What happened two days ago in the third National Forum for Dialogue that discussed women’s rights in Madinah was sad.
To begin with, in my opinion the entire thing got off on the wrong foot. Men and women were separated in different halls because some in our country still believe it is sinful for men and women to gather together respectfully. The two groups of participants were segregated, with men only able to hear the female participants’ contribution through loudspeakers and women watching the men on large television screens.
What happened afterward was ridiculous. Finger pointing was rife, and accusations between the members flew hither and thither. Some of the research papers flatly contradicted others. For example, one of the female speakers said how important it was to preserve our customs and traditions concerning women because that was what gave us our distinctive identity. On the other hand, another woman spoke about how some of these customs and traditions hinder women’s progress and have nothing to do with Islam. In the end, instead of the men and women who gathered to discuss the problems that dog half of our society — the female half — an apparent battle broke out between the conservatives and the liberals.
One conservative participant caused an uproar in the women’s section when he said in some cases women in the Kingdom were given more rights than they deserve and accused some of the female academics who studied abroad of being corrupt, saying that they wore their abayas loose on their shoulders and did not properly veil, besides being brainwashed by the West.
I find it absurd that some of these conservatives, or ultraconservatives, were even invited to participate to a forum discussing women’s rights when they think that women wearing abayas on their shoulders are corrupt or sinful. I really do not think that such people have much to contribute to improving the status of women in our country. But I do know that many ultraconservatives like him are poisoning the minds of boys and girls in our schools and in our universities with their shallow thinking. In fact, these are the people who are responsible for finalizing our textbooks in the Ministry of Education.
However, putting that aside, what happened between the walls of those halls yet again illustrated our incapability to solve our own differences and problems. Once again we go back to blaming others, and throwing accusations.
When we are not denying we are blaming. And when we are not blaming we are accusing others of wrongdoing. And when we’re not doing that, we plunge our heads in the sand and or are silent about the problems, hoping that the Almighty will work a miracle and make our problems disappear.
Many Saudis I spoke to were not so optimistic about the forum even before it started. They said after all the media blitz it would end up like the two before it. Like many of the other things we talked about in the past, the recommendations it made would be added to the long list of demands that are on the waiting list: Political, economical and social reforms, Saudizing taxi services, changes of our school textbooks, the creation of civil institutions, the acceptance of others and putting an end to the hegemony of one viewpoint, removing red tape, and so forth.
The minister of Islamic affairs said last year that religious speech in the Kingdom must change. But his ministry has not done much to stop imams preaching hatred in our mosques.
Nothing but talk.
No wonder the world isn’t taking us seriously. We are not taking ourselves seriously.
