Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia Essay examples

After more than 200 years of living under the United States Constitution and despite all of the progress women have made, they still to this day continue to suffer discrimination in employment, insurance, health care, education, the criminal justice system, social security and pensions, and just about any other area you can name.

In order for Saudi Arabian culture to have adopted such a mentality they must have had large amounts of people - particularly males - with the same belief in extreme modesty and male superiority. If at the inception of the Saudi Arabian culture individuals believed females were inferior to males, Saudi Arabian culture must have adopted policies that implied male superiority and misogyny. The means by which cultures create consensus upon shared beliefs such as male superiority and misogyny is to make the shared beliefs into a generally accepted ideology or law. Laws are made of rules; they determined “how the [ideology of gender roles] was formulated, applied and implemented” (Yahyaoui 38). In order to make particular gender roles a generally accepted Saudi Arabian ideology, the ideology must have been supported by laws both directly and indirectly. One form of direct control of women is religious police or vigilante. Women aren’t allowed to socialize, act, or dress in a fashion that isn’t considered appropriate. In order to ensure that no woman is behaving outside of what the culture condones, Saudi Arabian males created

When discussing the topic of veiling, one must understand the original significance and the traditions behind it. Veiling is traced back to the Prophet Muhammad, who God had spoken to instructing his wives to create a barrier between themselves and those that didn’t relate to them. The Islamic veiling then developed from allowing men and women to show modesty per the Quran with many styles of veiling such as the Hijab, Chador-full cloak that covers the body and the hair, Niqab- covers the woman entirely with a small opening for the eyes, and the Burqa, which covers the head and the body and has a grill which covers the eyes, each style evolving on taking a cultural meaning with the origins of its religious right behind it. Signifying

Throughout the nation’s history, American’s have sought to put an end to discriminatory practices and bring equality toward minority groups. For example, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech were directed at putting an end to mistreatment of African Americans. Likewise, Jane Adams and Susan B. Anthony used their authority as women’s rights activists to push for greater equality amongst the genders. While some may argue that women are lagging behind in the race to equal rights, others claim the opposing approach. In today’s society, women are achieving true equality due to a shift in the old stereotypes toward women, increasing opportunities for women to become educated, higher expectations for women in the workplace, and a stronger influence of women in government positions.

Women have virtually the same rights as men. However, the fault needing to be recognized in today’s society is the way that women are treated. Even in simple areas, such as jobs, women are put on the back burner. A woman is able to become a CEO of a company, nonetheless, she will struggle twice as hard as a man would. Even as an employee, women are statistically paid less than men are.

As BJ and her husband, Bob, began to get ready to leave for their trip to El Nahra, BJ is pessimistic about wearing an abayah. She didn’t understand why she had to wear this when it wasn’t her custom to do so. Bob explained to her that people are going to look at her differently, because she is new to the town and has lead a completely different life style than their own. He said she will have to get used to it, become accepted, and learn the culture. BJ was new to the town, and she was experiencing culture shock. In El Nahra, women that were uncovered were known as an immoral woman. For many westerners, like Fernea and Bob, the veil was a symbol of patriarchal Islamic societies in which women are assumed to be oppressed, subordinated and

In America it is quite unusual to see women wearing veils. In some parts of the world it is odd to see women with their faces exposed in public. Most women who wear veils every day are Muslim; the veil is called a hijab. The word hijab means a screen or curtain. Muslim women wear these veils for a few different reasons, to some it is a symbol of modesty, for others it is forced on them either by law or by the men in their family. Middle Eastern countries such as Turkey, Iran or Afghanistan have such laws. The women are only required to cover themselves when they are in public. In their home they are allowed to keep their faces uncovered.

In some areas, the code is stricter than others. Women must always wear an abayas. An abayas is an all black, loose fitting robe that covers the entire body from wrist to ankle. No skin is showing, not even the neck. They also have to have a hood covering all their hair. When they go out in public, their face needs to be covered, except for the eyes. In some places, they must have their eyes covered by a see through black covering as well. Sometimes, black silk gloves must be worn too. They are allowed to wear whatever shoes they want, even though sandals are the most common.The key to understanding Saudi customs is the country's history. When the modern nation was founded in 1932, it was based on an 18th-century pact between the ruling Al Saud monarchy and a devout bunch of clerics who followed a fiery version of Islam (Ritadh 1) At the airport, the rules are a little fuzzy. Women don’t often feel comfortable wearing their abayas, hood and veil on airplanes after recent terrorism and discrimination issues. Once they leave the airport, they must be fully covered.

