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Post by Jaga on Nov 20, 2007 15:45:26 GMT -7
I remember a couple of weeks ago vice-president Cheney was talking about Iran, in preparation to strike this country, since he is one of the main forces that wants America to be involved in one more war.
He was telling how bad is a fate of women in Iran. I was astonished. In Iran women have more rights than in many other countries of Islam world like Saudi Arabia where Wahabi system is still at work!
In Saudi Arabia women are even not allowed to drive a car!
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Post by Jaga on Nov 20, 2007 15:53:14 GMT -7
Saudi: Why we punished rape victim (CNN) -- The Saudi Justice Ministry Tuesday issued a "clarification" of a court's handling of a rape case and the increased punishment -- including 200 lashes --meted out to the victim. The case, which has sparked media scrutiny of the Saudi legal system, centers on a married woman. The 19-year-old, and an unrelated man, were abducted, and she raped, by a group of seven men more than a year ago, according to Abdulrahman al-Lahim, the attorney who represented her in court. The woman was originally sentenced in October 2006 to 90 lashes. But that sentence was more than doubled to 200 lashes and six months in prison by the Qatif General Court, because, a court source told Middle Eastern daily newspaper Arab News, she spoke to the media about the case. Al-Lahim told CNN his law license was revoked last week by a judge because he spoke to the Saudi-controlled media about the case. ... why America state department does not say anything? It is because Saudis are good friends.... can you imagine if this happened in Iran? edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/11/20/saudi.rape.victim/ |
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Post by Jaga on Nov 20, 2007 15:55:19 GMT -7
FoxNews (yes, it was really Fox News) was talking a couple of weeks ago about a talk show in Saudi Arabia where men were adviced when and how to beat their wives so that the beating would not leave the visible marks on the parts of the body which can be visible to the public.
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Post by pieter on Nov 23, 2007 4:37:38 GMT -7
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia
The debate on women’s rights continued with a strong focus on domestic violence and the right to political participation. Domestic violence attracted national and international attention when in April Rania al-Baz, who had been beaten by her husband, made her ordeal public to raise awareness about violence suffered by women in the home in Saudi Arabia. A television presenter and mother of two, Rania al-Baz was attacked by her husband on 4 April at their home in Jeddah, apparently for having answered the telephone. She suffered 13 fractures to her face. Her husband then put her in his van and reportedly dumped her unconscious at a hospital in Jeddah, claiming that she was a victim of a traffic accident. He went into hiding before surrendering to the police on 19 April. He was reportedly charged with attempted murder but this was later reduced to severe assault for which he was convicted in May. He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and 300 lashes. Rania al-Baz had the option of a civil action to seek retribution (qisas) in the form of compensation or corporal punishment commensurate with the harm she sustained, but apparently chose to pardon her husband in exchange for divorce and custody of her two sons. The husband served over half of his prison sentence. It was not known if he received the lashes.
When Rania al-Baz’ disfigured face hit newspaper front pages it forced into the open the many severe forms of discrimination that facilitate and perpetuate violence against women in Saudi Arabia, and the issue of impunity. The case was the first of its kind in the country to proceed under the public eye in a criminal court and result in conviction and punishment. Rania al-Baz revealed that her husband had a history of violence against her but that she could not leave him for fear of losing custody of her children. When she had tried to leave him he prevented her from seeing her children for two months. Divorce in Saudi Arabia is primarily the man’s prerogative. Women’s rights in this regard are so limited that they are almost impossible to exercise. To gain a divorce, women, unlike men, must prove harm or fault by the spouse, be able to pay compensation, face the risk of losing custody of children, and be able to convince an all-male judiciary. The problems are compounded by severe restrictions on women’s movement, total dependency on male relatives and social stigma attached to divorce. Women activists, writers, journalists and lawyers called for legal and judicial changes to end such discrimination and combat the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators of violence against women. It was reported in November that the Ministry of Social Affairs had proposed measures to combat domestic violence, which were awaiting approval by the Council of Ministers.
The government announced in October that women were excluded from participating in the municipal elections in 2005, even though the election regulations introduced in August did not explicitly rule out women’s participation. This decision contradicted steps taken by the government to increase work opportunities for women and reduce the spheres of discrimination against women.
Source: Amnesty International website
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Post by pieter on Dec 1, 2007 17:52:58 GMT -7
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Post by Jaga on Dec 1, 2007 19:09:22 GMT -7
Pieter,
thanks for posting! I am just looking at it (~20 minutes). This is a very interesting film.
I watched it all. My computer froze in the middle and I had to reload it again but the movie was very interesting showing some changing parts of the society in Saudi Arabia. Women in SA cannot drive the cars but there is a first woman airplane pilot thanks to this rich prince who wants to change it all!
I will tell my friends about this film because it is worth to watch.
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Post by bescheid on Dec 1, 2007 19:54:30 GMT -7
Pieter I like Dutch news reporting, but I am unable to receive u-tube for reason of dial up limitations. I do realize the limitations of placing into print and do not ask that you do so. But, just a very short description of the film presentation as presented. An out-line of the story as we presented in the University in format form. Or if you rather, just a note of the contents as so I may grasp an idea. Charles |
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Post by pieter on Dec 1, 2007 21:40:47 GMT -7
Charles,
The movie about Saudi women is made by a Dutch documentry maker, a woman who has to totally adebt herself to the Saoudi customs, so she goes around dressed like a Saoudi women, with only her eyes unlocked. She follows an exellent English speaking Saoudi female journalist of the Saoudi Gazette, a magazine or newspaper for Saoudi woman. The lady in question follows the Saoudi religious laws very strictly, and the Dutch lady follows her in her house, in her car, in her visits to Saoudi ladies who work in female work departments of new factories. You see how far the restrictions on women in Saoudi Arabia go, and the dominant place the Wahhabist version of Sunni Islam plays in the Saoudi life. On television youn see the indoctrination of the son of the woman, by an Islamic cartoon on tv. You see the fact that it is very acceptional what this Saoudi lady from Upper Middle class background does. She works as a journalist outside her house, while most Saoudi women stay inside their houses or only visit place were other women are, totally segregated from strange men. Latr in the documentry the Dutch journalist goes to the highest skyskraper of Riyad, where a relativly liberal Saoudi Sheikh,
a prince, who is the fifth or fourth richest man in the world, women without covered hair work like Western women. The documentry continues in a IVF clinic, where a Female gynaecologist works in a mixed environment.
The Dutch journalist askes critical questions about the Saoudi society and the Islam. The returning question is; Does islam resticts womens rights?
For me the focus of the documentry is the very slowly changes in Saoudi Arabia, which is changing form a ultra-conservative, nearly reactionairy Puritinical, intolerant, Funde-mentalist and Xenophobic society to a little bit more liberal conservative Sunni Islamic country, with it's Monarchy and Wahhabi version of Islam.
Pieter
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Post by Jaga on Dec 1, 2007 21:50:57 GMT -7
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Post by Jaga on Dec 1, 2007 22:12:43 GMT -7
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Post by Jaga on Dec 1, 2007 22:31:33 GMT -7
It is so amazing and counter-intiutive to realize that the richest countries in the world are located in the least hospitable places - on the deserts.
Riyadh has less trees than Idaho Falls. It is in the middle of the desert, there is no river, as far as I know which goes there. It was a small city not a long time ago. In 1935 it had only 30 thousands people, in 1950 - 150 th. Now it had over 2 mln. What a change!
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Post by pieter on Dec 2, 2007 6:00:10 GMT -7
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