Oppression of Women in Saudi Arabia

Westerners often hear of how oppressed women are in Saudi Arabia. As a result, one might expect these women to be vocal about their challenges living in such a country. However, contrary to the assumption that they are unhappy, they are quick to defend their country, saying that their often overbearing abayas are parts of their tradition. These women say that they still enjoy freedoms and that “[i]t is Western women… who have been manipulated into becoming the toys of men” (Kristof 272). Even so, they still receive unequal treatment from men. Saudi women journalists must stay in their own rooms when they work while men do not. Because of these types of segregated and deleterious practices, Nicholas Kristof argues in his essay “Saudis in Bikinis” that the West is not being paternalistic in trying to advocate for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia; they are trying to free women who have never tasted true liberty. It is

Saudi Arabia is commonly known for its strict moral values and customs regarding religion and women. Gender discrimination is a global conflict but it is prevalently seen in Saudi Arabia. Gender discrimination is so poignant in Saudi Arabia because there are strict sets of moral guidelines and ideologies that Saudi Arabian culture implements on its people. Although Saudi Arabian men impose restrictions on women for the sake of upholding their cultural beliefs and family’s honor, there is no doubt that Saudi Arabian culture is male dominated and holds misogynistic views on women, but progress is being made.

In the United States in 2016, women were paid 80 percent of what men were paid (Kevin Miller, The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap). Women are still treated as second hand to men to this day, but we have come a far way since the sixteenth century European women. Women can go to school, work, and have lives in the United States. In other countries and cultures, however, women still have a long fight ahead of them. In Saudi Arabia, women were just recently granted the ability to drive (Nicole Gaouette and Elise Labott, CNN). This is a huge stepping stone for women in Saudi Arabia and many more countries. The guardianship rule in Saudi Arabia is still ongoing, stating that women cannot make any decision without a man or young boy telling her yes or no. Women have no freedom for making their own choices, but their chains will soon be loosened through newly imprinted laws. Just like in the home, European women and Native American women vary greatly in societal structure and cultures.

Accustomed to stereotypical depictions, Westerners are told that Middle Eastern women are passive, weak, and always veiled. It is often assumed that the severe conditions in Saudi Arabia—where women are not even allowed to drive cars—represent the norm for women throughout the Middle East and in the larger Muslim world. In reality, Saudi Arabia’s versions of both Islam and sexism are rather unique in their severities, although the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan is now emulating the sexist Saudi model. Women enjoy political and social rights in many Muslim countries, and Egypt has recently granted women the right to divorce their husbands. In Tunisia, abortion is legal, and polygamy is prohibited. Women have served as ministers in the Syrian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Iraqi, and Tunisian governments, and as Vice President in Iran.

Sultana is an actual princess living the “rich” more successful life than others in Saudi Arabia. She grew up in a luxury mansion since her dad came from a royal family closely related to a King. She literally has four mansions on three continents, has her very own private jet, different types of jewels and designer dresses. But in reality she’s not happy with all she has because she’s living like a slave in her own gilded cage with absolutely no time of freedom. She can’t ever leave the house, she has no control over her own life and no value. Behind her veil she is more like a prisoner jailed by her own dad, husband, as well as her

Being born and raised in America, I and many other Americans have been taught that we live in a country of freedom. Women and men are treated equally; every human being has rights, and you have the freedom to move at will and without restrictions. Women have come a long way in our country, gaining rights ever since the dawn of patriarchy and proving that they are just as good as men with the ability to think, speak, and act for themselves. However, discrimination of women still exists in America and many other countries, but women are taking a stand and trying to eliminate the inequality between genders, such as the difference in salaries, and the bad representation of and portrayal of women in the media.

In both Osama and A 1000 Splendid Suns the female protagonists live a patriarchal society enforced by the Taliban. Examples of how a patriarchal society is established and shown in Osama and A 1000 Splendid Suns is through the idea of polygamy and the fact that men are allowed to abuse their wives. In a community that is driven by males, men have many more rights than women. For example, men are allowed to practice polygamy. In Osama, the family had already lost their husbands and male relatives, but at the end of the movie, the daughter is married off to an elderly man, whom when she is taken back to his home, has many wives who despise him stating that he, “ruined their lives” (Osama). In A 1000 Splendid Suns, Laila and Mariam were both Rasheed’s wives. When Laila had been added to the mix, Mariam was defensive of Rasheed saying to Laila, “I wouldn’t have fed you and washed you and nursed you if I’d known you were going to turn around and steal my husband” (226). The second example of how a patriarchal society is expressed through both A Thousand Splendid Suns and Osama is through the abuse the women face from their husbands and other men in the society they live in. In Osama, the daughter was hung by her torso above a well when they were suspicious about her gender (Osama). In A 1000 Splendid Suns, abuse is something Laila and Mariam face

