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.
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