Interior Minister Prince Naif said during an open discussion with the Saudi Association for Media and Communication that “segregation of men and women is not correct. Society consists of both men and women. Women have their capabilities and they have a role to play which was given to them by the Creator. ... Women are our mothers, our sisters, and our wives. I hope that segregation will be reduced.”
Prince Naif did not mean the kind of gender mixing that might have occurred to some people. It’s impossible to deal negatively with an idea while we can see clearly that it hinders the process of social development and civilization.
It’s true that being conservative and neglecting women have always existed in our society. Yet this conservatism doesn’t represent a political phenomenon or a blackmailing policy the way it has now become. And when we surrender to extremism and fundamentalism we’re not only hindering progress but we’re also moving backward and losing all that we managed somehow to accomplish.
Extreme segregation between men and women is a case that has to be solved once and for all. We all see that extremists who call for this segregation are making matters worse. Let’s take, for instance, their recent insistence on segregation during the book fair in order to prevent gender-mixing problems. The event is just like any other gathering in shopping centers or restaurants so why stress so strongly the need to separate men and women?
We have to admit that this issue has cost us a lot at all levels and also obstructed our social progress. And if we want to leave it to extremists, then we’re going to bear more damage.
The other important issue is that we need to accurately identify the fields where segregation must be considered and others that should allow gender mixing. We shouldn’t let this issue be handled by anyone and everyone. Otherwise, we’ll wake up one day to find that segregation is a must in shopping centers, hospitals, on airplanes and even on the streets.
This doesn’t mean that we should allow men and women to mix as they please. Nonetheless, we have to be rational when it comes to this issue and put the interests of the country first, along with the economic benefits.
