) to activate the already existing regulations,” she said.
Reviewing the challenges of Saudi women empowerment, Al-Saad said unemployment is a result of political, economic and monetary system. She said Saudis should use the surplus in the budget to call for more jobs for the youth and women. She also called for free vocational training and the establishment of clubs for the youth, which are a must for a civilized society.
Naila Attar, an economic consultant and a businesswoman, talked about the economic empowerment of women in Saudi Arabia, emphasizing that empowerment does not mean increasing women’s power of authority.
“It means increasing women participation in various fields, both within the family and at worksite. It means providing better opportunities for women in decision making positions, and development of adequate resources that lead to empowerment of women in education, health and employment,” she explained.
She reminded women attendees of their guaranteed right of alimony after divorce, urging them to ask for this forgotten or lost right at the Saudi court.
She said that these are the rights that were exercised in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and should be regained now.
She also emphasized the potential role of women as enshrined in the Eighth Development Plan. She called for more efforts to remove obstacles affecting women participation in economic and development activities consistent with the Islamic values and teachings. She shed light on that part of the 8th plan that gives special attention to the importance of exerting all possible efforts to raise women’s participation rate from 10.3 percent at the beginning of the plan to 14.2 percent by the end of the plan period.
Speakers call for Greater Women Participation Based on Islamic Model
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
THE implementation of women empowerment becomes a distant dream when the very mention of the term itself evokes strong reaction from women themselves.
It happened at a seminar held at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday night. Speakers, despite their belief in the importance of women’s empowerment, disagreed over the definition of the term “empowerment” as well as its Western origin.
A well-educated woman in the audience, who introduced herself as the headmistress of a high school in Jeddah, begged speakers to have mercy on Saudi society and stop promoting Western ideas that would destroy the fabric of the Muslim family.
“Have mercy on us and think of our homes and children who have been the victims of such calls as yours,” she shouted. “Our children are brought up by maids and the country’s treasure is exported abroad by expatriate drivers and you are still calling women to leave their houses?”
Attempts by organizers to calm her down failed.
She was only an example of thousands if not millions of Saudi and Arab women who refuse to accept good things under the false presumption that these have Western origin which might spoil their culture and values.
Many speakers, however, agreed on the fact that whatever the term “empowerment” means, it should not mean Westernization and it should be modeled on Islamic values.
They referred to the Holy Qur’an to justify their viewpoints, arguing that in Islamic history women could participate politically, work freely and have a voice in both politics and society.
“Women’s empowerment is among the basic principles upon which the Islamic regulations were based,” said Fatin Halawani, a professor of Islamic studies at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. “Empowerment should be carried out within this framework with no exception,” she said.
As Saudi Arabia has based its Constitution on the Shariah, women’s empowerment is part of the general policy and should not be perceived as something that is invented by the West, she argued.
Halawani said the problem in Saudi society is that people are divided into two extreme groups: one, which likes to keep women at home; and the other, which likes to blindly follow the Western model of women empowerment.
She warned women against running wild after the recently introduced idea of political empowerment. She cited an example from a neighboring country, where women failed because of political immaturity. Saudi women have a long way to go before being ready to participate in politics, she said.
Nora Al-Saad, a professor of social sciences at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, took a different view. She encouraged women to regain the rights that Islam granted and which were lost due to ignorance.
Women’s issues should not be discussed in isolation from those of men, she said, adding that both genders form what social scientists refer to as “individuals.”
“We should not focus on bits and pieces (and forget the bigger picture),” Al-Saad added.
When issues like domestic violence are discussed, the focus should not be placed on women as a subject of violence or the incident itself, she said. On the contrary, the focus should be on the surrounding political, legal and social atmosphere that led to such violence.
Al-Saad urged Saudi women to think globally and take advantage of whatever events take place in the world around them. For instance, she said, though the Sept. 11 attacks brought disaster to the Islamic world, they benefited Saudi women by throwing the spotlight on their issues.
“Let’s take advantage of the outside pressure (on Saudi authorities) to activate the already existing regulations,” she said.
Reviewing the challenges of Saudi women empowerment, Al-Saad said unemployment is a result of political, economic and monetary system. She said Saudis should use the surplus in the budget to call for more jobs for the youth and women. She also called for free vocational training and the establishment of clubs for the youth, which are a must for a civilized society.
Naila Attar, an economic consultant and a businesswoman, talked about the economic empowerment of women in Saudi Arabia, emphasizing that empowerment does not mean increasing women’s power of authority.
“It means increasing women participation in various fields, both within the family and at worksite. It means providing better opportunities for women in decision making positions, and development of adequate resources that lead to empowerment of women in education, health and employment,” she explained.
She reminded women attendees of their guaranteed right of alimony after divorce, urging them to ask for this forgotten or lost right at the Saudi court.
She said that these are the rights that were exercised in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and should be regained now.
She also emphasized the potential role of women as enshrined in the Eighth Development Plan. She called for more efforts to remove obstacles affecting women participation in economic and development activities consistent with the Islamic values and teachings. She shed light on that part of the 8th plan that gives special attention to the importance of exerting all possible efforts to raise women’s participation rate from 10.3 percent at the beginning of the plan to 14.2 percent by the end of the plan period.
Welcoming New Hijra Year the Saudi Way
Friday, 19 January 2007
By Maha Sami Aboulola
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
SAUDIS have adopted traditions during the first day of the Hijra New Year that keep them optimistic about the year ahead.
“The tradition we focus on is having white and green in our food or in our drinks during the first day of the year,” said Jameelah Sheikh, a homemaker in Jeddah. The colors are symbols of purity and fertile days, which they hope will be with them during the coming year.
Most families like to cook mallow (molokhieh) for the meal and to have a cup of milk on that day, to be sure they have used the two colors on the exact day, said Sami Muhammad, a Jeddah businessman.
It’s not the kind of food they eat which will change how the New Year will turn out. By gathering around the meal, the family wishes to be surrounded with beloved ones to their hopes and expectations, said Azza Aboubakor, a sociologist in King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.
“Being positive about what is going to happen during the coming year is not enough if you don’t have the people you love and trust around you. Gathering during that specific time, they feel they will always be connected, giving comfort to family members,” Aboubakor said.
The month of Muharram, when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) migrated from Makkah to Madina in July 16, 622 A.D., marks the beginning of the Islamic year.
According to Dr. Eimad Mohsin, a psychologist in Jeddah, New Year’s Day has always been seen as the day for cleaning houses and wearing new clothes. On the other hand, many people also wait for that day to make some changes in their lives.
“On the day, people start to think about their aspirations during the coming 365 days, like deciding to stop smoking, lose weight, study more, exercise often or pay off their credit card debt. They also use colors they like, just to give them a push toward their hopes and expectations,” Mohsin said. “Instead of counting down the seconds before the start of the New Year, Saudi families gather during lunch or dinner to celebrate, eating particular kinds of food.”
Muslim scholars accept the new traditions that have spread among families recently as a hopeful forecast for the coming days.
“As long as these gatherings around food are not going beyond a cheerful wish, it is acceptable in Islam. But if people get to the point where they think avoiding these traditions may stop good from happening during the next year, then Islam is against it,” said Abdullah Al-Muslim, a dean at the Islamic Law College in Riyadh.
“People must believe despite whatever they do during the first day of the New Year, good things only come from Allah.”
All around the world, people celebrate the advent of a new year in traditional ways.
In South America, New Year is celebrated by making a fake person or dummy. The dummy should be completely dressed and stuffed with old newspapers and firecrackers and placed outside the home.
The dummy represents something that happened during the last year.
At midnight, each family lights the dummy on fire. As the dummy goes up in smoke, the firecrackers also go off to add to the festivities. The old year is forgotten and the new year begins.
By Maha Sami Aboulola
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
SAUDIS have adopted traditions during the first day of the Hijra New Year that keep them optimistic about the year ahead.
“The tradition we focus on is having white and green in our food or in our drinks during the first day of the year,” said Jameelah Sheikh, a homemaker in Jeddah. The colors are symbols of purity and fertile days, which they hope will be with them during the coming year.
Most families like to cook mallow (molokhieh) for the meal and to have a cup of milk on that day, to be sure they have used the two colors on the exact day, said Sami Muhammad, a Jeddah businessman.
It’s not the kind of food they eat which will change how the New Year will turn out. By gathering around the meal, the family wishes to be surrounded with beloved ones to their hopes and expectations, said Azza Aboubakor, a sociologist in King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.
“Being positive about what is going to happen during the coming year is not enough if you don’t have the people you love and trust around you. Gathering during that specific time, they feel they will always be connected, giving comfort to family members,” Aboubakor said.
The month of Muharram, when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) migrated from Makkah to Madina in July 16, 622 A.D., marks the beginning of the Islamic year.
According to Dr. Eimad Mohsin, a psychologist in Jeddah, New Year’s Day has always been seen as the day for cleaning houses and wearing new clothes. On the other hand, many people also wait for that day to make some changes in their lives.
“On the day, people start to think about their aspirations during the coming 365 days, like deciding to stop smoking, lose weight, study more, exercise often or pay off their credit card debt. They also use colors they like, just to give them a push toward their hopes and expectations,” Mohsin said. “Instead of counting down the seconds before the start of the New Year, Saudi families gather during lunch or dinner to celebrate, eating particular kinds of food.”
Muslim scholars accept the new traditions that have spread among families recently as a hopeful forecast for the coming days.
“As long as these gatherings around food are not going beyond a cheerful wish, it is acceptable in Islam. But if people get to the point where they think avoiding these traditions may stop good from happening during the next year, then Islam is against it,” said Abdullah Al-Muslim, a dean at the Islamic Law College in Riyadh.
“People must believe despite whatever they do during the first day of the New Year, good things only come from Allah.”
All around the world, people celebrate the advent of a new year in traditional ways.
In South America, New Year is celebrated by making a fake person or dummy. The dummy should be completely dressed and stuffed with old newspapers and firecrackers and placed outside the home.
The dummy represents something that happened during the last year.
At midnight, each family lights the dummy on fire. As the dummy goes up in smoke, the firecrackers also go off to add to the festivities. The old year is forgotten and the new year begins.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Speaking in the Same Room
Monday, 15 January 2007
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
Today US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in Saudi Arabia to talk to King Abdullah about George Bush’s “surge” strategy in Iraq and beat the dead horse known as the Israeli-Palestinian disaster. She will have no fresh proposals for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and nothing new under the sun for Iraq. Just more Americans to serve as canon fodder to maintain the dignity of the White House.
Madam Secretary has already been on similar junkets to the Middle East and the results are usually the same: The US government will forge ahead at all costs no matter what anybody else says.
But something quirky is happening on this trip that any conspiracy theorist (after all, I’m Arab) could sink his teeth into. On Sunday Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security adviser and the country’s top nuclear negotiator, was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia to also meet with King Abdullah.
I have no idea what Larijani plans to talk to the King about, but a good guess would be establish more friendly relations between the Kingdom and Iran.
So perhaps on the same day we have Condoleezza Rice and Ali Larijani just maybe in the same building, stating their respective cases to Saudi leaders.
So what’s that all about?
I can’t help but think that this may be a little awkward for not only the Saudi hosts, but for Ms. Rice and Mr. Larijani. Are they going to speak to each other? Will they bump into each other at the buffet and make small talk over mixed grill, rice and fruit drinks? Will Mr. Larijani try to soften Ms. Rice by inviting her to a Riyadh coffee shop for a bit of hubble-bubble to iron out their differences?
Imagine this scenario: Ms. Rice and Mr. Larijani sitting on a sofa in front of a low dining table in the darkened family section of a coffee shop. On the other side of the partition lurks American and Iranian security men eyeing each other with steely frowns.
Mr. Larijani orders apple Sheesha for the lady and strawberry for himself:
CONDI: There is no need to butter me up with Sheesha and cappuccino, Ali. We’re not even supposed to be talking to each other.
ALI: The world is going to hell in a hand basket and you’re worrying about what people will think?
C: The bottom line is that we will not stand for you having nuclear capabilities.
A: It’s for peaceful purposes. We want to be a world player, like you. And we don’t want to be dependent on oil forever, like you.
C: Pish-Posh. You plan to develop nuclear weapons. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but some day.
A: Well, for the sake of argument, say that we are. How can you blame us? You kill Muslims every day. Shouldn’t we take steps to protect ourselves.
C: Ali, Ali, Ali. We’re doing this for the greater good of the Middle East. We want to bring freedom and democracy to the region. These are just the birth pangs of democracy. It’s not always pretty, but worth it in the end.
A: Please, Condi, can you give birth someplace else. We’ve had enough of you trying to help us.
At this point, Ms. Rice gets a little woozy from the Sheesha and is whisked away to the safety of her hotel room. Mr. Larijani is left wondering whether he should have skipped the Sheesha and just ordered carrot cake.
The problem with this scenario is that the U.S. will not consider talks with Iran. This unfortunate position of the US will lead to further bloodshed. On this current path a full-blown regional sectarian war will erupt pitting Shiites and Sunnis against each other that will devour Muslims from North Africa to Afghanistan and perhaps beyond.
This silly nonsense of being in the same room together and not speaking, which pretty much occurred last year between the Iranians and the Americans at the United Nations, must stop if legitimate, long-lasting peace is to be expected in the Middle East.
Madam Secretary has already been on similar junkets to the Middle East and the results are usually the same: The US government will forge ahead at all costs no matter what anybody else says.
But something quirky is happening on this trip that any conspiracy theorist (after all, I’m Arab) could sink his teeth into. On Sunday Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security adviser and the country’s top nuclear negotiator, was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia to also meet with King Abdullah.
I have no idea what Larijani plans to talk to the King about, but a good guess would be establish more friendly relations between the Kingdom and Iran.
So perhaps on the same day we have Condoleezza Rice and Ali Larijani just maybe in the same building, stating their respective cases to Saudi leaders.
So what’s that all about?
