Saudi Arabia is one of largest Muslim populated Countries in the world, which follows the Islamic culture. The laws are called “Laws of God”, which are apparently interpreted from the Quran. The “Laws of God” is also known as the Sharia laws. The Sharia laws have great impact on Saudi Arabian women, Muslim citizens and Non-Muslim expatiates. Women of Saudi Arabia have limited rights based on the countries Islamic beliefs. However, they are gradually making progress to uplifting some restrictions. Muslim citizens have rigorous rules set in place as well. Furthermore, Non- Muslim citizens are stripped of their rights to Freedom of Religion.
Saudi Arabian women have many rules to follow. For instance, the women do not have the right to drive.
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For instance, Saudi’s take their religion very seriously. They cannot practice or display their religion in public, unless in their home. In addition, non-Muslim expats are not permitted to enter the two holiest cities in Saudi Arabia, which are Mecca and Medina. This could lead to severe punishment under the Sharia laws. Also, the largest recognized holiday in Saudi Arabia is Ramadan. This when Prophet Muhammed publicized the Quran. Expats are to follow the fasting rules while in public to show respect. Furthermore, in my past experiences while living in Toronto, I was exposed to numerous religions. The Muslim people that I met throughout my time there, showed the utmost respect to someone’s spiritual beliefs, regardless if it was Catholic, Hindu, Lutheran and more. With observing this kind of behavior from the Muslim population, it gave me a clearer understanding that one must respect their beliefs when visiting their sacred land.
The role of religion in Saudi Arabia has several impacts on women citizens, Muslim citizens and expatiates. With taking this World Religion course it will give me the foundation to have a better understanding of religions in the world and to guide me to find my own spiritual path. The important thing for understanding is to look behind the form of the practice and see what the “message behind the message” is “(Ellwood, Robert S., and Barbara A. McGraw. Many Peoples, Many Faiths: Women and Men in the World Religions. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. 2014 10
The place of women in Saudi society is determined by a deeply conservative culture, vindicated by a narrow interpretation of religion, and enforced by law. That place it would appear is at home, subservient to and legally dependant on their male guardian. Saudi society suffers from pervasive segregation along gender lines and women's freedom of movement is impeded, forcing them to rely on male chaperons.
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.
The first religion and its views on women that will be discussed in this essay is Islam. Islam is a religions founded in Saudi Arabia almost two thousand years ago, by the prophet Muhammad. In fact, Muhammad dedicated much attention towards women in the Koran, the holy book of Islam. However, even though much was dedicated to women in the Koran, it was not dedicated to them in the sense of equality. Women in Islamic culture were apparently much lower on the totem pole than men, "The men are made responsible for the women, since God endowed them with certain qualities, and made them the bread earners...If you experience opposition from the women, you shall first talk to them, then [you may use such negative incentives as] deserting them in bed, then you may beat them (129)." Excerpt...
The religion of Islam has obtained the reputation of violence and misogyny in recent decades due to radical sects in the international spotlight. Although violence has been limited to radical groups, many people outside of the religion view Islam’s law, Shari’ah law, to define the status of women below men. However, from the original holy text, the Qur’an, and the Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah, a framework of equality and mutual respect across sexes is evident. Although the Qur’an is the unadulterated Word of God, it is interpreted by Muslims in many different ways. It has been through these patriarchal interpretations of the five schools of Islamic law that the status of women has been impinged upon (Barlas, 2002). The Qur’an itself contains versus which demonstrate the equality of men and women, but also seemingly contradicts itself by undermining the status of women. These contradictory phrases have recently been interpreted by female scholars differently than the original schools to support the equality of sex. Muhammad’s life also displays his affection and respect for his wives as opposed to a lifestyle of misogyny. In the end, the status of women in Islam has been largely degraded by human interpretation of the text to create a power dynamic between a husband and his wife, or wives. Although a woman’s status has been lowered in the eyes of many Muslims, recent civil rights movements and women activists are challenging these emboldened concepts to achieve social and political leadership.
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 Middle Eastern men to view women as their properties, servants, or even as slaves. Ultimately, there are three main reasons why Middle Eastern men engage in the act of oppressing their women.
The Women of the Middle East have played substantial roles for their corresponding countries since the advent of colonialism in the region. Middle Eastern women have worked in all types of fields including medicine, education, agriculture, government, private sector, and even defense. They have kept roofs over their family’s heads while their husbands were away in wars, or even in foreign countries to work in jobs that they could not find in their own countries. The roles of women in the countries of Yemen and Oman are no exception, but while they still find ways to contribute to their country, they care constantly stereotyped, discriminated, and ridiculed by men who are known and unknown to them. This paper will discuss the individual contributions of the women living in Yemen and Oman, and will discuss in further state laws and cultural norms that are affecting the women living in these countries today.
