JEDDAH, 14 May 2005 — It’s an identity crisis. For women studying at King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU), forgetting a student ID card can mean a missed class or the start of a daylong bureaucratic process. The irony is the university does not even require male students to show them.
Women KAAU students must produce the cards to security officials when asked to prove they are supposed to be at the university. Women who forget their ID cards must sign a form promising that they will not forget their IDs again. The problem is getting it stamped.
“Two weeks ago, I forgot to bring my ID card because I changed the bag I was using the day before, and the ID was in it,” said Sumar Ahmed, a business administration student. “The guard told me that I should sign a form promising that I wouldn’t forget my ID and that paper should be stamped by someone responsible in the Student Affairs Department.”
The question becomes who’s responsible? “I went to the Student Affairs, and they told me I was in the wrong place. I had to go to the Registration and Acceptance Department — far from where I was already.”
Off to the other side of campus.
“I walked in the heat, and every time I asked someone they said the stamp wasn’t there — go to the next room,” said Ahmed. “I entered seven offices before one of the employees understood how exhausted I had become and stamped the paper with her ‘infamous’ stamp.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t yet over for the young woman when a security guard told her she had gotten the wrong stamp. She told the guard that was the stamp she was given and that she wasn’t about to repeat the process.
Exams are stressful for men and women students — more stressful for women who are prevented from entering their classes.
“I arrived at 9:50 a.m., and my final exam started at 10 a.m. That day, I left my ID at home,” said Sarah Abdul Raheem, a third-year student in KAAU. “I tried to reason with the guard about not having my ID. The guard rudely replied that I looked suspicious and that I didn’t have my card, meaning that I was out with a guy and I came back to the university.”
It didn’t do wonders for her test scores. “There was no real connection between her idea and my situation,” Sarah said. “I was so shocked by what I had heard that I didn’t know what to say. After the incident ended, I entered the exam hall feeling depressed because of the guard’s behavior and couldn’t concentrate on my exam.”
Some women say they’re getting unfair treatment. “If I’m not a student at the university,” said Mona Ibrahim, “why would I enter it in the first place? I wouldn’t go there to have fun, for example. Usually students try to sneak out from university — not in. I also don’t understand why the same rules don’t apply to male students. They are not even asked to show ID cards. Are we more dangerous?”
Of course, some students practice pragmatism. “When I was studying in KAAU, I forgot to bring my ID roughly five times. I was able to avoid the lengthy paperwork. By hiding in the crowd I could enter without any trouble,” said Lama Dawood, a 2004 graduate.
Some students say the ID rule has its place — right next to politeness.
“The ID card was made for our security to prevent any intruders who might enter the university,” said Jameela Ahmed.
“Danger is unpredictable — especially with recent events, which demonstrate that danger can come from anywhere. Students should think harder about the concept of showing the ID card when entering; however, the behavior of the guards is unjustifiable.”