I can’t help but think that this may be a little awkward for not only the Saudi hosts, but for Ms. Rice and Mr. Larijani. Are they going to speak to each other? Will they bump into each other at the buffet and make small talk over mixed grill, rice and fruit drinks? Will Mr. Larijani try to soften Ms. Rice by inviting her to a Riyadh coffee shop for a bit of hubble-bubble to iron out their differences?
Imagine this scenario: Ms. Rice and Mr. Larijani sitting on a sofa in front of a low dining table in the darkened family section of a coffee shop. On the other side of the partition lurks American and Iranian security men eyeing each other with steely frowns.
Mr. Larijani orders apple Sheesha for the lady and strawberry for himself:
CONDI: There is no need to butter me up with Sheesha and cappuccino, Ali. We’re not even supposed to be talking to each other.
ALI: The world is going to hell in a hand basket and you’re worrying about what people will think?
C: The bottom line is that we will not stand for you having nuclear capabilities.
A: It’s for peaceful purposes. We want to be a world player, like you. And we don’t want to be dependent on oil forever, like you.
C: Pish-Posh. You plan to develop nuclear weapons. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but some day.
A: Well, for the sake of argument, say that we are. How can you blame us? You kill Muslims every day. Shouldn’t we take steps to protect ourselves.
C: Ali, Ali, Ali. We’re doing this for the greater good of the Middle East. We want to bring freedom and democracy to the region. These are just the birth pangs of democracy. It’s not always pretty, but worth it in the end.
A: Please, Condi, can you give birth someplace else. We’ve had enough of you trying to help us.
At this point, Ms. Rice gets a little woozy from the Sheesha and is whisked away to the safety of her hotel room. Mr. Larijani is left wondering whether he should have skipped the Sheesha and just ordered carrot cake.
The problem with this scenario is that the U.S. will not consider talks with Iran. This unfortunate position of the US will lead to further bloodshed. On this current path a full-blown regional sectarian war will erupt pitting Shiites and Sunnis against each other that will devour Muslims from North Africa to Afghanistan and perhaps beyond.
This silly nonsense of being in the same room together and not speaking, which pretty much occurred last year between the Iranians and the Americans at the United Nations, must stop if legitimate, long-lasting peace is to be expected in the Middle East.
Hospital Shut After Botched Operation
THE Directorate of Health Affairs in Jeddah has closed down a private hospital after the death of a 20-year-old lady teacher hours after delivery by Caesarian section, reported the Arabic language daily Okaz Monday.
The teacher’s family had filed a complaint to the Directorate of Health Affairs, blaming the hospital for the death. A medical committee formed to look into the matter referred the case to the Shariah Commission for Health Specializations, pointing out medical errors.
The report questioned the need for conducting a Caesarian section, and said the technical staff was incapable of handling critical cases. Consultants evaluated the performance of the hospital during the past years.
Finally, it was decided to close down the hospital as a precautionary measure.
The hospital had ignored the Directorate of Health Affairs earlier warnings after a previous committee last year detected shortcomings and asked the hospital to rectify these.
A committee from the Medical Licenses Administration in Jeddah Health Department closed down all departments of the hospital except the outpatient clinics, laboratory and six rooms, as there were seven patients. The patients are now being supervised by Jeddah Health Department until they are released. Patients have the choice to be transferred to another hospital.
Dr. Mahmood Abdul Jawad, Director of the Medical Licenses Administration in Jeddah Directorate of Health Affairs, said the hospital was sealed as a precautionary measure.
Dr. Yasser Al-Ghamdi, Director of Health Affairs in Makkah Province, followed up the committee while Dr. Abdul Rahman Khayyat, Director of Health in Jeddah supervised it. The committee is chaired by Dr. Mahmood Abdul Jawad, Director of Medical Licenses and its members include Dr. Sa’eed Balubaid, Coordinator of the Private Hospitals Committee at the Medical Licenses Administration and Hamdan Al-Ghamdi, Therapeutic Inspector.
Meanwhile, 11 doctors and nurses were banned from travel after a Saudi national filed a complaint accusing them of causing the death of his 26-year-old wife as a result of a series of medical errors, reported the Arabic language daily Al-Watan Monday.
The matter was taken up for consideration and a special committee was formed to look into the medical errors leading to the death of Mona Salim Al-Washmi in Dammam.
The teacher’s family had filed a complaint to the Directorate of Health Affairs, blaming the hospital for the death. A medical committee formed to look into the matter referred the case to the Shariah Commission for Health Specializations, pointing out medical errors.
The report questioned the need for conducting a Caesarian section, and said the technical staff was incapable of handling critical cases. Consultants evaluated the performance of the hospital during the past years.
Finally, it was decided to close down the hospital as a precautionary measure.
The hospital had ignored the Directorate of Health Affairs earlier warnings after a previous committee last year detected shortcomings and asked the hospital to rectify these.
A committee from the Medical Licenses Administration in Jeddah Health Department closed down all departments of the hospital except the outpatient clinics, laboratory and six rooms, as there were seven patients. The patients are now being supervised by Jeddah Health Department until they are released. Patients have the choice to be transferred to another hospital.
Dr. Mahmood Abdul Jawad, Director of the Medical Licenses Administration in Jeddah Directorate of Health Affairs, said the hospital was sealed as a precautionary measure.
Dr. Yasser Al-Ghamdi, Director of Health Affairs in Makkah Province, followed up the committee while Dr. Abdul Rahman Khayyat, Director of Health in Jeddah supervised it. The committee is chaired by Dr. Mahmood Abdul Jawad, Director of Medical Licenses and its members include Dr. Sa’eed Balubaid, Coordinator of the Private Hospitals Committee at the Medical Licenses Administration and Hamdan Al-Ghamdi, Therapeutic Inspector.
Meanwhile, 11 doctors and nurses were banned from travel after a Saudi national filed a complaint accusing them of causing the death of his 26-year-old wife as a result of a series of medical errors, reported the Arabic language daily Al-Watan Monday.
The matter was taken up for consideration and a special committee was formed to look into the medical errors leading to the death of Mona Salim Al-Washmi in Dammam.
No Longer Required
Tuesday, 16 January 2007
Saudis Stop Recruiting Filipina Maids After Manila Imposes New Conditions
RIYADH
SAUDI sponsors have stopped the recruitment of Filipina housemaids after new conditions imposed by the Philippines government came into force this January, reported Arabic language newspapers Okaz and Al-Hayat Monday. The conditions include raising the salaries of domestic workers by 120 percent from SR700 to SR1,500, seeking attested contracts that must include a photograph of the sponsor, his wife and family members, a sketch of the house, the sponsor’s income and salary. Besides these, the sponsor must visit the Philippine embassy personally for an interview.
The National Committee for Recruitment, an affiliate of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, called upon the private recruitment offices not to accept applications for domestic workers from the Philippines.
Saad Al-Baddah, Chairman of the National Committee for Recruitment, said the call for stopping the recruitment of domestic workers from the Philippines has come as a precautionary measure until the matter is sorted out.
He sought negotiations with the authorities concerned to reach a formula for recruitment that protects the rights of both the parties.
He, however, said the National Committee for Recruitment has not yet received official letters on the new measures and conditions.
An owner of a recruitment office in Manila told Al-Hayat that the recruitment offices in Saudi Arabia stopped sending recruitment requests for Filipina housemaids since Dec. 15.
The National Committee for Recruitment, an affiliate of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, called upon the private recruitment offices not to accept applications for domestic workers from the Philippines.
Saad Al-Baddah, Chairman of the National Committee for Recruitment, said the call for stopping the recruitment of domestic workers from the Philippines has come as a precautionary measure until the matter is sorted out.
He sought negotiations with the authorities concerned to reach a formula for recruitment that protects the rights of both the parties.
He, however, said the National Committee for Recruitment has not yet received official letters on the new measures and conditions.
An owner of a recruitment office in Manila told Al-Hayat that the recruitment offices in Saudi Arabia stopped sending recruitment requests for Filipina housemaids since Dec. 15.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Maliki the Blunderer
Monday, 08 January 2007
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
Up until the moment when I saw the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki signing documents for Saddam Hussein’s execution, I was optimistic about the man’s ability to deal with the continuing sectarian violence. But following his description of Saddam Hussein’s execution as a “domestic affair” and his warning of reviewing relations with countries that criticized the hanging, I have no doubt that the man has got the great ability to provoke more chaos inside and outside Iraq’s borders.
He has proved his inability to deal with the sectarian divide in Iraq when he said that Saddam had received a fair trial and that his execution on Dec. 30 was for the benefit of Iraq’s unity. Meanwhile, the execution came at a time when more than 100 people die daily in Iraq, mostly in Baghdad and largely in the Shiite-Sunni conflict, according to the United Nations.
Now he proved his failure not only to bring stability to Iraq but also to bring it back to the international community from which it has been isolated for decades under the reign of Saddam Hussein.
Maliki has forgotten that freedom of speech is the core of the democratic process, which George W. Bush claims to be promoting in the Middle East.
He has also forgotten that what Iraq needs now is support from all countries, no matter how far they be from its borders. Iraq, at the present time, does not need to have more enemies or to create tension by cutting diplomatic relations with whatever country criticizes its policies. Iraq is not a subject for bargaining for the sake of being intolerant of criticism or simply for serving individual or sectarian interest.
However, I agree with Maliki that Saddam’s crimes against Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis were an internal Iraqi affair, but what about his crimes against Kuwaitis? Was that an Iraqi affair too?
If yes, then why did the United States step in and topple his regime and not the Iraqis themselves? Why after the Dujail trial not Halabja or Anfal? What would have Saddam said in an international court about the photos taken in 1983 in which he appeared shaking hands with Donald Rumsfeld, the former US secretary of defense, in alliance over the Iraq-Iran War? Does that picture have something to do with the kind of justice he received?
If execution and unfair trials are domestic affairs, why did the United States overthrow Saddam Hussein over the killing of his own people? Is America an Iraqi family member?
Maliki should have been more circumspect in his comments and displayed more tolerance to those who criticized him. Saying harsh words against the international community and human rights groups is not the way to correct the mistake. Let people talk and release the pressure or they would explode and Iraq would be the biggest loser.
Maliki should stop being cocky simply because he has nothing to be proud of. He is only worsening further the relations between the Shiite and Sunni communities after the spread of an unofficial video footage of the hanging.
He should also be sorry for the martyr’s medal that Saddam has been given by the timing of his execution.
It would have served Iraq better if Maliki had demonstrated more wisdom and responsibility in holding accountable the Shiite officials who taunted Saddam on the gallows in his last moments in a way that made it more of a killing squad than justice. Punishing an ignorant Iraqi guard who recorded the event and leaked it is not what Iraqis expect. Now Saddam’s aides should receive a proper trial that can be accepted as fair by international community.
The proper course for Iraqi unity is through a national conciliation under an umbrella that brings together all of Iraq’s different parties for the sake of a frank and transparent dialogue leading to the building of an integrated and stable Iraq.
AIDS Cases on the Rise in Saudi Arabia
Monday, 08 January 2007
By Shahid Ali Khan
The Saudi Gazette
RIYADH
THE number of HIV positive cases in Saudi Arabia is on the rise despite the Kingdom’s efforts to contain the spread of the deadly disease. The number of HIV positive case reported in 2005 was 1,201, with 311 of them being Saudis and 890 non-Saudis. This brings the total number of HIV/AIDS patients in the Kingdom to 10,181. Saudis make up 2,316 of these, while 7,805 are foreigners, said Dr. Salah Ahmed, the office manager in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Ministry of Health (MoH).
“However, the latest figures on HIV positive cases in 2006 aren’t available yet,” Dr. Ahmed said.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a retrovirus that leads to AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to the possibility of life-threatening infections.
Dr. Ahmed said the MoH is staging an all out war against the spread of AIDS and will come up with a number of programs, which include opening AIDS clinics in a number of cities in the Kingdom.
Currently, Saudi Arabia has four equipped centers in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Jizan for the education, prevention and treatment of AIDS, Dr. Ahmed said.
The ministry official said Saudi citizens are getting generous healthcare services for all types of medical disorders and receive extraordinary treatment if diagnosed as HIV-positive. Similarly, HIV-positive expatriate workers are also offered treatment until they become well, “after which they are deported to their home countries,” he said.
He said the percentage of HIV positive males exceeds that of females. However, according to figures presented by King Faisal Specialist Hospital (KFSH) in a recently held seminar on HIV/AIDS in Riyadh, 36 percent of HIV positive cases are female. Ten percent of the patients are children, with 87 percent ranging between 15 and 45 years of age. Most of the patients contracted the virus through unprotected sex.
Lubna Al-Ansary, an executive council member and the head of the planning and development department in the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) had told The Saudi Gazette earlier the stigma attached with HIV positive cases means only about 10 out of 25 patients receive treatment in Saudi Arabia.
She had called for more awareness on how to treat AIDS/HIV patients in their houses, work places and in schools.
According to one medical expert, who wished to remain anonymous, many HIV positive carriers can live healthy lives for seven to 10 years without knowing they are carrying the virus. The chances of spreading the infection can therefore be increased.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that for every reported case of AIDS, nine cases go unreported in countries where the statistical information is inadequate. Additionally, healthcare workers might not be trained or encouraged to keep records of confirmed or suspected HIV cases in their clinics.
The medical expert believes if this was true in Saudi Arabia, the number of HIV cases could be as high as 100,000. Another factor which might add to an inaccurate count of HIV positive cases is Saudi society’s conservative nature, he said.
The WHO said studies in Africa have shown the chances of a man contracting HIV from intercourse with an HIV-positive woman was as low as 1.3 percent, while it is much higher for women who have sex with HIV-positive men and men who have intercourse with HIV positive men.
A recent WHO report issued last month said circumcised men may be up to two-thirds less likely to contract HIV through sexual intercourse.
However, medical experts urged religious leaders to encourage moral behavior, promote the concept of early marriage and for society to treat AIDS patients with kindness.
There is also a need for frequent awareness campaigns, with schools, colleges and universities as prime targets and free and voluntary AIDS testing across the country. Encouraging sponsors to repatriate their HIV positive employees is another preventative move.
