Women in Saudi Arabia

Josue Franco

Mrs. Mueller

English 100, MW 8-10AM

November 26, 2003

Women in Saudi Arabia

I turn on the television. “Large explosions were heard in…”  Waves of Islamic extremists pound the region with no remorse.  Boom! The media paints a grim picture of the bomb-riddled region. The situation does not seem to be improving. I hear the phrase “Middle East” and the following words come to mind: desert, death, Islam, oil, oppression, suicide, war and wait. The Middle East is in absolute turmoil! The airwaves are muddled with the tragedies of war, but what else is going on?

Why are women in Saudi Arabia restricted?  It’s a simple question with a complex answer. The answer requires an investigation into the vital aspects of nation. The birthplace of Islam, Saudi Arabia is a “nation of paradoxes” (Palmer 221). Considered the most modern Arab nation, Saudi Arabia is home to over 22 million people and about one-fifth the size of the United States.  The political structure of the nation and how it is attempting to maintain or change the status quo. Religion is an important aspect to examine since it is a pillar of all Middle Eastern countries. Does the Koran call for the segregation of men and women? Oil is king in Saudi Arabia. How does oil help or hinder the advancement of women? I hope to uncover all aspects and answer the question: Why are women in Saudi Arabia restricted?

With the goal of maintaining power and peace, the government forms the rules and enforces them. Saudi Arabia’s government is a monarchy. From the historical example of England, if the nation is under the control of a king, then not much freedom is afforded to the citizens. In order to maintain control, the king must limit the activities of his people. Not allow them to speak up against his regime or protest in the street. Saudi Arabia is a parallel to the Old World England, except that Saudi Arabia benefits from modern medicine and developed infrastructure. The right to vote does not exist in monarchies. Dr. Abu Khaled pointed out “it was ’surrealistic’ to speak of women’s enfranchisement when Saudi men have yet to be granted the right to vote or run for public office” (AFP, 11/02/03).

The Saudi government has taken some bold steps in the direction of giving it’s citizens a voice. “A promise of local elections is a telling omen of democratic stirrings to come” (The Economist 10/16/03). Within a year, the government wants to hold municipal elections but the question of women being able to vote hangs in the balance. Time will determine whether or not such elections will occur.

It’s obvious that a monarchy inhibits freedoms, but what is missing besides the basic freedoms? “Given the lack of parties, polls, focus groups or real research institutions, it has long been impossible to gauge which group has the most adherents” (MacFarquhar 11/23/2003). When there is no formal form dialog, either through parties or polls, ideas are not exchange. If such instruments were in place, women would be better able to organize, share and formulate ideas and speak in a single voice. One voice is not enough! Women and the public in general do not have the means to communicate their opinions to the leadership and therefore the leadership continues ruling without hearing a peep from its people.

How about the effects of Islam on the nation? In the Middle East, religion is intertwined with the government, there is no legal separation of church and state. During the mid 1990s, Islamic feminists believed “women’s equality could be attained only by jettisoning religion” (Tolson 11/02/03). In addition, the female literacy rate during that same period in Saudi Arabia was around 50%. Fast forward to 2003 and that number change from 50 to 71%! To coincide with the huge increase, more “progressive and feminist interpretations” (Tolson 11/02/03) of Islam and the Koran are available.

            In Search of Islamic Feminism, author Elizabeth Warnock Fernea presents the following question to her Saudi male host while on a trip to the nation: “What is it in the Qur’an that mandates the sexually segregated society we have seen during our visit to Saudi Arabia, the complete covering of men and women, the refusal to allow women to drive” (Fernea 341). The host responded “Nothing in the Qur’an mandates such practices. No, madame, it is custom and tradition in the Kingdom that prescribes this attitude toward women, not the Holy Book” (Fernea 341). The statement of the Saudi host contradicts popular belief but wait! Even though the Koran is God’s word and is unchanging, each individual can have their own interpretation and the Saudi host is just one person with a single interpretation.

