The United Nations Development Program recently came under some attack for organizing a three-day forum entitled “Women and Millennium Development Goals” in Riyadh. Princess Adila bint Abdullah opened the forum which included 150 Saudi women from such professions as educationists, social workers, medical experts, economists and media representatives. The meeting was an excellent opportunity for women to discuss their concerns and to highlight their future roles in building our nation. There were those, however, who were very negative with criticisms leveled against participants for representing only the privileged liberal group as opposed to the normal moderate professional women.
This is a very narrow-minded approach to a meeting that should be of benefit to all women everywhere in the Kingdom. The organizers were also targeted for allegedly attempting to erode our Islamic values and corrupting women by advocating the goals set out in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The fact that Saudi Arabia was among the 100 countries that signed this international document in September 2000 made no difference to those who orchestrated the campaign against the conference.
According to newspaper reports and some Internet sites, the reason behind the resentment was the publication of four articles in particular which appeared in the official CEDAW document and which are counter to our religious beliefs. At the same time, it is well-known that Saudi Arabia as well as other Muslim countries announced their reservations earlier and made it clear that they would not make changes in line with the four articles. In addition, Dr. Suhaila Zain Al-Abideen, a member of the National Society for Human Rights, who attended the forum, also reiterated Saudi Arabia’s reservations at the beginning of the UNDP forum. She also called upon the UN to advocate the protection of human rights of Palestinian women and Iraqi children. Her presence and her actions were a civilized way of making a statement which was much appreciated by all the participants. She did not omit to thank the organizers for their initiative and she participated in the workshops aimed at giving women the opportunity to voice their concerns and come up with recommendations to help them succeed as citizens contributing to the nation’s development.
It is so unfortunate that the critics have failed to see the UNDP initiative in the proper perspective. This was a highly professional meeting at which the empowerment of Saudi women was addressed. It was also an attempt to formulate recommendations for policy-makers in order to support the role of women and remove the obstacles that stand in their way.
Hanan Al-Ahmadi, an associate professor at the Institute of Public Administration, gave a presentation concerning women and leadership. She described the negative effects on society when men make decisions on behalf of women who are some 50 percent of the population. She called for more power to be granted to women in order to give them the right to decide on matters that concern them. The problem, she said, was that women did not have the means to make their voices heard, especially when they are included in the decision-making process.
One of the most alarming discussions during the meeting dealt with 1,500 cases of domestic violence that have been reported by the National Society for Human Rights. The discussions were very transparent and offered solutions to many of the problems which women face today. The discussions exposed inadequate courts and incompetent judges who stand in the way of protecting women against abuse and discrimination.
Jowhara Al-Angary, another member of the National Society for Human Rights, who moderated a session on violence against women, told the audience that there were many cases of abuse that cry out for an immediate change in the laws governing the rights of women. She stressed the need for a codified judicial system, in order to protect women from being abused.
It is rather ironic that the so-called guardians of morality see no reason to be alarmed and fail to use aggressive language in the media or on the Internet when they hear of cases of fathers who sexually abuse their daughters and are then given light sentences, or when molested daughters are forced to go back to live in the very environment which led to the abuse in the first place.
It would have been more appropriate for those who oppose initiatives of prominent professional women in our society to direct their attacks against those who abuse women and deprive them of their basic human rights whether by turning a blind eye to injustices or by actually committing criminal abuse against helpless women. The opponents overlook such blatant violations, yet they become very vocal in targeting UNDP initiatives to address the abuse against all women.
The media are responsible for raising the level of awareness among our citizens. The public should recognize that any initiative made for the welfare of our society deserves to be welcomed, regardless of who is included and who is not. What we all should aspire to is the protection of the rights of all citizens in this country, both male and female. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has given directives for the removal of all obstacles standing in the way of women and he has said that discrimination against women will no longer be tolerated.
The Saudi media have an important role to play in changing the hostile mentality toward women and shaping a positive public opinion toward new initiatives for progress and development. There are concerted efforts by responsible Saudis, and governmental and non-governmental institutions and organizations, to alter the stereotypes of Saudi women and Saudi society abroad. Unfortunately those who do not want to correct mistaken images work against our gaining self-respect among other nations by opposing any improvements and resisting any changes for the better. They want to keep the Kingdom isolated from the rest of the civilized world and, at the same time, they are ignorant of the art of dialogue and communication. This is evident when we see the verbal attacks in the media and the Internet against any foreign initiative that they deem “un-Islamic.” There is no denying that there are many concerns and issues related to our national security and unjust policies imposed on Arab and Muslim states, but we need to learn to deal with them in a professional manner if we want to be taken seriously and have an influence on solutions.
Reformers will not succeed and our country will not develop without changing the extremist mentality and negative attitudes toward the other. The media should be utilized as an educational tool which can provide guidance and direction to our confused youth who too often receive mixed signals about what is “haraam” (wrong) or what is “halal” (right).
Journalists, columnists and educators have a responsibility to raise the level of awareness among citizens who have been brainwashed for so long and pushed into adopting a rigid and inflexible attitude; part of the problem is that exaggerated suspicions and condemnation are exhibited toward anything that is foreign — since, if it is foreign, it must be wrong. Citizens must also learn to acknowledge the diversity of different nations and other cultures so that we can receive our share of respect as well. It is essential for the media to educate the public on how to engage with the international community, politically, economically, and culturally. Disrespect for international conventions and disregard for world public opinion will surely have a negative impact on our global standing, and hinder the government’s efforts to play a more prominent role around the globe.
— Samar Fatany is a radio journalist based in Jeddah.
