RIYADH, 13 January 2003 — A seminar entitled "The Image of Muslim Women in the Western Media" was held on Saturday at King Abdul Aziz Library. It was organized by the Information Center for the Women’s Cultural Committee at the ongoing Janadriah Heritage Festival.
The opening ceremony, which Princess Nouf bint Abdul Aziz attended, was led by Jawahir Abdul Aa’l, the head of the Women’s Cultural Committee.
She said that the aim of the seminar was to set the record straight regarding Western misconceptions and attacks on both Islamic culture and the rights of Muslim women.
She pointed out that the right of Saudi women to have an education and to be employed began with the unification of the Kingdom by King Abdul Aziz.
The two guest lecturers were Dr. Noura bint Abdullah ibn Abdul Rahman ibn Adwan, an education specialist at King Saud University in Riyadh, and Noura Khaled Al-Sa’d, a sociology specialist at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah.
Noura Adwan made the point that the Western media makes judgments on the rights of Muslim women from the perspective of Western feminism, and questioned its validity in Muslim societies.
"It is clear that religious codes of dress for nuns who cover from head to foot is respected in the West while the abaya worn by Muslim women is regarded as oppressive," she said.
She added that the Western media should deal with the problems of women’s rights in their own culture before criticizing others.
"If the Western media is so concerned with Muslim women’s rights, where are the human rights for Palestinian women who cannot lead normal lives under the pressures of Israeli occupation?" she asked.
Noura Al-Sa’d, the second lecturer, reinforced much of what had been said by the first, and specifically drew attention to the image of Muslim women in the Western media. "We should not try to defend Islam because Islam does not need to be defended," she stated. "Only through the true practice of Islam can we project its meaning and set an example for others to follow."