AIDS awareness in Saudi Arabia is still in its early stages due to secrecy and difficulty of tackling such matter, according to the national campaign to fight AIDS held on the occasion of World AIDS Day.
Addressing the event earlier last year, Princess Aliaa Bint Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz called for making pre-marital AIDS test mandatory.
“This subject is very delicate. I will personally follow up with it, because the AIDS test must be obligatory before signing the marriage contract,” she said.
Currently, the Ministry of Health does not require a pre-marital AIDS test due to financial concerns.
However, according to Dr. Sana Filmban, Director of King Saud Hospital for Infectious Diseases, the Ministry Of Health has already put the issue of pre-marital blood tests on the table to be discussed.
Princess Aliaa assured the audience that she would make sure that these tests are started in hospitals because health comes first.
She also appealed for the introduction of sex education in schools. It is better that children get the correct information from schools, rather than be misinformed, she said.
In order to combat the disease, programs other than the medical test must be initiated. Education about the disease, as well as general sex education, is essential. This way, the public is made aware of how the disease can be prevented.
Contrary to popular belief, AIDS cannot be contracted through touching the same phone, shaking hands, or eating and drinking the same thing. Also, it cannot be picked up on public transportation or even swimming pools.
AIDS patients suffer because of the belief that the disease is as contagious as the common cold. As a result, patients endure humiliation and alienation from society.
Since AIDS can only be contracted through blood transfusions, sharing needles or engaging in forbidden and unsafe sexual activities, AIDS patients also tend to be blamed for contracting the disease.
Faced with hostility and rejected by society, they find themselves struggling to survive. Even finding a job is now impossible. One patient said that he was fired from his government job and not allowed to even be a taxi driver.
One AIDS patient even said, “Some are so desperate to get a job, they say there is no need for medication when they don’t have anything to eat.”
At the event, organizers did plan on coordinating a program with Saudi businessmen to provide new jobs for patients.
According to Filmban, it is the Ministry of Labor’s duty to resolve the employment troubles, since the Ministry Of Health’s role ends in providing them with a cure.
At the conference, there were some criticisms of the evasiveness of organizers. According to Filmban, the conference was merely an exercise in raising awareness, and it failed to provide solid solutions for AIDS activism in the Kingdom.
According to the Ministry of Health, the percentage of people infected with AIDS in Saudi Arabia increased by more than 20% in the last two years, particularly among males.
In 2004, AIDS patients in the kingdom totaled 1111 – 203 men and 59 women. By 2005, the number had increased to 1,201 – 230 men and 81 women. This means, on average, a case is discovered every 3-4 days. AIDS is a relatively new infectious disease, but it has killed over a million people all of over the world since it was discovered over 20 years ago.
By Shahid Ali Khan
The Saudi Gazette
RIYADH
THE number of HIV positive cases in Saudi Arabia is on the rise despite the Kingdom’s efforts to contain the spread of the deadly disease. The number of HIV positive case reported in 2005 was 1,201, with 311 of them being Saudis and 890 non-Saudis. This brings the total number of HIV/AIDS patients in the Kingdom to 10,181. Saudis make up 2,316 of these, while 7,805 are foreigners, said Dr. Salah Ahmed, the office manager in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Ministry of Health (MoH).
“However, the latest figures on HIV positive cases in 2006 aren’t available yet,” Dr. Ahmed said.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a retrovirus that leads to AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to the possibility of life-threatening infections.
Dr. Ahmed said the MoH is staging an all out war against the spread of AIDS and will come up with a number of programs, which include opening AIDS clinics in a number of cities in the Kingdom.
Currently, Saudi Arabia has four equipped centers in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Jizan for the education, prevention and treatment of AIDS, Dr. Ahmed said.
The ministry official said Saudi citizens are getting generous healthcare services for all types of medical disorders and receive extraordinary treatment if diagnosed as HIV-positive. Similarly, HIV-positive expatriate workers are also offered treatment until they become well, “after which they are deported to their home countries,” he said.
He said the percentage of HIV positive males exceeds that of females. However, according to figures presented by King Faisal Specialist Hospital (KFSH) in a recently held seminar on HIV/AIDS in Riyadh, 36 percent of HIV positive cases are female. Ten percent of the patients are children, with 87 percent ranging between 15 and 45 years of age. Most of the patients contracted the virus through unprotected sex.
Lubna Al-Ansary, an executive council member and the head of the planning and development department in the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) had told The Saudi Gazette earlier the stigma attached with HIV positive cases means only about 10 out of 25 patients receive treatment in Saudi Arabia.
She had called for more awareness on how to treat AIDS/HIV patients in their houses, work places and in schools.
According to one medical expert, who wished to remain anonymous, many HIV positive carriers can live healthy lives for seven to 10 years without knowing they are carrying the virus. The chances of spreading the infection can therefore be increased.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that for every reported case of AIDS, nine cases go unreported in countries where the statistical information is inadequate. Additionally, healthcare workers might not be trained or encouraged to keep records of confirmed or suspected HIV cases in their clinics.
The medical expert believes if this was true in Saudi Arabia, the number of HIV cases could be as high as 100,000. Another factor which might add to an inaccurate count of HIV positive cases is Saudi society’s conservative nature, he said.
The WHO said studies in Africa have shown the chances of a man contracting HIV from intercourse with an HIV-positive woman was as low as 1.3 percent, while it is much higher for women who have sex with HIV-positive men and men who have intercourse with HIV positive men.
A recent WHO report issued last month said circumcised men may be up to two-thirds less likely to contract HIV through sexual intercourse.
However, medical experts urged religious leaders to encourage moral behavior, promote the concept of early marriage and for society to treat AIDS patients with kindness.
There is also a need for frequent awareness campaigns, with schools, colleges and universities as prime targets and free and voluntary AIDS testing across the country. Encouraging sponsors to repatriate their HIV positive employees is another preventative move.
AIDS awareness in Saudi Arabia is still in its early stages due to secrecy and difficulty of tackling such matter, according to the national campaign to fight AIDS held on the occasion of World AIDS Day.
Addressing the event earlier last year, Princess Aliaa Bint Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz called for making pre-marital AIDS test mandatory.
“This subject is very delicate. I will personally follow up with it, because the AIDS test must be obligatory before signing the marriage contract,” she said.
Currently, the Ministry of Health does not require a pre-marital AIDS test due to financial concerns.
However, according to Dr. Sana Filmban, Director of King Saud Hospital for Infectious Diseases, the Ministry Of Health has already put the issue of pre-marital blood tests on the table to be discussed.
Princess Aliaa assured the audience that she would make sure that these tests are started in hospitals because health comes first.
She also appealed for the introduction of sex education in schools. It is better that children get the correct information from schools, rather than be misinformed, she said.
In order to combat the disease, programs other than the medical test must be initiated. Education about the disease, as well as general sex education, is essential. This way, the public is made aware of how the disease can be prevented.
Contrary to popular belief, AIDS cannot be contracted through touching the same phone, shaking hands, or eating and drinking the same thing. Also, it cannot be picked up on public transportation or even swimming pools.
AIDS patients suffer because of the belief that the disease is as contagious as the common cold. As a result, patients endure humiliation and alienation from society.
Since AIDS can only be contracted through blood transfusions, sharing needles or engaging in forbidden and unsafe sexual activities, AIDS patients also tend to be blamed for contracting the disease.
Faced with hostility and rejected by society, they find themselves struggling to survive. Even finding a job is now impossible. One patient said that he was fired from his government job and not allowed to even be a taxi driver.
One AIDS patient even said, “Some are so desperate to get a job, they say there is no need for medication when they don’t have anything to eat.”
At the event, organizers did plan on coordinating a program with Saudi businessmen to provide new jobs for patients.
According to Filmban, it is the Ministry of Labor’s duty to resolve the employment troubles, since the Ministry Of Health’s role ends in providing them with a cure.
At the conference, there were some criticisms of the evasiveness of organizers. According to Filmban, the conference was merely an exercise in raising awareness, and it failed to provide solid solutions for AIDS activism in the Kingdom.
According to the Ministry of Health, the percentage of people infected with AIDS in Saudi Arabia increased by more than 20% in the last two years, particularly among males.
In 2004, AIDS patients in the kingdom totaled 1111 – 203 men and 59 women. By 2005, the number had increased to 1,201 – 230 men and 81 women. This means, on average, a case is discovered every 3-4 days. AIDS is a relatively new infectious disease, but it has killed over a million people all of over the world since it was discovered over 20 years ago.
Sunday, January 7, 2007
A New Martyr
Editorial
Sunday, 07 January 2007
The Saudi Gazette
Well, well. What a surprise. Saddam Hussein is a martyr. The former dictator who sent thousands of men, women and children to their deaths.
The man, who wasn’t so much as an afterthought following his capture from a spider hole and then put on trial for crimes against humanity, has emerged as a new Arab and Muslim hero. The Iraq government wants to be taken seriously as a sovereign nation. The Bush administration wants to go down in history as responsible for bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East instead of as occupiers. But with each and every bumbling step these two governments take they demonstrate utter incompetence.
By now, thanks to a mobile phone video camera posted on YouTube and countless other websites, the world knows that Saddam Hussein was not executed by an objective and just government but by thugs bent on revenge. President George W. Bush wishes the execution of Saddam Hussein were more “dignified.” And while his administration says it was the Iraq government’s decision on the timing of the hanging, it was the Americans who delivered the shackled prisoner to the gallows.
“No one will ever forget the way in which Saddam was executed,” President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt told a reporter this week. “They turned him into a martyr.”
Now there is the threat of further chaos. Demonstrations have spread from Egypt to India and Pakistan. The Asian countries in particular have long regarded Saddam Hussein as a hero. The circumstances of his death only further solidify their feelings for him. In Lebanon, hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the streets to demonstrate their fury over the manner of his death. What does it say when the people of a country preoccupied with rebuilding its infrastructure following a devastating war take time out to rage against the injustices heaped upon a condemned man?
What should have been a footnote in the Iraq war is fast becoming a central issue. The hopes and dreams of many Sunnis and Shiites to put an end to the bloody sectarian strife have been severely compromised.
And for what? To allow a handful of men to gloat over a dead dictator? The price may be too much.
Sunday, 07 January 2007
The Saudi Gazette
Well, well. What a surprise. Saddam Hussein is a martyr. The former dictator who sent thousands of men, women and children to their deaths.
The man, who wasn’t so much as an afterthought following his capture from a spider hole and then put on trial for crimes against humanity, has emerged as a new Arab and Muslim hero. The Iraq government wants to be taken seriously as a sovereign nation. The Bush administration wants to go down in history as responsible for bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East instead of as occupiers. But with each and every bumbling step these two governments take they demonstrate utter incompetence.
By now, thanks to a mobile phone video camera posted on YouTube and countless other websites, the world knows that Saddam Hussein was not executed by an objective and just government but by thugs bent on revenge. President George W. Bush wishes the execution of Saddam Hussein were more “dignified.” And while his administration says it was the Iraq government’s decision on the timing of the hanging, it was the Americans who delivered the shackled prisoner to the gallows.
“No one will ever forget the way in which Saddam was executed,” President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt told a reporter this week. “They turned him into a martyr.”
Now there is the threat of further chaos. Demonstrations have spread from Egypt to India and Pakistan. The Asian countries in particular have long regarded Saddam Hussein as a hero. The circumstances of his death only further solidify their feelings for him. In Lebanon, hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the streets to demonstrate their fury over the manner of his death. What does it say when the people of a country preoccupied with rebuilding its infrastructure following a devastating war take time out to rage against the injustices heaped upon a condemned man?
What should have been a footnote in the Iraq war is fast becoming a central issue. The hopes and dreams of many Sunnis and Shiites to put an end to the bloody sectarian strife have been severely compromised.
And for what? To allow a handful of men to gloat over a dead dictator? The price may be too much.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Revenge Played Out
Tuesday, 02 January 2007
The saudi Gazette
It now appears, given the release of new video of Saddam Hussein’s execution, that the hanging of the former president was an act of revenge rather than of justice.
Interestingly, the United States played a hands-off role in Saddam’s execution, urging caution and restraint to the Iraq government.
But Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal Al-Maliki overrode constitutional and religious precepts that would have given the condemned man a more dignified death and showcased to the world that Iraq is a government seeking justice and demonstrating compassion. Rather, one Iraqi government official callously told The New York Times that Saddam’s execution was an Eid gift to the Iraqi people.
Equally disturbing was the video featuring Shiite guards taunting Saddam Hussein and cheering their militia heroes. It was supposed to be a formal and solemn proceeding carried out by a dispassionate government.
“Yes, he was a dictator, but he was killed by a death squad,” one Sunni woman in western Baghdad told The Times. “What’s the difference between him and them?” It also continues to raise the question of whether the trial was fair. This was a trial backed, if not orchestrated, by the US government, which has demonstrated that suspected militants in the US, Iraq and elsewhere can be detained without due process and considers torture a legitimate interrogation method.
Another question raised is whether revenge through the death penalty can bring closure, or does it elicit more revenge and more violence, spawning a wave of hatred that no human force may be able to stop. It has become increasingly clear that the execution of Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with justice and was carried out only to satisfy the hatred he inspired in most of his compatriots. It makes the executioners no better than him.
Interestingly, the United States played a hands-off role in Saddam’s execution, urging caution and restraint to the Iraq government.
But Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal Al-Maliki overrode constitutional and religious precepts that would have given the condemned man a more dignified death and showcased to the world that Iraq is a government seeking justice and demonstrating compassion. Rather, one Iraqi government official callously told The New York Times that Saddam’s execution was an Eid gift to the Iraqi people.
Equally disturbing was the video featuring Shiite guards taunting Saddam Hussein and cheering their militia heroes. It was supposed to be a formal and solemn proceeding carried out by a dispassionate government.
“Yes, he was a dictator, but he was killed by a death squad,” one Sunni woman in western Baghdad told The Times. “What’s the difference between him and them?” It also continues to raise the question of whether the trial was fair. This was a trial backed, if not orchestrated, by the US government, which has demonstrated that suspected militants in the US, Iraq and elsewhere can be detained without due process and considers torture a legitimate interrogation method.