“The following quotes are from AL-QUR'AN (Ali 2001): Tell the believing women to lower their eyes, guard their private parts, and not display their charms except what is apparent outwardly, and cover their bosoms with their veils and not to show their finery except to their husbands or their fathers or fathers-in-law, their sons or step-sons, brothers” (Jackson and Monk-Turner 4). It is not stated anywhere in the Quran that a woman must cover herself with a veil such as the Burqa. The Burqa is a type of veil that covers all of the face and the body. The burqa along with other veils were not in attempt to hide women behind a mask but to create an individualistic view. Just as Christian and Catholics are allowed to wear items that is represented by a religion, women who wear the veil are entitled to the same treatment to wear any item that shows empowerment towards one's religion. The “"hijab is an injunction from Allah. It does not diminish your intellect, instead, it enhances your beauty and dignify you as a Muslim woman," Mr. Oloso said.Earlier, an Ibadan-based islamic scholar, Abdulhakeem Ishola, who was the guest lecturer at the occasion, traced the origin and types of hijab” (Islamic Scholars Warn 8). The hijab is a veil that covers only the hair of a woman. Many variables in a girls life will depict on how much hair or part of the face will be covered. Going back

“Hijab is not a sign of oppression but liberation from the shackles of male scrutiny and the standards of attractiveness”. Western society views Muslim women as oppressed and the hijab as a symbol of their oppression. For Muslim women hijab is viewed as liberation for women, in that the covering brings respect and women are recognized as individuals who are admired for their mind and personality, not for their beauty and not as sex objects. Muslim women today are struggling to address the stereotypes and misconceptions of uneducated and oppressed associated with the role of women in Islam.

the dress code of Muslim women and the veil in particular, has become controversial in many non-Muslim countries.It is considered by many as a sign of oppression of Muslim women, a security threat, or double standards where non-Muslim women visiting Islamic countries are obliged to accept local dress codes while Muslim women visiting non-Islamic countries are not willing to accept the principle. Others, however, see the attempts to ban the burqa in public as a sign of disrespect, and double standards where a Christian religious may wear their religious dress, but Islamic women can not wear her religious habit. Controversy about the discriminatory dress code for Muslim women and non-Muslim women or girls slaves under Muslim rule, nothing new

This was a symbol of oppression, not religion. This piece of clothing was decided by the man if worn by women. It also shows the power man has over women by telling them what to wear. The burqa was supposed to hide the beauty of women, yet in the novel, it’s used to control women by men. It’s like a contract of marriage and a part of it says you have to wear a burqa.

From the age of nine, I was told to wrap a piece of cloth around my head. “Pin it down tight,” they said. The name given to this piece of cloth was “hijab”. A cloth that illustrated my morals, religion, and values. I feared the shame I would bring to my family if I ever told them all the questions I had over the purpose of hijab so I tossed all my questions aside and wore it.

Has one ever questioned why some Muslim women wear that piece of cloth on their heads? Where they forced to wear it or was it a personal choice. That piece of cloth, is actually called a hijab. Muslim sisters wear the hijab to obey God and to show their modesty. The hijab releases a woman from being objectified and perceived for her beauty. By exploring articles on the web, reading books, and magazines; some authors that differed in opinions why the hijab is forced upon and others explained why it was a personal decision. For instance, Leland Ware argues in the Huffington Post how France banned the hijabs and burqas, Valerie Tarico explains in the Huffington Post that the hijab is not a personal choice for women, and Acharya Murdock

Raihan Ismail is a lecturer in Middle East Politics and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University. In an interview with ABC Radio Canberra - Explainer: Why do Muslim women wear a burka, niqab or hijab? (Source: James Vyver, 2017) Dr Ismail stated "Some women wear it because they strongly believe it is their religious obligation," Dr Ismail also acknowledged that in some circumstances women might be compelled into concealing themselves from public view. "There is a possibility that some husbands would tell their wives 'wear the niqab, I don't want any other men to see you' which is possessive," she said. Such instances, where the freedom and rights of a Muslim woman are challenged is the driving power behind the campaign published by the ISHR. In this context, the representation of the burqa therefore can be controversial as a symbol of persecution and domination of gender roles in the Middle East.