... words of Princess Sultana about the many abuses of women in Saudi Arabia. Women in Saudi Arabia's only purpose is sex, and the production of male children. Other than that they are seen as invisible and incompetent. They are given no identity at birth and their deaths are unaccounted for. Saudi women are also forced to cover up their beautiful faces with veils and abaayas. Women of royalty also get treated just as horribly as the lower class women. Jean Sasson did an excellent job of conveying Princess Sultana's pain, aggravation, and grief. Through this book readers will know of Princess Sultana's hopes and dreams of equal treatment for Saudi women. Princess is a well supported and informative book that will teach it's readers the mistreatments of women in Saudi Arabia.
The most recent catchword nowadays is ‘Shariah’. As a number of countries struggle to pass statute to suppress Shariah, an overvalued anxiety and continual misperception encircles the word ‘Shariah’. The majority of people who converse zealously in opposition to Shariah do not, actually, comprehend it and frequently degrade it to just a penal code. This paper illustrates the comprehensive principles of Shariah and its universal method. It further stresses misunderstandings about Shariah to level out the apprehensions at present encircling this subject.
First, women aren’t allowed to drive but some are standing up against this rule.women are not allowed to drive in Saudi so 4o women start a campaign to let women drive so all 40 women went and drove and they want every women to go out a drive.
This report draws from many publications written over the last twenty years exposing the unique situation in Saudi Arabia, while also utilizing recent headl...
The first and the most obvious difference between Saudi Arabia and Netherlands is the law for prostitution. In Saudi Arabia, prostitution is strictly illegal which relates to the Islamic law that prohibits any sexual relationship outside the institution of marriage. The penalty of prostitution for those who refuse to recant, if a prostitute is a foreigner, they will be arrested, imprisoned, deported from the country and will never be allowed in the Kingdom again. Furthermore, in the case that a prostitute is a resident, they will be stoned to death or beheaded under Islamic law (Hood, 2002). According to Arab News, a Saudi Arabia man was sentenced to 28 years in jail after convicting of sexual assaulting an Indonesian housekeeper (2007). Nevertheless, by intensively enforcing prostitution laws, the Saudi Arabia government has not quite completely solved the problem yet. As to the report by Middle East Times, two years ago there were more than 80 people who were involved in 20 cases of prostitution arrested by the police (The law in Saudi Arabia, 2007). Unlike Saudi Arabia, prostitution has been legalized in Netherlands ...
In summary, Saudi Arabia is a conservative country and the debate about should women drive has shown us that people are at the edge of changing. Women have every right to drive and the government should take some serious steps to make that happen. It should allow them to drive while satisfying both sides because each side has valid points, and the only way this is going to work is new laws that assure women can safely drive.
In recent modern times, the Islamic faith and culture has been scarred by bad publicity and criticism worldwide concerning terrorism, fanaticism, and the treatment of women. All these issues have existed in most religions throughout time, but the treatment of women is different in which most other cultures and religions have minimized the issues and Islam, under its attempts to also end it, has failed to create a society in which the treatment of women is equal to that of men. The treatment of women, beginning from the time when they are born, to the time of their marriage, to the moment of their death, has not been equal to that of men despite the actions taken to end the injustice.
...at must be taken seriously. Women in Saudi Arabia do not have the right to stand behind a wheel because the government has prevented it. Despite it might cause some damage to the women health, the fact that it is important for them to drive in some cases such as emergencies. In order to take their voices seriously women must write a petition to the high positions people to make it legal. Besides, the government should build busses only to serve women in order to not losses their money on taxis or to be exposed to sexual harassment. In addition, make an extreme campaign to fill out the streets and attract all the attention on them. Finally, to reach their voices to the king Abdullah as he can overturn the ban regulation if all other solutions failed. In sum, I believe that the driving issue in Saudi Arabia is not a religious or culture case it is the government case.
Islamic law is the most widely practiced religious legal system in today’s world. It is based on morality rather than commercial requirement of human behaviour in all aspects of a person’s self and social life. Islamic law is based on the Holy book of Islam, the Quran and on interpretation of the practices and sayings of Prophet Mohammad. It also follows the writings of scholars and teachers of Islamic scholarship, who derived rules by analogy from the principles established in the holy Quran. The basic foundations of Islamic law remain unaltered even after many centuries