Another question raised is whether revenge through the death penalty can bring closure, or does it elicit more revenge and more violence, spawning a wave of hatred that no human force may be able to stop. It has become increasingly clear that the execution of Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with justice and was carried out only to satisfy the hatred he inspired in most of his compatriots. It makes the executioners no better than him.
When is a Turkey’s Life More Valuable than a Human’s?
by Sabria S. jawhar
The saudi Gazette
Jeddah
On Thanksgiving Day, among the rest of the things on his list, an American friend of mine sent me an e-mail to congratulate me on the occasion. He told me as a joke that President George W. Bush has forgiven his turkey this year. I laughed but deep inside I wished the same idea was carried out in Iraq and everywhere else. I wish that people would learn how to forgive during holidays no matter if it’s forgiving a bird or a human being.
It did not take long, however, to find out that the big bird’s soul was more precious to President Bush than that of a Muslim or an Arab in the Middle East.
I woke up Saturday to witness, like millions of Muslims all over the world, pilgrims performing their ritual of Hajj while others were celebrating Eid.
Moving from one Arabic satellite channel to another, a crawler on the screen attracted my attention. “Saddam Hussein executed. He was hanged after he was convicted of crimes against humanity for the killing of 148 Shia villagers in the town of Dujail.”
At that time a quick image of Bush’s forgiven bird came to my mind. Also another image of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) when he flung his son Isma’il down upon his face and was about to put the knife on his neck when Allah stopped him. Instead, he was asked to scarify a ram, which had been sent to him, as ransom for Isma’il.
Since then Muslims were asked as a commendable duty to offer thanks to Allah by slaughtering animals in His name. Watching Saddam facing his death calmly made me wonder whether he was the ransom for Bush’s bird. Otherwise why was he executed on that particularly momentus?
According to Islam, thanksgiving is performed on the 10th, 11th and 12th of the month of Dhul Hijjah, and no other days of the year. To me only this fact justifies the rush in the execution of Saddam on such a great day without any respect to Muslims’ feelings.
Saddam Hussein has never been anything but a dictator who was responsible for horrific, widespread human rights violations. But those acts, however brutal, cannot justify his rushed execution on Eid. It was cruel and inhuman punishment. Could not those who were behind his execution wait until after the Muslims finished their celebrations?
The timing of hanging Saddam will bring no peace to Iraq. Moreover, it will never end a dark era or form a milestone in the Iraqi history, as Bush has said. On the contrary, it would drown the entire Middle East in a bloody civil conflict.
Convicting Saddam and hanging him by a court that lacks competence, partiality, and works under pressure from an occupying force will not serve justice. A United Nations group warned earlier that the Dujail trial didn’t meet “international standards” because it violated provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – a binding international treaty and cornerstone of human rights law – to which both Iraq and the United States are parties.
Justice would have been served better if Saddam were tried and convicted under the ICC like Slobodan Milosevic and other dictators. Besides, the 5 million Baathist army and the Sunni resistance groups would find justification to start turning the life of all those who approve of Saddam’s death sentence into living Hell.
The killing of more than 60 people on the day of his execution is the best proof.
No matter what Iraqi officials said or will say about the trial and the execution, Muslims will always perceive it only as a face-saving act dictated by the Bush administration.
Bush went to war in Iraq in search of Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction. But when that turned out to be nothing but a big lie, he found himself in a position where he must justify the unnecessarily spending millions of dollars of American taxpayers’ money that went to an illegal war. He must also give reasons for the 3,000 lost American lives. Saddam must die. But unfortunately the scenario and timing of his death have made him a martyr. Whether it is Shiite or Western justice, both groups will pay in the days and years to come because the execution occurred during a holy period for Sunni Muslims and the message sent was that of pain to be felt not only by Saddam followers but by all Muslims.
The question remains: Where are those who went with Saddam to war? It is obviously that some people do not want to bring to light those who backed his brutal acts and gave him support that confirms that Saddam was not hanged only for the killing of Shiites but also for the interest of other allies whom only history will uncover.
However, it is still sad that the Iraqi government could not do it with more consideration for human dignity. Not for Saddam as individual, but as a former president and, above all, a human being. It was also sad to allow national television to broadcast scenes of people dancing, cheering and insulting him publicly. Those acts are undignified and portray his executioners as less than civilized. It made it appear as if the only one with any dignity in this whole farce was Saddam, thus reflecting badly on the new government.
That scene will have a devastating impact on Iraq and will inflame the already volatile sectarian divisions.
The saudi Gazette
Jeddah
On Thanksgiving Day, among the rest of the things on his list, an American friend of mine sent me an e-mail to congratulate me on the occasion. He told me as a joke that President George W. Bush has forgiven his turkey this year. I laughed but deep inside I wished the same idea was carried out in Iraq and everywhere else. I wish that people would learn how to forgive during holidays no matter if it’s forgiving a bird or a human being.
It did not take long, however, to find out that the big bird’s soul was more precious to President Bush than that of a Muslim or an Arab in the Middle East.
I woke up Saturday to witness, like millions of Muslims all over the world, pilgrims performing their ritual of Hajj while others were celebrating Eid.
Moving from one Arabic satellite channel to another, a crawler on the screen attracted my attention. “Saddam Hussein executed. He was hanged after he was convicted of crimes against humanity for the killing of 148 Shia villagers in the town of Dujail.”
At that time a quick image of Bush’s forgiven bird came to my mind. Also another image of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) when he flung his son Isma’il down upon his face and was about to put the knife on his neck when Allah stopped him. Instead, he was asked to scarify a ram, which had been sent to him, as ransom for Isma’il.
Since then Muslims were asked as a commendable duty to offer thanks to Allah by slaughtering animals in His name. Watching Saddam facing his death calmly made me wonder whether he was the ransom for Bush’s bird. Otherwise why was he executed on that particularly momentus?
According to Islam, thanksgiving is performed on the 10th, 11th and 12th of the month of Dhul Hijjah, and no other days of the year. To me only this fact justifies the rush in the execution of Saddam on such a great day without any respect to Muslims’ feelings.
Saddam Hussein has never been anything but a dictator who was responsible for horrific, widespread human rights violations. But those acts, however brutal, cannot justify his rushed execution on Eid. It was cruel and inhuman punishment. Could not those who were behind his execution wait until after the Muslims finished their celebrations?
The timing of hanging Saddam will bring no peace to Iraq. Moreover, it will never end a dark era or form a milestone in the Iraqi history, as Bush has said. On the contrary, it would drown the entire Middle East in a bloody civil conflict.
Convicting Saddam and hanging him by a court that lacks competence, partiality, and works under pressure from an occupying force will not serve justice. A United Nations group warned earlier that the Dujail trial didn’t meet “international standards” because it violated provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – a binding international treaty and cornerstone of human rights law – to which both Iraq and the United States are parties.
Justice would have been served better if Saddam were tried and convicted under the ICC like Slobodan Milosevic and other dictators. Besides, the 5 million Baathist army and the Sunni resistance groups would find justification to start turning the life of all those who approve of Saddam’s death sentence into living Hell.
The killing of more than 60 people on the day of his execution is the best proof.
No matter what Iraqi officials said or will say about the trial and the execution, Muslims will always perceive it only as a face-saving act dictated by the Bush administration.
Bush went to war in Iraq in search of Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction. But when that turned out to be nothing but a big lie, he found himself in a position where he must justify the unnecessarily spending millions of dollars of American taxpayers’ money that went to an illegal war. He must also give reasons for the 3,000 lost American lives. Saddam must die. But unfortunately the scenario and timing of his death have made him a martyr. Whether it is Shiite or Western justice, both groups will pay in the days and years to come because the execution occurred during a holy period for Sunni Muslims and the message sent was that of pain to be felt not only by Saddam followers but by all Muslims.
The question remains: Where are those who went with Saddam to war? It is obviously that some people do not want to bring to light those who backed his brutal acts and gave him support that confirms that Saddam was not hanged only for the killing of Shiites but also for the interest of other allies whom only history will uncover.
However, it is still sad that the Iraqi government could not do it with more consideration for human dignity. Not for Saddam as individual, but as a former president and, above all, a human being. It was also sad to allow national television to broadcast scenes of people dancing, cheering and insulting him publicly. Those acts are undignified and portray his executioners as less than civilized. It made it appear as if the only one with any dignity in this whole farce was Saddam, thus reflecting badly on the new government.
That scene will have a devastating impact on Iraq and will inflame the already volatile sectarian divisions.
Monday, January 1, 2007
BORN AND BRED, BUT NOT SAUDI
By Sabri S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
Fardous Omar is the daughter of Malian immigrants but knows nothing of her homeland except its name. She is 27-years-old and was born and raised in Saudi Arabia.
I never felt any loyalty to any country except Saudi Arabia, she says, It is the only country I know because I have never been abroad, even to Mali.
Even though Fardous parents lived in Saudi Arabia for 45 years, and she has spent her entire life here, she and her 22 brothers and sisters are not Saudi citizens. Neither are more than a quarter of the 23.4 million people living in Saudi Arabia.
Without citizenship, immigrants to Saudi Arabia face a number of hurdles: they lack access to higher education, government funded health care and their career movement is restricted among other concerns.
Until 1984, explains a Civil Status official who asked not to be named, it was much easier for a foreigner to get Saudi citizenship. At that time, being born in Saudi Arabia was enough to get Saudi citizenship whether the mother was Saudi or not. The same thing applied to those who were born to Saudi mothers outside of Saudi Arabia.
And getting Saudi citizenship is difficult. With its exploding population, the government is reluctant to grant new citizenship, sources say, and provide the social benefits such as free schooling and health care that come with it. Between 1996 and 2000, the last period official statistics were available, less than 23,000 became naturalized Saudis.
Since the Saudi population has dramatically increased, says the Civil Status official, only those whose mothers are Saudis and were born in Saudi Arabia are given the citizenship.
However, this does not always guarantee citizenship. he continued, because if the applicant is not integrated with Saudi society, or is still limiting his network to his own people and wearing his own traditional clothes, his application might get a denied.
Being a psychiatric specialist was While growing up, Fardous biggest dream in life was to study at King Abdul Aziz University become a psychiatric specialist. But even though she finished high school with high grades, her dream was destroyed to end up as a divorced mother.
She rapidly took her transcript file to KAAU admissions office in Jeddah and was hit with an obstacle she had never thought about at the office of admission and registration. According to Fardous, the employee there smiled at her and said: You re not Saudi. Don t you know that non-Saudis are not accepted. Don t you know that? Fardous said
Because private universities here can cost upwards of SR40,000, and Fardous grew up in a 22-member, low-income family, there was no opportunity to continue her studies.
However, she did not easily give up. She married a young Saudi who promised to help her with her citizenship. With that in hand she would be able to resume her studies at a public university. Unfortunately, a week into her marriage, Fardous found out that the man she thought was religious and kind was someone she now accuses of being a liar and a drug addict. After a few years, they divorced.
He offered me nothing but a child and an uncertain, dark future as a divorced, non-Saudi mother, she says.
With no one to take care of her or her child, Fardous left Jeddah and returned home to Madina. Her father had died, her family had few resources and there was no place to turn to for help.
Saudi Arabia doesn t offer any sort of welfare to immigrants, explains Zuhair Jawii, a Civil Status official in Jeddah. If a mother is Saudi and they are in a bad need, they can write about their situation. Then a committee is assigned to study the social and economic facts. If it is proved that they are needy, welfare is given.
While new modifications regarding Saudi citizenship have been adopted, they do not deal with second generation immigrants such as Fardous.
Now I lost any hope of a better life, all that I am concerned about is my younger sisters and brothers
Talking about her only child, Fardous said, Unlike his aunts and uncles, Yazun, my son, has a better opportunity of good education since his father is Saudi, she added.
And in a country where immigrants struggle for educational access primary and secondary schools only allot 15 percent of their seats in each grade to them and have no place in government universities or training institutes, many are totally lost and uncertain about their futures and careers in Saudi Arabia.
Discussing the recently presented Saudi citizenship regulations, an official in Alsh Shura Council said, The government is aware of such a spectrum of [people in] the society and we are sympathetic with their situation. But there are no new regulations related to their cases, an official with the Shoura Council said before adding that a committee has been formed to submit recommendations about the problem to the government.
Some argue that immigrants represent an important economic valve in the Kingdom and that harnessing their potential would reap benefits.
They constitute a representative spectrum of the composing of the Saudi society, says Asaad Jawhar, Professor of Petroleum Economics at KAAU.
Ignoring 25% percent of the society will leave a big gap in any considered plan unless they are carefully dealt with. With their loyalty to the society where they were born and raised, they represent an important economic valve. .
For Fardous, she appears to have let go of her dreams but still looks to the future.
I lost any hope of a better life, she says. Now, all that I am concerned about is my younger sisters and brothers. And unlike his aunts and uncles, my son Yazun has a better opportunity for a good education since his father was Saudi.
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
Fardous Omar is the daughter of Malian immigrants but knows nothing of her homeland except its name. She is 27-years-old and was born and raised in Saudi Arabia.
I never felt any loyalty to any country except Saudi Arabia, she says, It is the only country I know because I have never been abroad, even to Mali.
Even though Fardous parents lived in Saudi Arabia for 45 years, and she has spent her entire life here, she and her 22 brothers and sisters are not Saudi citizens. Neither are more than a quarter of the 23.4 million people living in Saudi Arabia.
Without citizenship, immigrants to Saudi Arabia face a number of hurdles: they lack access to higher education, government funded health care and their career movement is restricted among other concerns.
Until 1984, explains a Civil Status official who asked not to be named, it was much easier for a foreigner to get Saudi citizenship. At that time, being born in Saudi Arabia was enough to get Saudi citizenship whether the mother was Saudi or not. The same thing applied to those who were born to Saudi mothers outside of Saudi Arabia.
And getting Saudi citizenship is difficult. With its exploding population, the government is reluctant to grant new citizenship, sources say, and provide the social benefits such as free schooling and health care that come with it. Between 1996 and 2000, the last period official statistics were available, less than 23,000 became naturalized Saudis.
