FLIGHTLESS: An Analysis of the Immobility of Saudi Arabian Women

Economic independence, equality, and freedom ------ these are but three monumental words in today’s society that have caused countless, brave individuals to rise up and to shed their blood. For centuries, the world has witnessed the interminable battle towards the actualization of these human principles. Why? It is simply because mankind is driven by “transcendescence” or that deep need to rise from a mere nothingness towards a purpose and a realization of one’s freedom , an occurrence elucidated by the study of Jess and Gregory Feist (as cited in Fromm, 1981,p.4). The limits of our day-to-day action, the boundaries implemented by the society, and the restrictions dictated by a diverse set of traditions and cultures propel us to look beyond the fences and consider the deeper aspect of our being. It has simply been a part of the human mechanism to break free in the presence of manacles.

According to Dr. Muhammad All Al-Hashimi (as cited in Ibid, p.202), it was over fourteen hundred years ago that this freedom was granted to the women of the Muslim society long before any nation of the world could. It was supposedly in the traditional and rightly-guided Muslim society where women enjoyed equal rights as that of men, some of which included the right to work if deemed necessary, the right to own and dispose her own properties, and to enjoy the protection of her wealth and possessions. But it seems as though a different story is being perceived around the world. Despite the fact that a myriad of textbooks and historical materials seemingly unite with the idea that Muslim women are highly respected in an Islamic community, the general public along with different international organizations for human and women’s...

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