Saudi Treatment of Women

Henry Srebrnik, [Summerside, PEI] Journal Pioneer
 

When it comes to women’s rights, Saudi Arabia is arguably the most repressive society on earth.

Most of the kingdom’s subjects are members of the Wahhabi branch of Sunni Islam, often described as “ultraconservative” or “puritanical.” Known as Muwahhidun, they adhere to the strict Hanbali school of jurisprudence.

This form of Islam particularly affects the position of women.

A Saudi woman cannot leave her home without covering her hair and putting on a niqab to cover her face and a floor-length abaya. She cannot drive a car. Public transportation is segregated, as are beaches and amusement parks.

Since 2013, women have been allowed to ride bicycles, but only in designated parks and recreation areas, chaperoned by a close male relative. 

The guardianship system requires an adult woman to get permission from a male guardian -- typically a father, brother or husband -- before travelling overseas, opening a bank account, or seeking medical care. They must approve every move, including trips to neighboring women’s homes for tea.

It is a country where single people of opposite sexes cannot spend time together without risking arrest. Institutions and businesses that serve Saudi women are carefully guarded, so as to prevent ikhtilat, illegal gender mixing.

In general, women face more severe penalties for sexual transgressions than do men. Women who are seen socializing with a man who is not a relative, can be harassed by the mutaween, the country’s religious police, and even charged with a crime. 

In some cases, victims are punished for khalwa, being alone with an unrelated male, prior to an assault.

There are no male employees at girls’ schools or women’s colleges other than its security officers, who keep males from entering. 

In 2002, 15 girls died in a fire at a girls school because the mutaween at first kept male firefighters from entering the building. They also tried to keep the girls inside the burning school because they were not wearing headscarves and black robes.

Maintaining women-only bank branches, government offices, shops, and other businesses requires an entire infrastructure of segregation.

Companies that employ both men and women must create separate areas for female workers, allowing them to communicate with male colleagues without the risk of being seen by them.

Restaurants serving both genders must provide “family sections,” secluded areas for women where female diners who cover their faces can eat comfortably. Women need to enter and exit through special doors.

A woman’s testimony in court is, with few exceptions, valued at half that of a man. A homicide case, for example, normally requires testimony from two male witnesses; if only one is available, two female witnesses may be substituted for the other. 

The inheritance share of women in the country is generally smaller than that to which men are entitled.

The marriages of Saudi women are usually arranged, and girls can be forced into child marriages with old men. It remains extremely difficult for women to obtain divorces. These make up just over four per cent of the total. 

Most women are unsuccessful in their efforts to obtain one, and those who do succeed must, at a minimum, repay their dowries to their former husbands. On the other hand, for men – who may have up to four wives – divorce is a simple matter.

In short, women must be barred from exercising authority over men and from most public places where they might mix freely with men.

Some might argue that this separation of genders does at least prevent sexual harassment. But that’s not true. 

There are stories of children who have been raped by a relative or the family driver. Yet the victim’s parents declined to press charges. 

Parents, fearing ruined marriage prospects, chose silence, which meant that the men went unpunished. And for some of the girls the secrecy only amplified the trauma.

A few weeks ago Margot Wallstrom, the Swedish foreign minister, denounced the subjugation of women in Saudi Arabia. 

In turn, Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador and stopped issuing visas to Swedish businessmen. The Organization of Islamic Co-operation, which represents 56 Muslim-majority states, accused Sweden of failing to respect the world’s “rich and varied ethical standards.”