Although the majority of countries
would agree that the violation of any human right is unjust, Women’s Rights
tend to have a long and controversial history globally. Despite claims of male
and female equality, the global arena has an extensive patriarchal history;
within which women were, and in some cases still are, banned from voting,
owning property, working, divorce and other systematic rights. While women’s
rights have developed in a number of ways in the West, substantial progress
still needs to be made in many parts of the world. Though, significant strides have been made globally to ensure
women’s rights, the Middle East remains, in the world’s eyes a violator and
opponent of women’s rights. Today, Saudi Arabia in particular is under scrutiny for their treatment
of women. Some of the most divisive and hotly debated restrictions on women are
prohibition on driving, the requirement of male guardianship, lack of political
empowerment and economic opportunity. An exploration of the current status of women in Saudi Arabia
demographically in terms of economically and educationally, the status of
female rights politically as well as an exploration of the Saudi Arabian
religious take on woman’s rights in comparison to the Qur’anic Scripture, will
allow a better understanding of the circumstances and factors behind the laws
enforced on women as well as the reactions of citizens.
The Female Demographic:
Employment and the Economy
The current female population in Saudi
Arabia, as determined by the 2011 consensus, is 11, 780804, and a male dominant
population of 14,323899 with a small difference of 2,543095 (Central
Intelligence Agency, 2011). Similar to population, the gender gap in Saudi
Arabia remains relatively small or average in comparison to the rest of the
world, with the largest gap in the employment and literacy fields. 54.2% of
women in Saudi Arabia are employed in comparison to 76.4% of men, of course in
regards to this data it must be mentioned that the median age of the population
remains 23 years old for women and 26 years old for men (Central Intelligence
Agency, 2011); the importance of this latter piece of data may allow a
presumption of the rarity of youth employment. This 22.2% gap could be a result
of various factors such as opportunity, cultural priority, economic job
availability and industry domination. The major industry of Saudi Arabia remains
exportation of petroleum. “The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75 per
cent of budget revenues, 45 per cent of gross domestic product, and 90 per cent
of export earnings. Apart from petroleum, the Kingdom’s other natural resources
include natural gas, iron ore, gold, and copper” (Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries, 2011). In 2009, the World Bank ranked the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, the 13th most competitive economy worldwide. The major
reforms taken to achieve these results include further female integration in
the economy as well as more entrepreneurial encouragement reforms underway in
the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia boasts a difference of ranking number 67th
in 2004 to number 13 in a matter of 4.5 years; this difference is attributed to
the series of economic reforms that continue to take place to further promote
the economy (Reuters, 2009).
The Female Demographic:
Education
Of course, in comparison there remains an
almost 14% gap in literacy rates of men versus women. With a male literacy rate
of 84.7% in contrast to the female rate of 70.8%; here it must be mentioned
that there is no new data on literacy rates and thus these numbers exist from
the Central Intelligence Agency study conducted in 2003(Central Intelligence
Agency, 2003). In 2005, King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud took the place of
his half-brother King Fahd on the throne upon King Fahd’s death in 2005. Since
then, the King has made a series of reforms politically, socially, economically
(as stated above) and educationally. The King has made significant progress in
the past 6 years, with a focus on all fields. His endeavors to increase female
educational opportunities in order to bridge the 14% gap presented in 2003 are
as follows “In September 2009, he inaugurated the King Abdullah University of
Science and Technology (KAUST), a graduate-level research institution and Saudi
Arabia’s first co-educational university… In September 2011, King Abdullah
opened the 60,000-student Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University, the
largest all-female university in the world” (United States Department of State,
2011). Samar Fatany, a female journalist at Arab
News, a daily newspaper in Jeddah explains, “The national dialogue that has
started, debating issues that were tabooed in the past; scholarship programs
that send so many of our students abroad to be also exposed to other cultures. As
a result, the educated elite, the intellectuals or the minority of progressive
thinkers have a great role to play in order to influence change and allow our
young people to be the engines for a better future” (Arrott, 2011).
