JEDDAH, 6 April 2006 — The recommendations made at the second forum of the Gulf Businesswomen’s Committee will be put in a strategy and work plan, said Princess Mashael bint Faisal ibn Turki ibn Abdul Aziz to Arab News yesterday at the forum held at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Princess Mashael is one of the two Saudi women representing Saudi Arabia on the board of the committee consisting of 12 members, two women from each of the GCC countries.
“We will put the strategy and work plan after getting the statistics, facts and recommendations from the floor today and implement a protocol,” she said.
Princess Mashael said that a survey was distributed yesterday to the women present to find out if the goals put forth by the committee in the previous forum are the goals that they seek and if there were other goals. The forum sought to create a network for the Gulf businesswomen and it was clear over the two days of the forum that some women took the opportunity and discussed business with each other.
At the end of the two-day forum, a list of eleven recommendations were made to further the interests of women and protect their rights:
• Revising the regulations for the Gulf Businesswomen’s Committee to guarantee the nomination of the board members by the businesswomen themselves while maintaining a third of the current committee.
• Asking officials and chambers to implement programs and establish centers that develop businesswomen’s abilities and skills.
• Purging the education curriculum and the media of the negative stereotypes and images of women.
• Reforming the education system to meet the needs of the job market.
• Opening the door for ijtihad (religious effort) for issuing fatwas (edicts) that are appropriate for Muslim women realities in today’s world.
• Activating the laws and regulations supportive of women and seeking to issue laws that overcome bureaucracy and discrimination against women.
• Raising women’s awareness of their rights under Islam and educating society to reject traditions that oppose religion.
• Petitioning officials to remove the obstacles and provide facilitations that enable women economically, making them a partner in development.
• Making women partners in decision-making at all levels and in all sectors.
• Uniting all efforts by institutions and societies for women under one Gulf union.
• Organizing periodical events and exhibitions to increase communication, exchanges and business deals between Gulf businesswomen.
Princess Mashael said that the media tends to exaggerate the plight of women in Saudi Arabia.
“Don’t create obstacles,” she said. “We are all Muslim societies. We have to be positive. We cannot ask everyone for his or her permission. I have a brain and I have the Quran and Sunna as our reference to follow.”
The second day of the forum focused on the legal rights of women in managing family businesses in the Gulf. Speaking on this issue was lawyer Majed Garoub who emphasized that women should know there legal rights and protect these rights despite the social pressures on them not to. According to Garoub, there are three factors today that affect family businesses: The global economy under the World Trade Organization, legal codification of company businesses in order to develop its administrative mechanisms, and the internal problems of family businesses.
“Women are the emotional factor in the family business because they tend to base their decisions on favoritism, which can harm the family business,” he said.
Our courts and government administrations do not facilitate or accommodate women in order for them to take care of their business and cases even though the system on paper allows her the same rights as men to review and administer documents and procedures, according to Garoub.
“Women should not ask for her legal rights but rather ask for activating those rights because she is already granted them under Islam,” said Garoub.
Men also have to be educated about women’s rights and that is why he said that every woman present at the forum should have brought a man with her. Princess Mashael pointed out that the forum was not exclusively for women.
“There were no restrictions on who could have registered to attend. We were worried about some elements that might cause this forum to fail and prevent women from benefiting from it, so we asked that whomever registers be someone who is known to us and is serious,” she said.
The next speaker was Abdullah Al-Alami, president of Alami Consulting, who gave a presentation of many Saudi women achievers, leaders and role models who will be included in a book he is about to publish on the achievements of Saudi women in various fields.
