In a few days, the third National Dialogue Forum will begin. Its sponsors have said it would focus on issues affecting women. Many women in this country are eagerly awaiting to see what topics will be discussed and whether the forum’s recommendations will or will not become reality. Of special interest to women is how the Saudi judicial system will deal with women’s religious and civil rights in light of the Council of Ministers’ recent call that women play more visible roles in both the economy and the country’s development.
Some people will be surprised to see women from different walks of life espousing different ideas and not necessarily seeing eye to eye with others at the forum. Some of those, as we know, want to limit women’s participation to the education sector.
The rights of women are enshrined in Islamic teachings and clearly defined in the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah (the Prophet’s teachings). What we really hope for is that the forum will be able to reconcile different views and make a unified stand supporting women’s rights. In particular, we hope it will seek to protect society’s most vulnerable parts and those who wish to avoid the glare of publicity.
We want the forum to pay attention to the helpless and powerless who are unable to demand even the basic rights that do not go beyond the boundaries of the family.
As media women, educationalists, intellectuals, preachers, businesswomen and professionals, we want to see the resolutions and recommendations adopted being translated into action that enables women to enjoy their full religious and civil rights.
Not all working women who are financially independent of their families and husbands enjoy their religious rights. Many have found that being independent financially only brings them additional social and psychological pressures. The financial gains they enjoy from working have resulted in more burdens and the women often find themselves taking on additional responsibilities and venturing into areas that have long been reserved for men. Working women often find that they gradually drift away from their basic role as mothers responsible for bringing up new generations. They are forced to play several roles at the same time, and when, under mounting pressure, they demand their guaranteed rights, they are faced with insurmountable obstacles. In many cases the difficulties they face force them to relinquish the very rights they have sought. With due respect to those in charge of the forums, there are distant voices they must seek out and listen to. Only women are capable of explaining their problems and this means that the sponsors must listen to the widest possible range of women’s voices and address the widest possible range of women’s problems.