While the process of reforms for females is
not up to par with Western progress, the reforms in multiple fields over the
last 6 years are nevertheless a rapid development. Basmah Omair, director of
the al Sayeda Khadija bin Khawlid Center at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce says
“In recent years, you have seen women take leadership positions like the deputy
of the ministry of education and vice mayor of Jeddah… So it's not something
[new], but maybe the media is concentrating [on these events] now” (Arrott,
2011).The purpose of the following data is to build a factual picture around
the female demographic and current reforms to allow a better understanding of
the existing state of women in Saudi Arabia.
Politics: Female
Restrictions and their Promised Future
Presently, the main political restrictions
women in Saudi Arabia face are their inability to vote or participate in the
political arena. Women remained unable to vote through past monarch decisions
because of claims of religion and culture. When King Abdullah announced late
September last year that women would be allowed to vote and run for office in
2015, much of the Western reaction included production of headlines such as “Saudi
Women To Vote Without Male Approval”, “Women not able to Vote and Run for Municipal
Elections until 2015”, and “First Step Toward Moving Country into the Modern
World Not Nearly Enough”. The King announced in his speech “Because we refuse
to marginalize women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have
decided, after deliberation with our senior ulama (clerics)
and others... to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from
the next term”(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News, 2011).
In contrast to Western response, much of
Saudi Arabia rejoiced, with women in particular. Fatany exclaimed of the
announcement, “It is a very, very positive step,” she said. “It gives us hope
[and] really encourages us to work harder for women to assert themselves and to
be part of the decision-making process” (Arrott, 2011). The Saudi population
recognizes the challenges associated with such a change given cultural and
societal values. Nimah Ismail Nawwab, an internationally recognized Saudi poet
who writes about Saudi society, said “We have been working for over 20 years
toward many things, including the right of women to vote. We expect that the
change will take its time because it's not just a political matter, it's a
societal matter at the end of the day” (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News,
2011). Of course, such a change would
require a few years to implement so as to accommodate the cultural and
religious beliefs of gender segregation while allowing for female empowerment.
While the King continues to enforce a majority of reforms that continue to
advance Saudi Arabia positively, most of the population is optimistic and
understanding of the effectiveness of the reforms coupled with the culture that
society abides by. Like any other nation, changes are able to occur through
gradual reformations or circumstances of politics, health, economy or the
fast-paced revolutions that have occurred worldwide historically.
Female Oppression:
Hijabs, Burqas and Veils
The most popular topic under Islamic
rule and Women’s Rights are the commandments of Hijab. Hijab is the prescribed
Islamic lifestyle of a woman conveying modesty by covering her head as well as
the rest of her body except for her feet, hands and face.
The Hijab has proven to be controversial in most of Europe, spurring the niqab
ban in France, the Canadian province of Quebec and possibly the Netherlands who
claim that the Hijab is an oppressive garment and a symbol of Women’s Rights
violations (Bowen, 2007). Most responses to these bans and claims of oppression
resulted in defensive assertions from the Muslim countries, feeling as if the
Western notions were intrusions on a lifestyle they do not understand. In Saudi
Arabia, Jawhar claimed “[People] lose sight of the bigger issues like jobs and
education. That’s the issue of women’s rights, not the meaningless things like
passing legislation in France or Quebec to ban the burqa ... like Saudis should
modernize and join the 21st century or that Saudi women need to be free of the
veil and abaya ... And by freeing Saudi women, the West really means they want
us to be just like them, running around in short skirts, nightclubbing and abandoning
our religion and culture” (Wagner, 2010). Much like the ban put forth in
France, here the Hijab becomes the agent of socialization for gaining the
identity of a Saudi Muslim woman
In Saudi Arabia, women are required
to wear and abaya, Hijab and a niqab, the abaya is a loose garment worn on top
of clothing; the Hijab in this case refers to the head covering while a niqab
refers to the veil. Both abaya and the veil are not Islamic commandments but a
method to achieve modesty, the concept of Hijab can also be achieved through a
loose shirt and skirt for example. Today, most women leave out Hijab as a part
of Women’s Rights. “Time and again, the women I met in Jeddah and Riyadh
insisted how women dressed was not the priority, that reform in Saudi Arabia
was about other things” (Kendall, 2006). Most Saudi Arabian Women continue to
press on that they want to wear the veil and that Hijab is part of their
lifestyle, that it is fashionable, comfortable, convenient and makes them feel
safe (Kendall, 2006). Ultimately, no matter the defense or offense, the Hijab
becomes a garment of choice just like the religion it is prescribed by. To
either force a man or a woman to wear or not wear a garment through which he or
she expresses his or her freedom and feels secure is another violation of
human rights. As a friend explained “You would never ask a Queen to take off
her Crown, so why would I take off my Hijab?”.
