Remember watching the movie Veer Zaara in which this young woman overcomes all difficulties of discrimination, suppression and prejudice to get to the court room to fight her first case as an advocate? Well, it no longer remains a tale, but has now become headlines. A recent legislation in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia allows their women citizens to appear in court on domestic cases and to argue cases in court. It would also permit women some marginal independence as they can fulfil some elementary legislative procedures on the grounds of their ID card alone and not a male family member’s ID. The KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) doesn’t allow its women half as much freedom that we quite take for granted. Imagine what it would be like if we were told we couldn't travel without a father, husband or son for company. Or for that matter, even live alone in a hotel. Or that the only job we could undertake was one that allowed no contact with other people, especially men we’re not related to. Imagine being told that we couldn't drive or enter a restaurant just because we were women. Imagine requiring male guardianship even for your education, let alone employment. Imagine not allowed any interaction with the opposite sex because it was considered taboo, evil and a great unpardonable sin.
I've heard so much about the treatment of women citizens in KSA that I can't thank my stars enough for my birth in a family that never imposed any restrictions on me, a country that has usually never deprived me of any fundamental rights or any means to a living and in an era that has granted me and thousands of other women like me the liberty and the independence that we so cherish.
The content stated here is the outcome of a highly evolved, hyperactive and underutilised brain. The apparatus is also known to have had occasional ephemeral surges of being overly judgemental and opinionated.
4 expert opinion(s):
I agree ISLAM in its current form is very regressive to women but if u see some hindus who lack education do treat women badly and want to keep them in locked in Kitchens. The only way forward is education and understanding that a woman is as human as a Man !
Nice post. Couldnt agree more with you.
One should understand the fact that countries,culture and religions evolve over and time and the change generally doesnt reflect in the generation it was started in. KSA is one of the few countries in the world where ISLAM in its strictist form is followed. The same isnt true for UAE/IRAN/Lebanon. These countries have evolved over time and the process for the change has started in KSA also with small reforms coming in but then will it happen in our lifetime..probably not but will it make the future of the next generation better than what it is right now probably yes in the next 50 odd years..change is the only thing thts constant..and sometime for it to become noticable it does take more than a decade..maybe a few centuries also :)
@Gans: You're right, education is certainly a solution and inevitably a need of the hour, together with some some empathy :-)
@Mav: I can't tell you how delighted I am to see your comment and know your views! You've made my day :-)
Your observations that societies evolve and that the cultures of some other countries in the mid-east are very accurate. I think that the flow of people in and out of the country greatly influences its evolution. And because societies comprise of people and cultures are made by people, its imperative that the buzz is created among the masses. I think that an increased level of awareness will make more people talk about it... this will only help in making the evolution process faster. Hopefully our children will live in far better world than we've had. Amen.
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