By DR. KHALID ALNOWAISER, ARABNEWS

I was hesitant to write again about the subject of Saudi women, but I concluded, after much consideration, the entire topic is more serious than I originally anticipated. My reasons are simply as follows:

1. Women are our mothers, daughters, wives, sisters and others and they affect if not influence virtually all aspects of our lives.

2. Women comprise more than half of our country’s population, and quite frankly, no real social development can be accomplished without them.

3. Islam is a great religion but some of us are sending the wrong message about this amazing religion by clinging to outmoded attitudes and repressing the basic civil rights of women.

4. Saudi Arabia has a moral responsibility to respect and protect human rights for all of its citizens.

5. We are indeed fortunate to have a monarch in Saudi Arabia who has been trying hard to liberalize women from a negative cultural legacy, and all of us need to support him in his efforts to grant women greater civil rights.

Unfortunately, in Saudi Arabia and around the world, there are always men who want to control women’s rights in the name of religion or otherwise. This is clearly not something that arises out of a vacuum or by coincidence, but is a deliberate and well-planned strategy by certain groups to dominate society; and the most effective way to achieve this objective is to maintain control over all aspects of a woman’s life.

But why is this so? Men in positions of power and authority have a huge stake in ensuring that women remain powerless so they can preserve their power and influence. This actually makes no sense, since the women in our lives, especially our mothers, have the responsibility to teach generation after generation certain principles and values which, have a direct impact on all societies from the moment one is born to the moment of death. As one of the Arab poets said, “A mother is a school; preparing her is like preparing a good nation.”

So, is the status of Saudi women normal or not? The answer is clear: Saudi women do not possess anything close to equal human rights with men. The obvious reason is not simply cultural; it is pushed by some religious figures who are restricting women’s lives through a style called “management by fear”. These religious authorities profess to talk and act on behalf of Allah and the Prophet (peace be upon him), and anyone who disobeys them is a sinner and must be punished in this life and on the Day of Judgment.

Throughout the history of mankind, all religious faiths are supposed to preach a noble message to enlighten people and promote progress, prosperity and humanity, but sadly the message is often invoked to dominate members of society, particularly women.

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