Female Oppression:
Islamic Interpretation and Perspective in Saudi Arabia
The Western fears of too much Islam are not echoed by most of
the Middle East and South Asia. Given the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment
it is easy to see why most of the West holds the doctrine of separation of
church from state, or in other words religion from law is necessary (Kamguian,
2003). However, the same preconditions do not exist for the majority of the
world; various global historical and cultural factors attribute various
outcomes and circumstances. As an Islamic country, Saudi Arabia’s legal system
is based on Sharia law (Islamic Law). However, because the law is mostly
unwritten in terms of detailed, modern political, economic and social
procedures, legislatures and conducts; strict interpretations on what would, could or should be done to abide
by Islamic beliefs can vary greatly. A journalist who chose not to expose her
name asserted that clerics often abuse rights using Islam as a defense but
doing so is unjust to the religion, “If the Qur’an does not address the
subject, then the clerics will err on the side of caution and make it haram”
(Wagner, 2010). Most Saudi women do not see Islam as the obstacle to women’s
rights.
In fact, most men and women call for a
better use of Qur’an, the Islamic religious scripture in order to enforce
Women’s Rights. Islam teaches that men and women are equal before God. It
grants women divinely sanctioned inheritance, property, social and marriage
rights, including the right to reject the terms of a proposal and to initiate
divorce (Public Broadcasting Service, 2002). The outcry on the misuse of
religion for political purposes is again reverberated by Kareem Elbayar, a
JD/MA international affairs candidate at The George Washington University Law
School, and a Middle East/North Africa Specialist at the International Center
for Not-for-Profit Law; he claims “Many of the Medieval holdings that are now
enshrined in Islamic law—especially with regard to women—are outdated and even
blatantly incorrect misapplications of the law (in the same way that virtually
all Western jurists would now argue that the holding in Dred Scott v. Sandford
was incorrect)” (Elbayar, 2010).
In adherence to Islam, Saudi Arabia would
be required to follow the laws of the Qur’an closely using the scripture as
guidance; it would also have to turn to Hadith. Hadith are the quotations of
the Prophet Muhammad.
Sabria Jawhar, a prominent female journalist of the Saudi Gazzette claims, “If all women were given the rights the
Qur’an guarantees us, and not be supplanted by tribal customs, then the issue
of whether Saudi women have equal rights would be reduced” (Wagner, 2010). If
the former, is the case than the country should have never adapted any law that
would deem women inferior. For example, the Prophet
is reported to have said “You have rights over your women, and your women have
rights over you” (Public Broadcasting Service, 2002). One of the Prophet
Muhammad’s
many great accomplishments was the establishment of Women’s Rights in the 7th
century. During the 7th century women did not have rights, even the
right to life was not guaranteed. In reality, the burial of infant girls was a
common practice, in times were girls were held as the useless sex as well as in
time of scarcity. “In the Qur'an, it is said that on Judgment Day "buried
girls" will rise out of their graves and ask for what crime they were
killed. Part of Muhammad's legacy was to end infanticide and establish explicit
rights for women” (Public Broadcasting Service, 2002).
Overall while the world complains
that reform is slow, and may not be up to par with western progress, many
factors must be considered, the population, culture, history, religious
background, political circumstances, economic situation and values of each
country must be considered. These factors establish the priorities of a
country, within which some factors such as economy, politics, foreign policy
and health may rank first. Considering this, the rapid expansion of multiple
sectors in Saudi Arabia including Women’s Rights must be applauded. While such
comparisons come easily through a call for human rights, it must be understood
that not all countries or people are made the same and as such there is no
formula for how and when human rights become enforced. While a positive effort
is being made with regards to Women’s Rights, other Western interpretations are
not yet welcome, a portrayal of the balance of ensuring rights and respecting
cultures. Nevertheless, this is the very purpose of Anthropological study, to
better understand these factors which may aid in a country’s unique
establishment of rights through dialogue, accommodation and/or policy reforms.