Since the Saudi population has dramatically increased, says the Civil Status official, only those whose mothers are Saudis and were born in Saudi Arabia are given the citizenship.
However, this does not always guarantee citizenship. he continued, because if the applicant is not integrated with Saudi society, or is still limiting his network to his own people and wearing his own traditional clothes, his application might get a denied.
Being a psychiatric specialist was While growing up, Fardous biggest dream in life was to study at King Abdul Aziz University become a psychiatric specialist. But even though she finished high school with high grades, her dream was destroyed to end up as a divorced mother.
She rapidly took her transcript file to KAAU admissions office in Jeddah and was hit with an obstacle she had never thought about at the office of admission and registration. According to Fardous, the employee there smiled at her and said: You re not Saudi. Don t you know that non-Saudis are not accepted. Don t you know that? Fardous said
At that time, Fardous recounts, I heard the sound of my dreams colliding withI looked at the faces around me in a failed trial to find a confirmation that I was dreaming.
the rock of reality.
Because private universities here can cost upwards of SR40,000, and Fardous grew up in a 22-member, low-income family, there was no opportunity to continue her studies.
However, she did not easily give up. She married a young Saudi who promised to help her with her citizenship. With that in hand she would be able to resume her studies at a public university. Unfortunately, a week into her marriage, Fardous found out that the man she thought was religious and kind was someone she now accuses of being a liar and a drug addict. After a few years, they divorced.
He offered me nothing but a child and an uncertain, dark future as a divorced, non-Saudi mother, she says.
With no one to take care of her or her child, Fardous left Jeddah and returned home to Madina. Her father had died, her family had few resources and there was no place to turn to for help.
Saudi Arabia doesn t offer any sort of welfare to immigrants, explains Zuhair Jawii, a Civil Status official in Jeddah. If a mother is Saudi and they are in a bad need, they can write about their situation. Then a committee is assigned to study the social and economic facts. If it is proved that they are needy, welfare is given.
While new modifications regarding Saudi citizenship have been adopted, they do not deal with second generation immigrants such as Fardous.
Now I lost any hope of a better life, all that I am concerned about is my younger sisters and brothers
Talking about her only child, Fardous said, Unlike his aunts and uncles, Yazun, my son, has a better opportunity of good education since his father is Saudi, she added.
And in a country where immigrants struggle for educational access primary and secondary schools only allot 15 percent of their seats in each grade to them and have no place in government universities or training institutes, many are totally lost and uncertain about their futures and careers in Saudi Arabia.
Discussing the recently presented Saudi citizenship regulations, an official in Alsh Shura Council said, The government is aware of such a spectrum of [people in] the society and we are sympathetic with their situation. But there are no new regulations related to their cases, an official with the Shoura Council said before adding that a committee has been formed to submit recommendations about the problem to the government.
Some argue that immigrants represent an important economic valve in the Kingdom and that harnessing their potential would reap benefits.
They constitute a representative spectrum of the composing of the Saudi society, says Asaad Jawhar, Professor of Petroleum Economics at KAAU.
Ignoring 25% percent of the society will leave a big gap in any considered plan unless they are carefully dealt with. With their loyalty to the society where they were born and raised, they represent an important economic valve. .
For Fardous, she appears to have let go of her dreams but still looks to the future.
I lost any hope of a better life, she says. Now, all that I am concerned about is my younger sisters and brothers. And unlike his aunts and uncles, my son Yazun has a better opportunity for a good education since his father was Saudi.
AWAITING SHOWTIME
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
This is a good news, bad news kind of story. Think of it as yes, it s yours, BUT
A Saudi company recently received government permission to establish six cinema halls in the Eastern Province. That s the good news for people who like to watch movies. But government approval doesn t necessarily mean that cinemas will suddenly pop up throughout the Kingdom.
A senior official at a Saudi firm, who asked that he and his company not to be identified so future projects will not be jeopardized, said his company received permission from the Eastern Province emirate to establish six cinema halls in a grand mall that is still under construction and that would be the largest in the region. He described his company as one that deals with entertainment based on Saudi society s needs and hopes but also in a way that keeps within Islamic regulations, customs and traditions.
The project started at a grand mall that would satisfy the needs of all family members including children. As part of the project, he added, a space for six cinema halls was included in the blueprint of the building.
We got permission but we were told that if we face any difficulty with the religious [authority], we have to deal with it personally, he said, But because we had some bad experience and we don t have a system upon which we can get into debate with them. We cancelled that part of the project.
He said, however, that the building is constructed in a way that gives them space to establish cinema halls in case the prevailing attitude toward theaters changes.
If anything has changed, we will be the first to introduce cinemas, he said.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice refused to comment. They also declined to discuss whether cinemas in Saudi Arabia will be allowed in the future as globalization continues to impact Middle East countries.
The dilemma faced by the company wanting to build movie theaters illustrates the authority the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice wields on local matters, especially from region to region.
The Commission has always been a pillar of the Kingdom since its foundation. The main role of its personnel is to prowl the streets and shopping malls calling Muslim men to prayer. It also makes sure that the regulations of Islam are not violated.
A 35-year-old Saudi man, who asked for anonymity, said Commission s influence varies from one region to another based on people s level of acceptance of its ways.
When television was introduced for the first time in Saudi society it caused riots for religious reasons but it survived due to the government s support for educating people about local and international news.
Commercial movie theaters have abandoned Saudi Arabia, although wealthy merchants and princes have private cinema collections and entire film libraries in some cases. Films, too, are shown at the various embassies for European or American constituencies. Nobody can tell exactly whether the elimination of cinemas was due to a government policy or the influence of the Commission.
Jeddah, perhaps the most cosmopolitan city in Saudi Arabia, had during the late 1960s and early 70s cinemas that presented uncensored Egyptian, American, Turkish and Indian movies.
I still remember those days when my friends and I used to go to a cinema in Al-Balad (old city), said Abdullah Ahmad, a 45-year-old Saudi. It was owned by one of Jeddah s merchants.
Ahmad said that those cinemas used to present movies weekly. It was open for families and singles but on different days so they don t mix. Some wealthy people, he added, rent home cinemas for private parties, such as Sabe a (a party held after the passage of a week from the marriage party or the seventh day of giving birth to baby).
During the late 70s an abrupt change occurred for several religious reasons. Cinemas were closed and female singers were prohibited from appearing on television.
Dr. Hassan Al-Nemi, a professor of modern literature at King Abdul Aziz University and a member of Jeddah Literary Club, said that there was cinemas all over Jeddah until 1979.
There were cinemas in several hotels, including one that was called the Half Moon Hotel in Obhor, he said.
He said different internal and external factors contributed in the abandonment of cinemas. The social transformation following the 1979 Grand Mosque event has made Saudi society more religiously sensitive to different issues. The Islamic movement in Iran that same year, as well as different outside factors have also added to the situation inside the Kingdom. He said that the Saudi society has put itself in a difficult spot that it is trying to get out now.
He said that both the government and society share the responsibility for the present situation as the government has always been the leader for any enlightening move, including that the movement leading to formal girls education.
If the government wants to pursue a leading role and create a quality transformation, it has to keep pushing and supporting the society, civil institutes to perform their role well, Nemi said. Theater and cinemas are very important vessels for society members represented by the family that doesn t know where to go all together for entertainment.
He said that with the increasing access to satellites, with channels broadcasting uncensored version of Western especially Hollywood films, Saudis seem to be more open and seeking more entertainment.
Youths, for instance, are starved for entertainment that is offered in neighboring Arab countries, although they want it in a way that doesn t offend the sensitivity of the Kingdom.
We don t mind having a heavily censored cinema that is similar to the Saudi television, said Emad Abed, a high school Saudi student. The most important thing to us is the setting and the feelings one might get when we go to a cinema abroad. It would also give us a sort of relieve instead of mangling with peers in shopping malls or setting in road sides.
Yet Emad doesn t want a family cinema where all members of the family enjoy watching movies simply because he doesn t want his male friends to see his sisters.
If they see my sisters, they will certainly tease me the next day at school, the thing that I can t handle, he said.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Banan, a professor of Islamic studies at Um Al-Qura University in Makkah, sees no need in having cinemas in the Kingdom, although he believes that there is no harm in cinemas if films are screened like those on the television.
But he said large gatherings in a dark and sensational atmosphere like that of cinemas abroad might lead to violation of Islamic regulations as illegal relationships might grow due to being affected by those factors.
We are a Muslim society, he said. Why should we follow the West in whatever they do, we know the coraruption they are living as a result of these things.
He said Islam was the first to introduce acting and theater as a way of illustration and clarification of wrong and right. God, he added, has set examples in the Holy Qur an for people. Educational theater is something that is wanted for spreading awareness and correcting misconceptions, he said, but the cinema in its present form is only a hideout for corruption.
He said that censoring films by a group of people might help in avoiding certain religious sensitive issues, but he wonders how long those people would last in that type of work.
After establishing cinema s halls in the country over a long period of time, freshly hired censors might not be as good as the previous ones. This, he added, would lead to the same result that the West is suffering now. The decision to abandon cinemas in the Kingdom is what we call in Islam preventing seduction factors, he said.
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
This is a good news, bad news kind of story. Think of it as yes, it s yours, BUT
A Saudi company recently received government permission to establish six cinema halls in the Eastern Province. That s the good news for people who like to watch movies. But government approval doesn t necessarily mean that cinemas will suddenly pop up throughout the Kingdom.
A senior official at a Saudi firm, who asked that he and his company not to be identified so future projects will not be jeopardized, said his company received permission from the Eastern Province emirate to establish six cinema halls in a grand mall that is still under construction and that would be the largest in the region. He described his company as one that deals with entertainment based on Saudi society s needs and hopes but also in a way that keeps within Islamic regulations, customs and traditions.
The project started at a grand mall that would satisfy the needs of all family members including children. As part of the project, he added, a space for six cinema halls was included in the blueprint of the building.
We got permission but we were told that if we face any difficulty with the religious [authority], we have to deal with it personally, he said, But because we had some bad experience and we don t have a system upon which we can get into debate with them. We cancelled that part of the project.
He said, however, that the building is constructed in a way that gives them space to establish cinema halls in case the prevailing attitude toward theaters changes.
If anything has changed, we will be the first to introduce cinemas, he said.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice refused to comment. They also declined to discuss whether cinemas in Saudi Arabia will be allowed in the future as globalization continues to impact Middle East countries.
The dilemma faced by the company wanting to build movie theaters illustrates the authority the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice wields on local matters, especially from region to region.
The Commission has always been a pillar of the Kingdom since its foundation. The main role of its personnel is to prowl the streets and shopping malls calling Muslim men to prayer. It also makes sure that the regulations of Islam are not violated.
A 35-year-old Saudi man, who asked for anonymity, said Commission s influence varies from one region to another based on people s level of acceptance of its ways.
When television was introduced for the first time in Saudi society it caused riots for religious reasons but it survived due to the government s support for educating people about local and international news.
Commercial movie theaters have abandoned Saudi Arabia, although wealthy merchants and princes have private cinema collections and entire film libraries in some cases. Films, too, are shown at the various embassies for European or American constituencies. Nobody can tell exactly whether the elimination of cinemas was due to a government policy or the influence of the Commission.
Jeddah, perhaps the most cosmopolitan city in Saudi Arabia, had during the late 1960s and early 70s cinemas that presented uncensored Egyptian, American, Turkish and Indian movies.
I still remember those days when my friends and I used to go to a cinema in Al-Balad (old city), said Abdullah Ahmad, a 45-year-old Saudi. It was owned by one of Jeddah s merchants.
Ahmad said that those cinemas used to present movies weekly. It was open for families and singles but on different days so they don t mix. Some wealthy people, he added, rent home cinemas for private parties, such as Sabe a (a party held after the passage of a week from the marriage party or the seventh day of giving birth to baby).
During the late 70s an abrupt change occurred for several religious reasons. Cinemas were closed and female singers were prohibited from appearing on television.
Dr. Hassan Al-Nemi, a professor of modern literature at King Abdul Aziz University and a member of Jeddah Literary Club, said that there was cinemas all over Jeddah until 1979.
There were cinemas in several hotels, including one that was called the Half Moon Hotel in Obhor, he said.
He said different internal and external factors contributed in the abandonment of cinemas. The social transformation following the 1979 Grand Mosque event has made Saudi society more religiously sensitive to different issues. The Islamic movement in Iran that same year, as well as different outside factors have also added to the situation inside the Kingdom. He said that the Saudi society has put itself in a difficult spot that it is trying to get out now.
He said that both the government and society share the responsibility for the present situation as the government has always been the leader for any enlightening move, including that the movement leading to formal girls education.
If the government wants to pursue a leading role and create a quality transformation, it has to keep pushing and supporting the society, civil institutes to perform their role well, Nemi said. Theater and cinemas are very important vessels for society members represented by the family that doesn t know where to go all together for entertainment.
He said that with the increasing access to satellites, with channels broadcasting uncensored version of Western especially Hollywood films, Saudis seem to be more open and seeking more entertainment.
Youths, for instance, are starved for entertainment that is offered in neighboring Arab countries, although they want it in a way that doesn t offend the sensitivity of the Kingdom.
We don t mind having a heavily censored cinema that is similar to the Saudi television, said Emad Abed, a high school Saudi student. The most important thing to us is the setting and the feelings one might get when we go to a cinema abroad. It would also give us a sort of relieve instead of mangling with peers in shopping malls or setting in road sides.
Yet Emad doesn t want a family cinema where all members of the family enjoy watching movies simply because he doesn t want his male friends to see his sisters.
If they see my sisters, they will certainly tease me the next day at school, the thing that I can t handle, he said.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Banan, a professor of Islamic studies at Um Al-Qura University in Makkah, sees no need in having cinemas in the Kingdom, although he believes that there is no harm in cinemas if films are screened like those on the television.
But he said large gatherings in a dark and sensational atmosphere like that of cinemas abroad might lead to violation of Islamic regulations as illegal relationships might grow due to being affected by those factors.
