Saudi women have been delighted to finally possess their own civic ID cards. This is considered to be a move toward acknowledging the equal rights of Saudi women and considering them as real citizens of the country.
Civic ID cards are normally used in institutions such as courts, universities and government offices. Unfortunately, the use of the women’s ID card is limited to banks and some charitable organizations. Other governmental bodies are still wary of the ID cards and will not recognize them as official identification for women.
When women want to issue a power of attorney, their IDs are rejected and they are asked to bring their family ID cards. The question arises as to which is safer for a woman to use, her personal IDs, or the family card? We all know that family cards are not competent sources of proof because they do not contain pictures or fingerprints.
When women apply for jobs, personal ID cards are rejected and only family ones are accepted. The question arises as to why they were issued in the first place. What is even worse is that some internal bodies don’t accept women’s personal ID cards. For instance, police officers demand a copy of family cards and refuse to look at the personal IDs.
The card is definitely neither recognized nor accepted in hotels or when buying and selling. Is a paper from a legal guardian, even if he is less than 18 years old, more important than a woman’s civic card? Even when a woman wants to reserve a room in a hotel, having a boy with her is better than having her ID card. The Ministry of Interior issues these almost useless cards according to strict legal procedures that have no room for flexibility.
The Ministry of Interior — considering that it’s the foremost agency responsible for a citizen’s security internally — is obliged to recognize women’s ID cards everywhere, including in law courts. This is especially essential since there are many cases where men have taken advantage of the situation and, with the help of other females, issued authorization documents on behalf of their wives without their knowledge. How could the judge identify who is the woman behind the veil pretending to be the wife? Men resort to such acts to serve their wily purposes of stealing and robbing their wives who own properties or have financial assets.
I think that restricting any official procedure to a women’s personal ID card would solve many problems and correct many mistakes where women end up becoming the victims. The ID has to be recognized inside the Kingdom while traveling from one city to another and when a woman wants to reside in a hotel for any reason. Women should be able to stay in hotels without having to bring a paper from the police or her legal guardian.
Worrying about women is necessary — and so is worrying about men — but without denying their existence and losing their trust. When people fail to protect themselves, neither others nor documented papers protect them. When a 50-year-old woman can’t stay in a hotel in Makkah or Madinah, what purpose does that serve? What value does that add to our society?
