RIYADH, 18 April 2006 — Attaining more rights for Saudi women was the topic of discussion at the first ever conference for media women held here on Sunday. The event, sponsored by the Riyadh-based Media Center for Women, was inaugurated by Princess Adila bint Abdullah at the Four Seasons Hotel.
“Women journalists have an important role to play in society to create public awareness on social issues related to women,” Princess Adila said in her opening speech.
Princess Adila pointed out that the media should have a strategic plan of action to work for community development that would eventually lead to the Kingdom’s progress and prosperity.
A message from Abdullah Al-Jasser, deputy minister of culture and information, was read out at the symposium. Mohassim Al-Imam, president of the Amman-based Media Center for Women, was a special guest.
The two sessions of the conference were chaired by Reemah Al-Ashamikh and United Nations Development Program’s goodwill ambassador Mona Abu Sulaiman.
“The discussions among the participants were focused on controversial issues such as segregation of women, covering their faces, women driving and conducting physical education classes in girls’ schools,” a spokeswoman for the conference said.
She added that the delegates discussed the pros and cons of these issues and finally felt the need for a consensus after careful deliberations.
A section of the house was of the firm opinion that women should be allowed to drive in the Kingdom.
“Saudi media should project the correct Islamic perspective on women going to work,” Jeddah-based radio talk show host Samar Fatany said in her speech on “The Role of Saudi Women in the Media” during the first session of the conference.
She added that working women should be given the Islamic guidelines indicating the do’s and don’ts so that they can move in society within the framework of the religion.
“We should shift from the rigid school of thought which discourages women going for employment,” she stressed, calling for theologians to create awareness among Muslim women about their social responsibilities.
“Saudi women should preserve their cultural identity and should not compromise their values at any stage,” she said, insisting that they should be encouraged to forge ahead in social, scientific and economic fields.
Fatany asked the Saudi media to bridge the gap between Islam and the West so that there would be a proper understanding of values of women of different faiths.
Others who spoke at the conference included Dr. Fowziya Abu Khaled, professor of sociology at King Saud University, cultural editor Dr. Huda Al-Dgfag, and Dalal Aziz Diya from the electronic media.
