The human rights report released by the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) toward the end of May is indicative of the government’s new political direction under Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, according to a recent Al-Majalla magazine interview with Dr. Bandar ibn Mohammad Al-Hajjar, president of the NSHR.
The 67-page NSHR report, which cited violations of the rights of women, prisoners and workers as well as injustices in law courts, discrimination against non-Saudis, can be viewed as major stepping stone in the progression of human rights and freedom of expression in the Kingdom.
Al-Majalla, a sister publication of Arab News, spoke with Al-Hajjar about the NSHR and the work it carries out in the Kingdom.
On the release of the report, the first by a human rights body in Saudi Arabia, Al-Hajjar said that the NSHR plans to enhance and implement a culture of human rights in Saudi Arabia, adding that the organization is less than three years old and has managed to publish its first report opening the door to partnerships with other social establishments. Here are the excerpts:
Q: Civic society organizations are viewed as alternative institutions. Does this clash with other “official” bodies?
A: We are partners and contributors to governmental and nongovernmental bodies and individuals in building a just and equal society where Islamic Shariah law prevails. So we don’t really suffer from this problem. Clashes between civic society organizations and official bodies happen if and when they are in conflict of goals that each side wants to achieve at any cost.
But as a human rights body working in Saudi Arabia, our vision is different. This is the same vision that King Abdullah expressed in his speech during the Shoura Council meeting a month ago and during many visits to different regions of the Kingdom. Being aware of Saudi society’s nature and privacy, NSHR chooses such methods and tools and a type of language that helps it achieve its goals to improve the status of human rights in the Kingdom.
Q: What were the contents of the report released by the NSHR?
A: At first, I would like to note that the Saudi society welcomed the report and appraised the society’s transparency and openness in discussing and handling different issues objectively. The majority of local newspapers published summaries of the report with outstanding first-page headlines. The report cited violations of the rights of women, prisoners and workers as well as injustices in law courts, discrimination against non-Saudis and forced confessions from those detained by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The report also noted that domestic violence had reached an alarming level. It also tackled the issues of education, health, work ethics and living in a healthy environment.
Q: You encourage people to get their rights. Do you face difficulties doing this?
A: There are no difficulties. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques gave the report his blessings. We are working on making people aware of their rights and the legal procedures to obtain them.
The NSHR is also currently working on printing brochures written in a simplified language that include children’s rights, women’s rights, prisoners’ rights, students’ rights, teachers’ rights, disabled people’s rights etc. On the other hand, we try to make people aware of their duties. Just like one has rights, he has duties to fulfill and keeping this equation in balance is a very difficult task.
Q: Do you intend to confront traditional and crippling social concepts that hinder the advancement of society toward better and broader horizons?
A: At the NSHR, we can’t eliminate misconceptions. It’s not part of our duty. Our duty is associated with the development and the changing process that Saudi society is undergoing... We plan to collaborate with governmental and nongovernmental bodies. In my personal opinion, mosques have a very huge role to play in eliminating these misconceptions by clarifying that they conflict with Shariah law. These misapprehensions have grown as a result of people confusing worn-out traditions and customs with Shariah.
Q: The report referred to the Shoura Council’s initiative to legislate some human rights rules and regulations. Could you give us an example?
A: All the rules are related to human rights. It’s known that the Shoura Council is doing a great job in making sure that each new law is passed only after discussion and negotiation so that there are no contradictions with international agreements that the Kingdom has joined. The NSHR has conducted an intensive comprehensive study entitled “The Compatibility of Saudi Regulations with Basic Human Rights Agreements Signed by the Kingdom.” The study included a review of legal articles regarding rules of retirement, social security, work, recruitment rules, passport regulations and others laws.
If we take for example retirement rules, we find that there is discrimination against Saudi women, although the Kingdom is party to the agreement of eradicating all sorts of discrimination against women. Another example is that of a Saudi woman married to a non-Saudi. If she dies, her husband or children have no right to take her retirement salary. Whereas a non-Saudi woman married to a Saudi receives, along with her children, the man’s retirement salary after his death.
Q: The NSHR sent the study to Shoura Council members and ministers to take the required procedures to revise and adjust the regulations and correct them. The report included various cases and issues in addition to simple legal observations, yet it didn’t propose any solutions, which is more important. Isn’t it inadequate to exclude solutions from the report?
A: We mentioned in the report that these cases will be released in next year’s report. During this period of time we will be studying different strategies to eradicate poverty — a study we hope will soon be released. In addition, we will study some relative regulations and compare them with what’s actually happening in real life to measure the gap between what’s happening and what must happen. This all requires an increase in field visits and meetings with citizens and residents from different backgrounds and nationalities.
Q: What about women rights in your report?
A: Many people believe that we dedicated a great deal of the report to women’s issues. The NSHR aims to grant women their rights as acknowledged in Islamic Shariah and also eliminate the idea of treating women inferiorly. The NSHR also aims to increase an ethos of respecting women as humans at governmental departments and courts. Women shouldn’t be deprived of their rights in choosing their spouse and they must have full control over their finances in addition to other rights as well. We noted in the report, and in another study, that there are practices against women that are not related to Islam in any way. They are the results of traditional customs, which contradict our religion... I would like to emphasize our role in this area particularly because active women make up a fourth of the organization.