We are a Muslim society, he said. Why should we follow the West in whatever they do, we know the coraruption they are living as a result of these things.
He said Islam was the first to introduce acting and theater as a way of illustration and clarification of wrong and right. God, he added, has set examples in the Holy Qur an for people. Educational theater is something that is wanted for spreading awareness and correcting misconceptions, he said, but the cinema in its present form is only a hideout for corruption.
He said that censoring films by a group of people might help in avoiding certain religious sensitive issues, but he wonders how long those people would last in that type of work.
After establishing cinema s halls in the country over a long period of time, freshly hired censors might not be as good as the previous ones. This, he added, would lead to the same result that the West is suffering now. The decision to abandon cinemas in the Kingdom is what we call in Islam preventing seduction factors, he said.
killer SAUDI WOMAN AWAITS FREEDOM OR DEATH sentence
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
ABHA - Her complexion is as white as snow. When she smiles there is innocence, but when she
talks there is self-confidence and determination.
She is called Amal, although that is not the real name of this 26-year-old Saudi convicted of the murdering of Khalid Muhammad. Although marked for execution, she is with faith and hope.
I have unlimited faith in Allah s justice and I hope that the victim s family will forgive me for what I did and consider that for the sake of God, said Amal, who agreed to an exclusive interview with the Saudi Gazette on the condition her real name is not used.
Amal is victimized by a society that does not forgive a woman for any mistake even in cases where she is a victim of old traditions that have nothing to do with religion.
In the days before her scheduled execution, the Saudi government delayed it in an attempt to give more time for those who want to mediate with the recipients of the blood money to show her mercy and forgiveness.
Amal now is locked behind several walls that looked for a while deserted as a haunted house and as cold as a winter night. But inside it s as warm as a house full of love. The cells are roomy and decorated with wall-hangings, colorful bedding and nice carpeting.
A police officer looked happy to see another person trying to shed light on Amal s story.
May God listen to our prayers and free her , the police officer said. She is one of the best girls, of good morals, decent and religious.
Other prisoners agree, noting their love for her and eagerness to be in her company.
Fair, tall and attractive, Amal offered her visitor a cup of Arabic coffee with candies stuffed in a decorated basket in the office of Na ila Ali Aseeri, director of the female prison in Abha.
With her big hazel eyes, Amal looked cautious trying to determine the identity of her visitor when Aseeri told her about the objective of the visit. Initially, she looked confused and reluctant to give the interview but was encouraged by Aseeri, who said, The distance you have crossed is appreciated by us.
However, she refused to give details about her story, noting that details are in the government files.
Amal was only 20 years old when a young man, who is a neighbor of her in-laws, broke into her house in the absence of her husband and attacked her. She carried her husband s hunting gun and shot him dead with three bullets to the head.
I begged him to leave me alone and get out of my house but he insisted, so I killed him to defend my home and honor, she said.
As a strong-willed woman who has been raised up on the mountains of Aseer where women share with their husbands the rigors of life, Amal cut the corpse into pieces and burned it. Then she wrapped it in a blanket and threw it in the garbage believing that the story will end at that point.
But the victim s family missed him and called the police.
On Friday 26/11/1420 H, 1999, we missed our brother at the time at which he usually comes home and informed the police. They told us that they found an unidentified body thrown in a trash can and that they are keeping it at Abha s general hospital, according to the family s statement. To our surprise, when we saw the body we found out that it was our brother s( Khalid Muhammad Qlais), may he rest in peace.
According to the statement, the medical report said the victim was struck by a sharp weapon on the head and nose. It also shows that his hands muscles were cut , his abdomen was ripped, one of his legs was cut off and his body was burned to cover the marks of torture.
Amal admitted to committing the crime in court. She claimed full responsibility. She justified the homicide by defending her honor. The victim s family refused all efforts by hundreds of chiefs of Aseer s tribes who tried to mediate and free the woman. The family said that the way their son was killed was too awful for them to forgive, adding that they believe that other male members of Amal s family were involved because a weak woman can never do that alone.
Islamic penal laws hold that a harsh punishment serves as a deterrent to serious crimes that harm individual victims, or threaten to destabilize the foundation of society.
According to Islamic law: ...If anyone kills a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all people. And if anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people (Qur an 5:32).
In Islam only intentional murder and Fasad fil-ardh ( spreading mischief in the land ) can be punishable by death. The Qur an legislates the death penalty for murder, although forgiveness and compassion are strongly encouraged. The murder victim s family is given a choice to either insist on the death penalty, or to pardon the perpetrator and accept monetary compensation for their loss.
Amal s case has attracted strong media and public reaction with more than 3,000 visitors logging in to the website created to support her case under the name http://www.freethegirl.com/. People in the region exchange SMS s that call for saving her life as a victim of some social wrong perceptions about women and honor.
A source close to the case, who asked not to be named, said according to the investigation, Amal said the man was threatening her with revealing their previous relationship before she got married as he kept photos and cassette tapes of her talking to him. He kept blackmailing her and she pretended to submit to his desire until she dragged him to her house where she killed him, the source said.
Abdullah Al-Shehri, a citizen of Aseer, said Saudi society always puts the responsibility on women for any relationship while they forget that two people are involved.
If we were a more tolerant society for such things she would have not been forced to kill him, he said. But because she knew for sure that she would have carried the shame alone if their previous relationship was revealed as he threatened her, she was pushed to stop him any way.
Major Saud Sultan Al-Otaibi, director of Abha s prison, said that he was among those who tried to mediate with the victim s family to pardon the woman, but they insisted on the death penalty.
What do people expect from a good woman to do when she finds a stranger in her home, he said. Being in someone s house during husband s absence is a crime by itself that deserves killing regardless of the circumstances of the story.
He described Amal as one of the best women in Kahmis Mushayt, the area where she lives. He said she belongs to a good family and a well-known tribe. He said that her file is clean since she entered the prison. Aseeri also confirmed the good conduct and behavior of Amal. She said Amal has become one of the prison staff as she helps them to deal with newcomers and calm them down until they integrate with the rest. She also makes Dawa (Preaching) to non- Muslim female prisoners. She memorized the Holy Qur an and most of the Prophet s sayings (Hadith).
She is loved by everyone and she takes good care of her friends not only in her cell but also in other cells, Aseeri said. I am quite sure that if she is forgiven she would be an active and good member of the society because she learned her lesson and now she is ready to help other women in the society to learn from her experience.
Amal said that the staff helped her at a difficult time as they treated her as person a who committed a mistake and was ready to learn from it.
I have never been treated as a criminal, she said. The staff contained me and gave me the family love that I miss.
Amal has nine brothers and two sisters. She got married two years before the murder when she was 18 years old. Her father died only months after her imprisonment. She said the last time she saw him was when he visited her in the prison to give her support and filled her with hope and faith.
He got tired while he was talking to me behind the prison s door and died the same day at night, she said with tears.
He wanted to see her free and as happy as her sisters. Remembering her father, Amal said, I have never imagined that I would be a killer one day and if time go back I would have called the police and reported him instead of committing a crime.
Amal s biggest dream now is to be given another chance to live like all women her age and to have children that she could raise as a Muslim mother. What happened to me has broken my dreams and I wish all girls learn from my story and fear God in both private and public, she said.
Amal s family visits her regularly and many businessmen expressed their readiness to pay the blood money to the victim s family. Some of them said they are ready to carry out all the demands of the claimants blood money no matter how much it costs.
Their aim is to help this poor girl to get a new life, said Aseeri.
Whether Amal would be pardoned or not is a matter that the coming days would reveal. Now she is serving her sixth year in prison teaching religion, leading prayers and taking care of Qaboos, a son of one of the prisoner s, the child that she has never given birth to but whom she calls Son.
The Saudi Gazette
ABHA - Her complexion is as white as snow. When she smiles there is innocence, but when she
talks there is self-confidence and determination.
She is called Amal, although that is not the real name of this 26-year-old Saudi convicted of the murdering of Khalid Muhammad. Although marked for execution, she is with faith and hope.
I have unlimited faith in Allah s justice and I hope that the victim s family will forgive me for what I did and consider that for the sake of God, said Amal, who agreed to an exclusive interview with the Saudi Gazette on the condition her real name is not used.
Amal is victimized by a society that does not forgive a woman for any mistake even in cases where she is a victim of old traditions that have nothing to do with religion.
In the days before her scheduled execution, the Saudi government delayed it in an attempt to give more time for those who want to mediate with the recipients of the blood money to show her mercy and forgiveness.
Amal now is locked behind several walls that looked for a while deserted as a haunted house and as cold as a winter night. But inside it s as warm as a house full of love. The cells are roomy and decorated with wall-hangings, colorful bedding and nice carpeting.
A police officer looked happy to see another person trying to shed light on Amal s story.
May God listen to our prayers and free her , the police officer said. She is one of the best girls, of good morals, decent and religious.
Other prisoners agree, noting their love for her and eagerness to be in her company.
Fair, tall and attractive, Amal offered her visitor a cup of Arabic coffee with candies stuffed in a decorated basket in the office of Na ila Ali Aseeri, director of the female prison in Abha.
With her big hazel eyes, Amal looked cautious trying to determine the identity of her visitor when Aseeri told her about the objective of the visit. Initially, she looked confused and reluctant to give the interview but was encouraged by Aseeri, who said, The distance you have crossed is appreciated by us.
However, she refused to give details about her story, noting that details are in the government files.
Amal was only 20 years old when a young man, who is a neighbor of her in-laws, broke into her house in the absence of her husband and attacked her. She carried her husband s hunting gun and shot him dead with three bullets to the head.
I begged him to leave me alone and get out of my house but he insisted, so I killed him to defend my home and honor, she said.
As a strong-willed woman who has been raised up on the mountains of Aseer where women share with their husbands the rigors of life, Amal cut the corpse into pieces and burned it. Then she wrapped it in a blanket and threw it in the garbage believing that the story will end at that point.
But the victim s family missed him and called the police.
On Friday 26/11/1420 H, 1999, we missed our brother at the time at which he usually comes home and informed the police. They told us that they found an unidentified body thrown in a trash can and that they are keeping it at Abha s general hospital, according to the family s statement. To our surprise, when we saw the body we found out that it was our brother s( Khalid Muhammad Qlais), may he rest in peace.
According to the statement, the medical report said the victim was struck by a sharp weapon on the head and nose. It also shows that his hands muscles were cut , his abdomen was ripped, one of his legs was cut off and his body was burned to cover the marks of torture.
Amal admitted to committing the crime in court. She claimed full responsibility. She justified the homicide by defending her honor. The victim s family refused all efforts by hundreds of chiefs of Aseer s tribes who tried to mediate and free the woman. The family said that the way their son was killed was too awful for them to forgive, adding that they believe that other male members of Amal s family were involved because a weak woman can never do that alone.
Islamic penal laws hold that a harsh punishment serves as a deterrent to serious crimes that harm individual victims, or threaten to destabilize the foundation of society.
According to Islamic law: ...If anyone kills a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all people. And if anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people (Qur an 5:32).
In Islam only intentional murder and Fasad fil-ardh ( spreading mischief in the land ) can be punishable by death. The Qur an legislates the death penalty for murder, although forgiveness and compassion are strongly encouraged. The murder victim s family is given a choice to either insist on the death penalty, or to pardon the perpetrator and accept monetary compensation for their loss.
Amal s case has attracted strong media and public reaction with more than 3,000 visitors logging in to the website created to support her case under the name http://www.freethegirl.com/. People in the region exchange SMS s that call for saving her life as a victim of some social wrong perceptions about women and honor.
A source close to the case, who asked not to be named, said according to the investigation, Amal said the man was threatening her with revealing their previous relationship before she got married as he kept photos and cassette tapes of her talking to him. He kept blackmailing her and she pretended to submit to his desire until she dragged him to her house where she killed him, the source said.
Abdullah Al-Shehri, a citizen of Aseer, said Saudi society always puts the responsibility on women for any relationship while they forget that two people are involved.
If we were a more tolerant society for such things she would have not been forced to kill him, he said. But because she knew for sure that she would have carried the shame alone if their previous relationship was revealed as he threatened her, she was pushed to stop him any way.
Major Saud Sultan Al-Otaibi, director of Abha s prison, said that he was among those who tried to mediate with the victim s family to pardon the woman, but they insisted on the death penalty.
What do people expect from a good woman to do when she finds a stranger in her home, he said. Being in someone s house during husband s absence is a crime by itself that deserves killing regardless of the circumstances of the story.
He described Amal as one of the best women in Kahmis Mushayt, the area where she lives. He said she belongs to a good family and a well-known tribe. He said that her file is clean since she entered the prison. Aseeri also confirmed the good conduct and behavior of Amal. She said Amal has become one of the prison staff as she helps them to deal with newcomers and calm them down until they integrate with the rest. She also makes Dawa (Preaching) to non- Muslim female prisoners. She memorized the Holy Qur an and most of the Prophet s sayings (Hadith).
She is loved by everyone and she takes good care of her friends not only in her cell but also in other cells, Aseeri said. I am quite sure that if she is forgiven she would be an active and good member of the society because she learned her lesson and now she is ready to help other women in the society to learn from her experience.
Amal said that the staff helped her at a difficult time as they treated her as person a who committed a mistake and was ready to learn from it.
I have never been treated as a criminal, she said. The staff contained me and gave me the family love that I miss.
Amal has nine brothers and two sisters. She got married two years before the murder when she was 18 years old. Her father died only months after her imprisonment. She said the last time she saw him was when he visited her in the prison to give her support and filled her with hope and faith.
He got tired while he was talking to me behind the prison s door and died the same day at night, she said with tears.
He wanted to see her free and as happy as her sisters. Remembering her father, Amal said, I have never imagined that I would be a killer one day and if time go back I would have called the police and reported him instead of committing a crime.
Amal s biggest dream now is to be given another chance to live like all women her age and to have children that she could raise as a Muslim mother. What happened to me has broken my dreams and I wish all girls learn from my story and fear God in both private and public, she said.
