With an influx of western journalists coming to produce “documentaries” and “insightful stories about Saudi society came a notion that an awareness dialogue has finally commenced and hopefully on its way to realization. For months we have stressed the need to share information about our culture, our strengths and our weaknesses as to not leave room to be misunderstood. In unprecedented numbers, foreign reporters have been invited and allowed freedom of movement in Saudi Arabia. These guests have had opportunities to speak and interview a vast range of people from teenagers “hanging out” at malls, to imams, to state officials.
Perhaps the greatest numbers of journalists have come from the United States. They claim to have come with the purpose of discovering how Saudis really live and think. On the surface this would appear to be a blessing after the onslaught of one-sided, judgmental and inaccurate information being presented in the past. However, when correspondents come and state that their aim is to offer a fair, well-balanced picture of Saudi Arabia and consequently only focus on the same limited questions over and over it becomes an era of yellow-journalism revisited.
Eager to “set the record straight” about women’s problems in Saudi Arabia and to give a more accurate image of life here, I have agreed to speak out. The idea that all women are abused and oppressed is simply ridiculous. We certainly have many problems and there is much room for change, but these simplified over-exaggerated notions are illogical.
In the last two months, I personally have been interviewed several times and each time the questions are the same, not allowing for discussions in differing areas. “How do you feel about women not being able to drive?” “How do you feel about having to cover your hair and body, especially at work?” I think being questioned about only these issues is a greater abuse towards women than the ones being claimed about us.
If I could give a message to foreign media right now with regard to these two questions it would bluntly be “get over it, these are two concerns yes, but in reality the least two pertinent issues in women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.” Women in Saudi Arabia frequently have informal majlises (meetings) where important concerns are discussed with a focus on real problems and the need for changes in many areas, but these social customs are not at the top of the list of broad subjects discussed. Not being able to drive and covering our hair are NOT human rights violations, so please stop treating them as such.
Foreign journalists are the ones abusing Saudi women by treating them as trivial creatures with limited problems rather than asking a wide-spectrum of questions and drawing light to desperately needed attention in areas of education, career opportunities and freedom of movement in society and the business world.
Driving is an important question when examined in the framework of the greater integration of the women in the economy and workforce. Furthermore, covering our hair does not deter us from working, studying or simply being productive. In respect to these concerns, foreign media has also failed to recognize that some women are content with the status quo while others are fighting to have the right of choice.
Almost every woman I question on the most important issue facing us today responds to me similarly, “work opportunities.” However, before we can examine work opportunities we have to look at the educational system that does not encourage a variety of fields for girls. First, girls have to be given the opportunities to study the subjects that interest them, whether it be engineering or law. They need to be well prepared to go into those fields which would require a re-vamping of the educational curriculum to include methods of creative thinking and logic rather than solely tedious memorizing. Women would have to be able to travel without the permission of a male guardian, as her work may dictate for her to do so. Finally, career and investment opportunities would have to be expanded and the environment facilitated to integrate women. Women are not encouraged to play an active role in the Saudi economy if they face obstacles at every turn. One of the ladies I interviewed firmly stated, “equal pay is basic desire, this is not only in Saudi Arabia but around the world”.
To foreign media truly interested in Women in Saudi Arabia: “We have minds, respect that and we have a voice, permit us to express it – and most of all understand that we wish to choose our path for change, not have someone do it for us.”