“Life is full of unhappiness and most of it caused by women (Harik and Marston 11)”. For women in the Middle East life is faced with great and unequal odds, as their human rights are limited, due to Islamic beliefs and that of patriarchy. From their daily actions at home to their physical appearance, Middle Eastern women are portrayed as quiet, faceless women veiled from head to toe. While this image is just another stereotype, women in the middle do face many obstacles and challenges of creating their own identity as they are frequently denied a voice in their rights. Living in a society dominated by men life is not, but regardless women in the Middle East, predominantly Muslims, continue to fight for

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic novel that provides insight into a young girl living in Iran during the hardship of war. Persepolis takes place during the childhood of Marjane Satrapi. It gives a background of the Islamic Revolution and the war in Iran. Satrapi attempts to guide herself in a corrupted world filled with propaganda. She tries to develop her own morality concerning religion, politics, and humanity. Satrapi was blessed enough to have high class status and parents who had an open mindset about the world around them. Thanks to her slightly alternative lifestyle, she is able to reconstruct gender norms that society has set by depicting the different ways women resist them. “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others” by Lila Abu-Lughod is an essay detailing the misconceptions surrounding the veil. Through this essay we can see how colonial feminism, the form of feminism in which western women push for a western way of living on their third world counterparts, has shined a negative light on cultures all around the world - particularly Islamic women. The essay shows how women who don’t conform to American societal structures are labeled as women who urgently require saving. Through this essay one can develop a thorough understanding of the veil itself and the many representations it holds to different entities. Although in Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood Satrapi

Brooks uses the sources to bring the thesis together and to help get her point across about the oppression of Islamic women and the pride and power of their male figures. An Islamic law states that women are not to commit adultery, but their husband can have more than one wife. When Brooks learned the story of Rehab and Mohamed and how Mohamed left Rehab for Fatima, it really opened her eyes on how different the treatment of married women of the Islamic world.

Throughout Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, the reader observes many injustices committed due to the presence of the Taliban and cultural conflict in Afghanistan. One of the most concerning issues in Afghanistan is the mistreatment and inequality that women face on a daily basis due to Taliban mandates. Women in Afghanistan are treated as inferior beings to men and are unable to stand up for themselves due the laws the Taliban enforces. Hosseini uses the wives of Amir and Hassan, Soraya and Farzana, to represent the injustices to which women in Afghanistan are subjected.

What are rights? Rights are things that a person is or should be morally or legally allowed to have, get, or do; we know a lot about rights in the United States. For many centuries Americans have felt strongly about their rights and we have spent centuries fighting for them. An example of this would be the African Americans in America; brought to the United States as slaves to mend the fields of southern farmers, African Americans had little to no rights in the still newly formed country. Yet, after the United States Civil War blacks would gain there freedom with the adding of the 13th amendment, which officially abolished slavery, the 14th amendment, which declared all persons born in the United States or naturalized in the United States

During the Taliban’s conquering of Pakistan, seeing women entertained was a rare and risky sight because of the Fazlullah’s “strong faith” which is really a censorship. This was also seen when the Taliban killed a woman for dancing when asked. Fazlullah’s claim to be a mullah had influenced many people to believe his interpretation of the Holy Quran. This created a new culture in which women’s rights were voided. Whether it’s education to listening to music, to many supporters of the Taliban and the fear the Taliban created, it’s wrong for women to do anything other than to provide for their husband. Sadly, this also affects female children. As Malala Yousafzai stated, anything that was once their right, their culture, is seen as a protest

In the book, Women in the Middle East, a Saudi Arabian proverb states, "A girl possesses nothing but a veil and a tomb" (Harik and Marston 83). The key words, "veil" and "tomb" lend evidence to the fact that many Middle Eastern women lack identity symbolized by the “veil” and lack the right of ownership except for their veil and the tomb. This statement further enforces the notion that many women in the Middle East are expected to serve and tolerate the oppression of the men in their lives throughout their lives on this earth. Moreover, it confirms that many of these women do not get the opportunity to obtain education, join the work force, and even participate in the political affairs of the country. This arrangement further helps the

One major aspect of the situation of abuse towards women is involved with marriage. In many Middle Eastern countries, it is common for parents to arrange or even force a marriage, and for the children to have no say in it (Child Brides). I believe that this is a large part of the cause for aggression and abuse against the women. In an