Amal s family visits her regularly and many businessmen expressed their readiness to pay the blood money to the victim s family. Some of them said they are ready to carry out all the demands of the claimants blood money no matter how much it costs.
Their aim is to help this poor girl to get a new life, said Aseeri.
Whether Amal would be pardoned or not is a matter that the coming days would reveal. Now she is serving her sixth year in prison teaching religion, leading prayers and taking care of Qaboos, a son of one of the prisoner s, the child that she has never given birth to but whom she calls Son.
I killed to save my daughter’
A story from Abha’s prison
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi gazette
ABHA
FROM generation to generation, women inherit the difficulties of just being a woman. However, sometimes, society and circumstances combine to compound the difficulties to lethal effect.
L. Aseeri, a 40-year-old Saudi woman, perhaps personifies such a plight.
She is behind bars in Abha women s prison, convicted of deliberately killing her husband.
Sometimes she regrets killing her husband, but most of the time she doesn t.
She killed just to protect her only 5-year-old daughter, she told The Saudi Gazette.
He wanted to rape his own daughter, she claimed, I tried to stop him many times but he kept threatening me of doing that more and more.
But do threats justify murder?
When I killed him, she replied, I knew that he was able to do that and was about to.
Wasn t there any other recourse?
Her husband was a psychologically sick person and a drug addict, Aseeri said. He had sexually assaulted two of his daughters from his second wife when they were children, she alleged, but he could get away with it because of their mother s silence.
I didn t want my daughter to go through that in front of my eyes. Aseeri said.
She said she did try to seek help that she had told her brothers about it. But they refused to believe that a father could ever hurt his own daughter in such a manner. They told her to shut up and not bring shame to the family.
What about going to the police?
Asseri said she had thought of it but gave up for want of evidence of any rape attempt. She feared that the police would have brought her back to her husband s house not protect her or her daughter after that.
Besides, she went on, the police station was far away from her home and she could not go there alone, not without a male relative.
They will not allow me in to file my case without a Mehram (a male guard), and my male relatives don t believe me, she pleaded, though women in Saudi Arabia do have the right to report a case without a Mehram.
If you were in my position what would have you done?
Though actual rape in this case did not evidently take place, recent international studies by rape case experts suggest that some women avoid reporting sexual abuse or assault because of fear or distrust of authority.
In Saudi Arabia, women victims of sexual assault are made to undergo a forensic examination in order to gather evidence supporting their rape claim. This medical examination is essential to the progress of the case through the legal system.
However, the forensic investigation, while required by law, is rarely conducted in a way as to gather complete and compelling evidence of sexual assault as it is concentrated mainly on determining the state of the victim s hymen.
Legal experts believe that in cases of sexual abuse, other considerations should be given, using the court s general and special powers so to effect a fair hearing.
These include the special measures that allow evidence to be given in private under certain circumstances and the consideration of psychological and social factors.
Saudi lawyer Khalid Abu Rashed, deputy chief of the International Organization of Justice in Paris, said that from a humane point of view he sympathizes with Aseeri and understands a mother s feelings when caught in the situation she claims she was in.
However, he added, from a legal point of view such honor crimes should not be let go or looked at differently from any other crime.
Otherwise everyone will kill whosoever he wants to and then claim it was an honor killing, he said. In Islamic Shariah, the killer has to be killed no matter why he did it, except if the death happened during a proven defensive position.
He said Aseeri should have gone to the police and reported the case or even her husband s attempt to rape her daughter. They could have helped her and protected her daughter.
Killing should never be a solution for any problem no matter how big or how complicated it is, Abu Rashed said.
If Aseeri had reported the case and it was proven that the husband had raped his other two daughters, he would have been sent to death by the Islamic court, he said. The crime of rape, no matter what the relationship is between the rapist and the victim, is considered as a capital crime and punishable by death.
In Saudi Arabia, the criminal case panel of the Appellate Court usually consists of five judges who review sentences of death, stoning, amputation or Qisas (retaliatory punishment) in verdict other than death. For other cases, the panel consists of three judges.
Sentences of death, stoning, amputation, or Qisas in cases other than death that have been passed by the Appellate Court are not considered final unless they are affirmed by the Permanent Panel of the Supreme Judicial Council.
These facts make me sure that Aseeri s case was carefully studied and the judgment was passed accordingly, Abu Rashed said.
A psychologist, who asked not to be named, said violence in general and killing in particular are not part of women s nature.
Women usually kill when they have no other option, a fact that judicial systems all over the world rarely acknowledge, he said, This woman seemed to be really desperate and confused when she killed her husband.
He said women in rural areas like Mahail Aseer where Aseeri lived, are usually suppressed by men, and the concept of honor among them is so flawed that it causes confusion in the society.
In such areas women are totally dependent on men and only marriage can save a girl from the practices of her brothers, he said.
So, he deduced, Aseeri would never have taken the risk and killed her husband unless she was really forced to do so.
However, he emphasized that the circumstances of the crime must have been studied well for the court to issue the death penalty.
As for psychological evaluation of the accused, he said: I heard that usually psychiatrics see the prisoners as soon as they are jailed. But I don t know exactly what kind of tests they do and whether their psychological assessment of the prisoner s condition at the time of the killing is included as part of the case.
Omar Al Zobaidi, a media person, said the Saudi judicial system should be codified in a way that makes the psychologist, sociologist and psychiatrist part of the judicial system.
Such cases should not be handled by Islamic scholars only, he said, No one can deny the importance of the psychological factors in such a story.
He also stressed the importance of advising the convicted person of his rights including that of hiring a lawyer to whom he can talk to even before the investigation or the court hearing.
Saudi Arabia is embarking on extensive development of its penal system that is based on clearly defined scientific criteria and governed by statutory rules derived from the Islamic Shariah, so as to safeguarded and respect the rights of convicted persons.
However, several questions have been raised recently concerning the interpretation of the Islamic judicial regulations by some judges and whether other psychological and social circumstances should be taken into consideration in court especially when dealing with women s issues.
The Third National Dialogue that was devoted to women s issues and held in Madina earlier this year, called for the establishment of a national organization to deal with family and women s issues and to coordinate between governmental and civil institutions.
It also called for the establishment of domestic courts and for expanding women s sections within existing courts. Also, it recommended the establishment of a committee of experts in Shariah and social studies so as to separate traditions and customs from religious laws and ensure that only religious laws remain in effect.
Yet, according to several participants in the dialogue, nothing has been seen on the ground and the recommendations were added to a long list of demands that are waiting for regulations and procedures of implementation.
Today Aseeri s daughter is in the care of her elder sister. Aseeri said her sister was also a victim of the man she had killed.
But Aseeri s daughter is insisting on the death penalty for her father s second wife.
And she has support.
His children from his first wife have refused to pardon me as they are the owner of the blood, though they know what kind of a father they had and that I am telling the truth, Aseeri said.
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By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi gazette
ABHA
FROM generation to generation, women inherit the difficulties of just being a woman. However, sometimes, society and circumstances combine to compound the difficulties to lethal effect.
L. Aseeri, a 40-year-old Saudi woman, perhaps personifies such a plight.
She is behind bars in Abha women s prison, convicted of deliberately killing her husband.
Sometimes she regrets killing her husband, but most of the time she doesn t.
She killed just to protect her only 5-year-old daughter, she told The Saudi Gazette.
He wanted to rape his own daughter, she claimed, I tried to stop him many times but he kept threatening me of doing that more and more.
But do threats justify murder?
When I killed him, she replied, I knew that he was able to do that and was about to.
Wasn t there any other recourse?
Her husband was a psychologically sick person and a drug addict, Aseeri said. He had sexually assaulted two of his daughters from his second wife when they were children, she alleged, but he could get away with it because of their mother s silence.
I didn t want my daughter to go through that in front of my eyes. Aseeri said.
She said she did try to seek help that she had told her brothers about it. But they refused to believe that a father could ever hurt his own daughter in such a manner. They told her to shut up and not bring shame to the family.
What about going to the police?
Asseri said she had thought of it but gave up for want of evidence of any rape attempt. She feared that the police would have brought her back to her husband s house not protect her or her daughter after that.
Besides, she went on, the police station was far away from her home and she could not go there alone, not without a male relative.
They will not allow me in to file my case without a Mehram (a male guard), and my male relatives don t believe me, she pleaded, though women in Saudi Arabia do have the right to report a case without a Mehram.
If you were in my position what would have you done?
Though actual rape in this case did not evidently take place, recent international studies by rape case experts suggest that some women avoid reporting sexual abuse or assault because of fear or distrust of authority.
In Saudi Arabia, women victims of sexual assault are made to undergo a forensic examination in order to gather evidence supporting their rape claim. This medical examination is essential to the progress of the case through the legal system.
However, the forensic investigation, while required by law, is rarely conducted in a way as to gather complete and compelling evidence of sexual assault as it is concentrated mainly on determining the state of the victim s hymen.
Legal experts believe that in cases of sexual abuse, other considerations should be given, using the court s general and special powers so to effect a fair hearing.
These include the special measures that allow evidence to be given in private under certain circumstances and the consideration of psychological and social factors.
Saudi lawyer Khalid Abu Rashed, deputy chief of the International Organization of Justice in Paris, said that from a humane point of view he sympathizes with Aseeri and understands a mother s feelings when caught in the situation she claims she was in.
However, he added, from a legal point of view such honor crimes should not be let go or looked at differently from any other crime.
Otherwise everyone will kill whosoever he wants to and then claim it was an honor killing, he said. In Islamic Shariah, the killer has to be killed no matter why he did it, except if the death happened during a proven defensive position.
He said Aseeri should have gone to the police and reported the case or even her husband s attempt to rape her daughter. They could have helped her and protected her daughter.
Killing should never be a solution for any problem no matter how big or how complicated it is, Abu Rashed said.
If Aseeri had reported the case and it was proven that the husband had raped his other two daughters, he would have been sent to death by the Islamic court, he said. The crime of rape, no matter what the relationship is between the rapist and the victim, is considered as a capital crime and punishable by death.
In Saudi Arabia, the criminal case panel of the Appellate Court usually consists of five judges who review sentences of death, stoning, amputation or Qisas (retaliatory punishment) in verdict other than death. For other cases, the panel consists of three judges.
Sentences of death, stoning, amputation, or Qisas in cases other than death that have been passed by the Appellate Court are not considered final unless they are affirmed by the Permanent Panel of the Supreme Judicial Council.
These facts make me sure that Aseeri s case was carefully studied and the judgment was passed accordingly, Abu Rashed said.
A psychologist, who asked not to be named, said violence in general and killing in particular are not part of women s nature.
Women usually kill when they have no other option, a fact that judicial systems all over the world rarely acknowledge, he said, This woman seemed to be really desperate and confused when she killed her husband.
He said women in rural areas like Mahail Aseer where Aseeri lived, are usually suppressed by men, and the concept of honor among them is so flawed that it causes confusion in the society.
In such areas women are totally dependent on men and only marriage can save a girl from the practices of her brothers, he said.
So, he deduced, Aseeri would never have taken the risk and killed her husband unless she was really forced to do so.
However, he emphasized that the circumstances of the crime must have been studied well for the court to issue the death penalty.
As for psychological evaluation of the accused, he said: I heard that usually psychiatrics see the prisoners as soon as they are jailed. But I don t know exactly what kind of tests they do and whether their psychological assessment of the prisoner s condition at the time of the killing is included as part of the case.
Omar Al Zobaidi, a media person, said the Saudi judicial system should be codified in a way that makes the psychologist, sociologist and psychiatrist part of the judicial system.
Such cases should not be handled by Islamic scholars only, he said, No one can deny the importance of the psychological factors in such a story.
He also stressed the importance of advising the convicted person of his rights including that of hiring a lawyer to whom he can talk to even before the investigation or the court hearing.
Saudi Arabia is embarking on extensive development of its penal system that is based on clearly defined scientific criteria and governed by statutory rules derived from the Islamic Shariah, so as to safeguarded and respect the rights of convicted persons.
However, several questions have been raised recently concerning the interpretation of the Islamic judicial regulations by some judges and whether other psychological and social circumstances should be taken into consideration in court especially when dealing with women s issues.
The Third National Dialogue that was devoted to women s issues and held in Madina earlier this year, called for the establishment of a national organization to deal with family and women s issues and to coordinate between governmental and civil institutions.
It also called for the establishment of domestic courts and for expanding women s sections within existing courts. Also, it recommended the establishment of a committee of experts in Shariah and social studies so as to separate traditions and customs from religious laws and ensure that only religious laws remain in effect.
Yet, according to several participants in the dialogue, nothing has been seen on the ground and the recommendations were added to a long list of demands that are waiting for regulations and procedures of implementation.
Today Aseeri s daughter is in the care of her elder sister. Aseeri said her sister was also a victim of the man she had killed.
But Aseeri s daughter is insisting on the death penalty for her father s second wife.
And she has support.
His children from his first wife have refused to pardon me as they are the owner of the blood, though they know what kind of a father they had and that I am telling the truth, Aseeri said.
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A Christian On An Umra Visa
Tuesday, 06 June 2006
By Sabria s. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
SOFIA’S story (not her real name) is a sad one, and offers an alarming example and insight into how criminal gangs lure thousands of young women from poor countries into the underground sex trade - a trade that is a problem worldwide, including in countries where the constitution and laws are based largely on religious teachings prohibiting such things.
Although Sofia talks with a voice full of confidence as she explains the reasons she took the dark path of sin, exposing herself to significant physical risk and endangering her health, there was a deep look of sadness in her eyes that told the real story.
It revealed what she had to go through in order to carry out what she referred to as “a family duty.”
“I came from a very poor family,” Sofia told The Saudi Gazette during a visit to Briman Prison. “I have nine brothers and sisters who need to go to school. And above all to live.”
It all began in her poor farming village in Ethiopia with the promise of a good job as a housemaid in wealthy Saudi Arabia.
“In my village, people are so naïve, they believe that gold can be found thrown away all along the roads of Saudi Arabia,” Sofia said. “They are told that Saudis change their cars yearly and leave the old ones with their keys in the streets.”
