Women, Then and Now..
June 20th, 2008This is an article that numbers women who ruled in the gulf region not too long ago
It is interesting how society managed to change its perspective on women. Women in Islam have always been out there in the forefront right next to man; she joined him in battles, tutored men and women alike, teaching and reciting Quran and Hadeeth. Women owned their businesses back in the old days, many used to buy and sell side by side with their fellow men. Women married themselves and had the freedom to choose suitable husbands or suitors without tribal and nationality restrictions that we witness today.
Society was able to reduce woman from being a whole person with an independent mind, thoughts, feelings and social roles to an object of pleasure. Because of that she is now hidden away from fear of male predators that eat away at her bare flesh with their lustful gaze! They stripped her bare from what ever humanity she had. A woman in some countries of the gulf is a mere shadow.. She is black..
I was observing people walking up and down the corridor outside the office I was working in (it being in a public place) and all I could see was either black or white. It doesn’t take a genius to know that men wear white robes (thob) and women wrap themselves in black here in Saudi Arabia.
If you take the symbolic meanings of the two colors chosen for men and women in this country; white meaning pure and good while on the other hand black meaning evil which incidentally also absorbs the heat from the scorching hot sun of Saudi Arabia where the temperature reaches 50 degrees centigrade in the summer, that makes one wonder if the choice was purely coincidence.
It actually saddens me to see women trailing along walking behind men literally covered up from head to toe to the extent that many even wear black gloves and thick black stockings to make sure that no lustful eye could sneak a peak at a female toe or a finger which might switch on a sexual signal/desire from the other sex God forbid!
It makes me sick to see a woman having her 15 year old son as a guardian as if she was mentally ill or what is worse is watching a young boy who can hardly see the road ahead from the steering wheel due to his young age yet driving the family car with the backseats stacked with women and children because a woman is perceived as an object not a mind or a decision maker. A child can drive in this country but oh no not a woman!
A woman has become so much of a sex object that if a home was broken into and the male guardian wasn’t around; police officers would not enter that home nor speak to women residents in fear of being alone with the opposite sex! God forbid an officer might get seduced in the presence of women but it is alright to leave them in harm’s way!
The mindset is the same even in a mixed environment workplace. If a woman is bold enough to work among men then she must be easy. If a woman uncovers her face or hair then she must be asking for trouble and deserves whatever harassment she gets!
I wrote once before about the ambulance refusing to take women in need of emergency medical services without their male guardians! Caution to all women out there, you are not allowed to have an accident or a stroke or..or..or.. Without your male guardian! He has to be around in case you decide to seduce your rescuer while fighting for your own life!
It is also common here to wish a widowed man who just lost his wife to renew his bed partner! Showing no respect what so ever for the deceased wife, on the other hand if a woman is widowed; society would not easily accept her remarrying! How could she renew her bed partner and shamefully disrespect her deceased husband years after his death?!
It also saddens me to see that society was able to reduce man to a semi animal with no self control what so ever although he was able in the past to treat a woman as a peer, a partner, a teacher and a fellow human.
I don’t believe Islam intended for a woman to become such a dependent second class shadow! She definitely played many important roles in society in the past and earned respect from both genders yet now she is not even acknowledged as a whole entity rather she is handed down from man to man like a piece of furniture!
We must acknowledge the existence of both men and women’s sexualities, it is part of the human structure but it’s not all there is.. It is easy to say that we can change societies, educate and provide awareness programs for both genders but the initial step would be to acknowledge this problem and I still don’t think society realizes that a problem actually exists!
This is a photo of a Saudi woman from Hail in Saudi Arabia called Fatema who ruled Hail from 1911-1914 (the good all days when Saudi *Muslim* women were perceived somehow as equals to men!)
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fantastic piece!!! beautifully written!
Dear RASHA
AS A MAN I FEEL ASHAMED THAT WE STILL IN ARBIC WORLD TREAT THE HEART AND SOUL OF SOCIETY IN SUCH UNJUSTICE WAYS,MY FATHER DIED WHEN I WAS 2 YEARS OLD AND I GROW TO FIND ONLY MY MOTHER,SHE WORKED AND DID HER BEST TILL SHE BUILD A FAMILY THAT ALL IT MEMBERS WERE PROUD AND RESPECTED PEOPLE,SHE FACED CHALENGES I DOUBT I WILL BE ABEL TO FACE OR TO FIND SOLUTION TO IT
AND THEIR IS MILLIONS OF WOMEN ARE LIKE HER ,WE SHOULD TREAT THEM WITH JUSTAICE ,GIVE THEM THE FREEDOM THEY DESERIVE NOT TAKE THEIR RIGHTS AND CHAIN THEIR CAPACITIES
WOMEN RIGHTS IN ARBIC WORLD NOT ONLY JUSTICE TO FEMALS BUT TO MEN TOO,AS WHEN WE GIVE WOMEN FREEDOM TO DO HER ROLE IN COMMUNITY WE ARE BUILDING A NORMAL ,JUSTICE PLACE TO LIVE AND TO BE TREATED AS HUMANS FOR ALL
god, da arab world, especially saudi stinks like hell—even south america is much better—even though they dont have oil and r poor third world countries, but they have a lot of talent and females work side by side with their male counterparts—Women work side by side with their male counterparts in almost every field and r looked with respect by their male co-workers and have da full support of their husbands, brothers and fathers. U cant equate a working woman to that of a bimbo or sharmooty as it is done in da arab/muslim world. Actually in da case of saudi (where i visited multiple times and still have many friends and relatives working), oil has proven to b a curse in disguise. Religion is being used rather abused by the ruling male elite class to control women since they r insecure what a woman can achieve if given fair opportunities—its just that old stinking tribal mentality. In Peru, i saw firsthand females in da police force on high speed chases catching criminals and law breakers—Many of the men apprehended would b arrested by female police officers!!!—can u imagine this happening in da arab/muslim world??? even here in america, i have many female friends particularly from south america and they invited me to have dinner with their families—-they would even introduce me to their brothers and none would take offense, ex, how i knew their sister etc—-can u honestly imagine this taking place anywhere in da arab/muslim world??? if this was in da arab/muslim world,i or my female friends would had been killed as a matter of honor. Its all about mentality and unfortunately ppl have a pervert and narrow mentality in da arab/muslim world particularly in saudi and iran. Viva brasil,pureto rico, and peru!!!!
To think that most of Arabia are descendants of great men and women who are marked forever in our Islamic and Cultural history, for their virtues, wisdom, breakthroughs, intellect, influence and good deeds, it’s a shame for what we have become.. An utter shame..
I’d love it if you post this again in ABS, Rasha
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Amazingly written, and hopefully will be read by those in need of such a reality slap..
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Yours,
Lou..
Equality in fact were not in existence since years old only in certain regions of the Arabian Peninsula, a Hail, Hejaz, Qatif, alhasa, Najran and Asir .. The area is the center of Riyadh and Qassim did not know of any right Of women. Now, when we become victorious perceptions towards women is common.
This change did not happen against women only by force in Qatif and Alhasa in 1914 and in Najran, Asir in the 1919 Hail in 1921 and hijaz in 1926.
Al Saud And wahhabi Such as viruses they reproduce and spread our intellectual illnesses ..
We hope and salvation of them shortly.