“We [Saudi government] have to stop the religious authority from saying the country’s legitimacy is based on them” (MacFarquhar 11/23/2003). This counteracts President Bush’s statement that “Islam isn’t to blame” (Guinto 11/07/03). It seems the Islamic establishment preaches that without them, the Saudi government is nothing. The religious segment is using Islam as a tool to generate support for itself. Islam itself isn’t to blame, it those who exploit the religious beliefs of others for their own gain that should be blamed.

The topic of international relations cannot be avoided. Due to the fact that “Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world” (CIA 2003), with 26% of proved oil reserves, the nation is an integral part of all market economies. President George W. Bush stated “As long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place of stagnation, resentment and violence ready for export” (Guinto 11/07/03). Increasing pressure on countries in the region to reform, President Bush wants to see change in order to speed up the democratization process. Inherent with the process is the recognition of the rights of women.

For now, oil is king! It’s more important to the United States to have oil that adamantly advocate for human rights. Yes, oil has brought great wealth to Saudi Arabia and it has been able to develop a strong education system. But what good is an education if women are “barred from major fields, such as law, engineering, architecture, and mass communications” (AFP 11/02/03)? Women are unable to reap the benefits that could be attained if restrictions were eased. Continuing to educate women and giving them a chance “is a poor recipe for docility” (Palmer 266) because knowledge is power.

How can maintaining a monarchy which oppresses its people be good? The case of Saudi Arabia is quite unique. Since it controls a quarter of the world’s known oil reserves and a ranking member on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). If a nation chooses not to deal with Saudi Arabia  because it doesn’t allow it’s citizens to vote, then it will return the favor, but in a much more efficient and hurtful method, and cut oil supplies to that specific nation. Since more economies are based on oil, such a shock would be devastating. Is oil a hinderer? No way! For the most part, the entire world neglects the human rights violations that occur and rather than sanction or boycott Saudi oil, the world accepts it with open arms because it’s an essential to their economy. Fueling the Saudi government is beneficial since women must be educated to a certain degree and some education is at least some empowerment.

Boiling it down, the answer to the question, Why are women in Saudi Arabia restricted? It’s difficult to name one of the preceding causes as the ultimate cause. I believe the overwhelming cause is the Saudi government. Islam nor oil can be blamed without some intermediate explanation such as: Since the U.S. deals with Saudi Arabia for in regards to oil, it perpetuates the plight of women. It’s a bit far fetched to accept such an argument because the if a root cause needed to be identified, it has to be the government. It has direct control, no one else. It uses Islam and oil to maintain itself, with it’s entire population losing more than it is winning. An absolute government undermines its citizens and in the long run, diminishes itself, since the government fails to garner enough support to sustain its suppression.

The “Middle East” is not all about bombing and blood. Women are struggling in Saudi Arabia to gain a foothold, but the numerous restrictions imposed on them through various means leaves so much more to be desire and fought for. The region is not in absolute turmoil. Saudi Arabia is a prospering and transforming nation. With time, it will change to accommodate for women and afford them the freedoms that have been fought for and won in other regions of the world. The increasing Islamic feminist movement throughout the world, couple with an increasing awareness of such problems, sooner, rather than later, restrictions will disappear.

Works Cited

CIA World Factbook - Saudi Arabia. Central Intelligence Agency. < http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sa.html>

Fernea, Elizabeth Warnock. In Search of Islamic Feminism. New York: Anchor Books, 1998.

Guinto, Joseph. “Bush Sets Bold Goals For Mideast.” Investor’s Business Daily. 11/07/03. < http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibd/20031107/bs_ibd_ibd/2003117general>

MacFarquhar, Neil. “Under Pressure to Change, Saudis Debate Their Future.” New York Times. 11.23.2003 < http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/23/international/middleeast/23SAUD.html>

Palmer, Monte. The Politics of the Middle East. United States: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2002.

“Quite a step.” The Economist. 10/16/03. < http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2149495>

SAUDI ARABIA - A Country Study. Library of Congress. < http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/satoc.html>

“Saudi women want full citizens’ rights.” AFP. 11/02/03. < http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031102/wl_mideast_afp/saudi_politics_women_031102225020>

Tolson, Jay. “Faith & Freedom.” US News. 11/02/03. < http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usnews/20031103/ts_usnews/faithampfreedom>