One day, she recalled, an old Ethiopian woman, who seemed wealthy to Sofia, came to the village on a quest for beautiful, young girls in their twenties.
“It was odd because it was obvious that she was looking for something far beyond skilled or strong women,” Sofia explained. “Actually, she was looking for girls with special features.”
Unlike the other girls of her village, Sofia, who was 18 at the time, was confident that she would be picked, and said as she could easily see the look of admiration in the older woman’s eyes.
“While the rest of the girls were crossing their fingers, waiting to pass the old lady’s test, I was sure that she will pick me,” she said. “I am well-known in my village for my beauty.”
Sofia is five feet, nine-inches tall and has a naturally tanned and soft complexion. It would be easy to believe she is a model. So, as expected, Sofia passed the exam and was taken to Addis Ababa in preparation for her trip to Jeddah.
Yet as a non-Muslim, Sofia was faced with difficulty of obtaining a visa to work as a maid in Saudi Arabia because most Saudi families prefer Muslim maids. But she was told not to worry about the visa because everything had been taken care of by an agent.
In the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Sofia said she spent a week learning some verses of the Holy Qur’an as well as the basics of Islam in case she was asked, while she spent the rest of the month before her arrival in Jeddah learning how to take good care of her physical appearance, dealing with clients and the procedures she needed to take “precautions.”
Because Sofia was not being recruited to work as a maid, but one of the many thousands of prostitutes who are brought to the Kingdom every year.
“At that point of the journey I realized what I was heading to and what kind of a job I would have. Yet I accepted it in order to make a better life for my family and myself,” she said.
Sofia was forced to sign a paper that she was indebted to pay $10,000. The visa and her airline ticket came free. She was told that she would repay the loan in monthly installments after she began to work in Saudi Arabia.
Once in the Kingdom, where Sofia once thought her dreams would come true, she was met by a man who took her to an apartment in one of Jeddah’s middle class districts where she met the Ethiopian lady again and some other girls roughly her same age.
As the brothel “protocol” required, Sofia gave her word to her new employers that she would not reveal any information about the brothel or give the name of anyone involved if she was ever arrested. In that event, the employer also guaranteed to pay Sofia all of the money she might be owed once she left prison.
When asked, Sofia told The Saudi Gazette that she believed that she will be paid all the money she owed as soon as she is released.
All the girls who were arrested got their money when they were deported because they did not utter a word about their employer, she said.
As the Saudi government has cracked down on the prostitution, prostitutes, brothel owners and recruiters have gotten more creative. Sofia said in order not to be traced, they met clients at different apartments or locations far away from where they lived.
Brothel employees use different telephone numbers and never give an exact location or a name even to regular clients.
By Sabria s. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
SOFIA’S story (not her real name) is a sad one, and offers an alarming example and insight into how criminal gangs lure thousands of young women from poor countries into the underground sex trade - a trade that is a problem worldwide, including in countries where the constitution and laws are based largely on religious teachings prohibiting such things.
Although Sofia talks with a voice full of confidence as she explains the reasons she took the dark path of sin, exposing herself to significant physical risk and endangering her health, there was a deep look of sadness in her eyes that told the real story.
It revealed what she had to go through in order to carry out what she referred to as “a family duty.”
“I came from a very poor family,” Sofia told The Saudi Gazette during a visit to Briman Prison. “I have nine brothers and sisters who need to go to school. And above all to live.”
It all began in her poor farming village in Ethiopia with the promise of a good job as a housemaid in wealthy Saudi Arabia.
“In my village, people are so naïve, they believe that gold can be found thrown away all along the roads of Saudi Arabia,” Sofia said. “They are told that Saudis change their cars yearly and leave the old ones with their keys in the streets.”
One day, she recalled, an old Ethiopian woman, who seemed wealthy to Sofia, came to the village on a quest for beautiful, young girls in their twenties.
“It was odd because it was obvious that she was looking for something far beyond skilled or strong women,” Sofia explained. “Actually, she was looking for girls with special features.”
Unlike the other girls of her village, Sofia, who was 18 at the time, was confident that she would be picked, and said as she could easily see the look of admiration in the older woman’s eyes.
“While the rest of the girls were crossing their fingers, waiting to pass the old lady’s test, I was sure that she will pick me,” she said. “I am well-known in my village for my beauty.”
Sofia is five feet, nine-inches tall and has a naturally tanned and soft complexion. It would be easy to believe she is a model. So, as expected, Sofia passed the exam and was taken to Addis Ababa in preparation for her trip to Jeddah.
Yet as a non-Muslim, Sofia was faced with difficulty of obtaining a visa to work as a maid in Saudi Arabia because most Saudi families prefer Muslim maids. But she was told not to worry about the visa because everything had been taken care of by an agent.
In the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Sofia said she spent a week learning some verses of the Holy Qur’an as well as the basics of Islam in case she was asked, while she spent the rest of the month before her arrival in Jeddah learning how to take good care of her physical appearance, dealing with clients and the procedures she needed to take “precautions.”
Because Sofia was not being recruited to work as a maid, but one of the many thousands of prostitutes who are brought to the Kingdom every year.
“At that point of the journey I realized what I was heading to and what kind of a job I would have. Yet I accepted it in order to make a better life for my family and myself,” she said.
Sofia was forced to sign a paper that she was indebted to pay $10,000. The visa and her airline ticket came free. She was told that she would repay the loan in monthly installments after she began to work in Saudi Arabia.
Once in the Kingdom, where Sofia once thought her dreams would come true, she was met by a man who took her to an apartment in one of Jeddah’s middle class districts where she met the Ethiopian lady again and some other girls roughly her same age.
As the brothel “protocol” required, Sofia gave her word to her new employers that she would not reveal any information about the brothel or give the name of anyone involved if she was ever arrested. In that event, the employer also guaranteed to pay Sofia all of the money she might be owed once she left prison.
When asked, Sofia told The Saudi Gazette that she believed that she will be paid all the money she owed as soon as she is released.
All the girls who were arrested got their money when they were deported because they did not utter a word about their employer, she said.
As the Saudi government has cracked down on the prostitution, prostitutes, brothel owners and recruiters have gotten more creative. Sofia said in order not to be traced, they met clients at different apartments or locations far away from where they lived.
Brothel employees use different telephone numbers and never give an exact location or a name even to regular clients.
Crying for Justice
Monday, 14 August 2006
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
WHEN the Saudi government modified its criminal justice system two years ago, it emphasized its continuing eagerness to carry out justice in a way that resolves criminal cases with absolute certainty in the light of evidence presented. It also emphasized its commitment to comply with the laws and regulations that protect human rights in the light of Shariah.
However, there are still some complaints from the families of those convicted, complaints largely about the laxity and negligence of some officials rather than the system itself.
Hussain Johar, a Burmese national who lives in Makkah, said his family escaped from their homeland to Saudi Arabia looking for justice and security that they lacked back home.
“We escaped from our home due to the persecution of Burmese by the military junta, something that is well-known not only to the Saudi government but also to the world,” he said.
Johar said his family is a respectful business family from Burma that has been working and living in Saudi Arabia for quite a long time. To him, life was almost perfect till Monday, Jul. 3, 2006, when he paid a visit to his nephew, Nezam Kamal Uddin, a computer technician in Jeddah.
That day, while Johar was checking the Internet his nephew closed the doors of the shop where he worked and five men came in. Four of them, he said, were in plain clothes, while the fifth wore a Saudi Telecom uniform. The men entered the shop, he explained, and asked him whether he worked there. They took his Iqama and approached his nephew to ask about an Internet-telephone they found in the shop.
“After about an hour-long search, my nephew was hand-cuffed and taken away to undisclosed location along with the Internet-telephone set that they found,” he said.
Johar was shocked because to the best of his knowledge, his nephew did not engage in any illegal activities. On the contrary, he was well known for being a good technician with customers from everywhere, including many government workers.
“If possessing an Internet calling device is not authorized in the Kingdom, the department concerned should have asked the sole agent instead of detaining workers like my nephew [Nezam],” he said.
The telephone set however, he added, was sold legally in the Kingdom and is frequently advertised in the Al-Wasaila weekly.
But that was not Johar’s main complaint. Actually, he was complaining about the legal procedures his nephew had gone through, starting with the arrest and then his detention. For instance, he said, even though he was Nezam’s guardian, he was not notified about the allegations during or after the arrest. The next afternoon, Johar said, he rushed to the police station to find out the truth to follow the required procedures. There, he saw Nezam in the investigation room but he was denied any access to him.
When the investigation was over, Johar explained, a police officer asked him to go and bring a sponsor to get his nephew released. As a relative and a legal resident, Hussein offered his official papers to sponsor Nezam, but the police refused and asked for a Saudi sponsor. When Johar came back with a Saudi guarantor, the same officer then asked for someone who works for the government and owns a registered company.
By the time Johar found someone who matched those requirements, his nephew had already been taken to prison. The authorities told him that the case has not been finalized, therefore Nezam could not be released. Officers at the police station, he said, did not give any further details. Moreover, they mistreated and humiliated him, Johar alleged.
“They did not even tell me which court they took him to,” he said.
Since then Nezam has been in detention and the family has not been notified about the charges nor given any details about the case. According to Johar, Nezam has not been given access to a lawyer. He also noted a sort of blackout around the case, something that made him believe the whole case was fabricated from the beginning.
He appealed to The Saudi Gazette to tell his nephew’s story and raise the following questions: how could they carry out legal procedures, such as an investigation and court hearings, without the knowledge and presence of the suspect’s lawyer or even a family member who might cross-examine?
“How come there was no chance to justify the case in the police station or court?” he asked. “If concerned families are not allowed to meet detainees in locked police stations or in court, how can they deal with their cases?”
Johar said he asked for help from the Saudi Human Rights Association, but they told him the case was transferred to the Emirate of Makkah region and that the association can do nothing until he is sent back to the prison.
Between his confusion and shock, Johar said his family’s ultimate goal is to get the justice a person is entitled to regardless of color or race. He said he does not want to lose his faith in justice here in the cradle of Islam.
“It is my humble request to kindly help obtain fair justice in order to release my nephew and use the media to help overcome this misbehavior and maltreatment,” he said. The police could not be reached for comment.
By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH
WHEN the Saudi government modified its criminal justice system two years ago, it emphasized its continuing eagerness to carry out justice in a way that resolves criminal cases with absolute certainty in the light of evidence presented. It also emphasized its commitment to comply with the laws and regulations that protect human rights in the light of Shariah.
However, there are still some complaints from the families of those convicted, complaints largely about the laxity and negligence of some officials rather than the system itself.
Hussain Johar, a Burmese national who lives in Makkah, said his family escaped from their homeland to Saudi Arabia looking for justice and security that they lacked back home.
“We escaped from our home due to the persecution of Burmese by the military junta, something that is well-known not only to the Saudi government but also to the world,” he said.
Johar said his family is a respectful business family from Burma that has been working and living in Saudi Arabia for quite a long time. To him, life was almost perfect till Monday, Jul. 3, 2006, when he paid a visit to his nephew, Nezam Kamal Uddin, a computer technician in Jeddah.
That day, while Johar was checking the Internet his nephew closed the doors of the shop where he worked and five men came in. Four of them, he said, were in plain clothes, while the fifth wore a Saudi Telecom uniform. The men entered the shop, he explained, and asked him whether he worked there. They took his Iqama and approached his nephew to ask about an Internet-telephone they found in the shop.
“After about an hour-long search, my nephew was hand-cuffed and taken away to undisclosed location along with the Internet-telephone set that they found,” he said.
Johar was shocked because to the best of his knowledge, his nephew did not engage in any illegal activities. On the contrary, he was well known for being a good technician with customers from everywhere, including many government workers.
“If possessing an Internet calling device is not authorized in the Kingdom, the department concerned should have asked the sole agent instead of detaining workers like my nephew [Nezam],” he said.
The telephone set however, he added, was sold legally in the Kingdom and is frequently advertised in the Al-Wasaila weekly.
But that was not Johar’s main complaint. Actually, he was complaining about the legal procedures his nephew had gone through, starting with the arrest and then his detention. For instance, he said, even though he was Nezam’s guardian, he was not notified about the allegations during or after the arrest. The next afternoon, Johar said, he rushed to the police station to find out the truth to follow the required procedures. There, he saw Nezam in the investigation room but he was denied any access to him.
When the investigation was over, Johar explained, a police officer asked him to go and bring a sponsor to get his nephew released. As a relative and a legal resident, Hussein offered his official papers to sponsor Nezam, but the police refused and asked for a Saudi sponsor. When Johar came back with a Saudi guarantor, the same officer then asked for someone who works for the government and owns a registered company.
By the time Johar found someone who matched those requirements, his nephew had already been taken to prison. The authorities told him that the case has not been finalized, therefore Nezam could not be released. Officers at the police station, he said, did not give any further details. Moreover, they mistreated and humiliated him, Johar alleged.
“They did not even tell me which court they took him to,” he said.
Since then Nezam has been in detention and the family has not been notified about the charges nor given any details about the case. According to Johar, Nezam has not been given access to a lawyer. He also noted a sort of blackout around the case, something that made him believe the whole case was fabricated from the beginning.
He appealed to The Saudi Gazette to tell his nephew’s story and raise the following questions: how could they carry out legal procedures, such as an investigation and court hearings, without the knowledge and presence of the suspect’s lawyer or even a family member who might cross-examine?
“How come there was no chance to justify the case in the police station or court?” he asked. “If concerned families are not allowed to meet detainees in locked police stations or in court, how can they deal with their cases?”
Johar said he asked for help from the Saudi Human Rights Association, but they told him the case was transferred to the Emirate of Makkah region and that the association can do nothing until he is sent back to the prison.
Between his confusion and shock, Johar said his family’s ultimate goal is to get the justice a person is entitled to regardless of color or race. He said he does not want to lose his faith in justice here in the cradle of Islam.
“It is my humble request to kindly help obtain fair justice in order to release my nephew and use the media to help overcome this misbehavior and maltreatment,” he said. The police could not be reached for comment.
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