Letters — Respect for foreign laws

The article “Respect for Foreign Laws” by Sabria S. Jawhar (June 21) made a very interesting reading. She has covered the issue in a very balanced and totally impartial manner. All of her statements and comments were very logical and must have made a very good sense for readers from all regions or background. She has rightly pointed out the plight of the minorities who are the rightful citizens of France and have nowhere to go to practice or follow the religion or for that matter the custom they have been following since centuries.
Yes, I am in total agreement that all of us are bound to follow the laws and regulations of every jurisdiction and France or Saudi Arabia is no exception. For a very long time, I wanted to highlight the point which the writer has raised in a very clear manner “Saudi Arabia has its own restrictions on clothing and religion and we don’t pretend to be democracy.” On the other hand, how could France and other countries who scream on the highest possible pitch about giving civil liberties to their citizens and visitors alike can interfere with the purely personal choice of a person about his/her manner of dressing. As individuals of a so-called free country, they have every right to wear the type of clothes they choose or opt for whatever reason and it is really unfair to banish or punish them for an act which has never been considered indecent. It is the minds of one particular section of society that has very recklessly associated the wearing of niqab with oppression against women by the men folk in the name of religion.
One can’t agree more with the writer about the mistake by the three Saudi women in choosing a destination that unfortunately does not allow women to follow the right to dress. (Safi H. Jannaty, Dammam)

Women’s status in India
This has reference to Ozma Siddiqui’s letter on women’s status in India (June 19). Domestic violence, sexual and emotional exploitation, dowry deaths, abandoning of wives, honor killings — are no doubt some of the most horrifying crimes one can witness. As a medical practitioner myself, I have often seen some of the victims and I can state that the rage and anger such incidents generate in people who witness these are enough to drive anyone crazy to retaliate.
But, surprisingly, I have observed that often the victims themselves come out of this with a newfound sense of purpose and self-confidence which they never felt before. Usually, there are calm and firm decisions of getting out from the abusive and oppressive relationships, of resolutions to help others in similar situations, of standing and speaking up and opting for a better and more dignified life.
We have to learn a lot from these women. It is as if these extreme situations have made them realize that yes, we do have a choice, we do have a voice and we do have rights! Wrong cultural practices, faulty upbringing, passive attitude of parents after marrying off the girl, differing psychological make-ups — all lead to situations that are extreme and horrifying.
There is no doubt that these crimes are being fought against at individual levels, but there is a great need for mass awareness, for strict legislation, of stricter laws for punishment for these animals in human clothing. Clearly, the women in India have to play a very proactive role in this. First by doing a lot of self-introspection and, secondly, changing ourselves first, rather than expecting others to change for us.
The superwoman of modern times is doing more than at any other time in world history. But, is she really giving enough priority to the training of her children? As the saying goes: The road to a man’s heart is through his stomach! Give him a warm delicious meal and we all know what wonders it can do to the temper of an irate husband! And if we teach our daughters that “ihsan” is a very important part of being a Muslim and will be richly rewarded by Allah, then dealing with in-laws and relatives becomes less of a stress and more of a pleasure, even when you are not actually cooking for them. Are we really giving these lessons to our sons and daughters? (Tayyaba Qidwai, Muscat, Oman)