Photo: Edward Musiak (flickr)
(This story was produced in the Indiana University School of Journalism course, J460 Muslims and the Media. Ms. Wiersema is a student in that class.)
By Alisa Wiersema
Western audiences typically associate Saudi Arabia with dream-like images of swirling desert sands, harems, genies and star-studded Arabian nights. To the West, it is an unattainable culture that is unlike anything anywhere else in the world, sparking romantic fantasies drenched in opulence.
Today, these fantasies of opulence are still somewhat present, but the aura of sensuality has since eroded given the increased negativity of media coverage focused on the Middle East, especially when cultural norms clash.
The topic of women’s rights is probably one of the most widely discussed issues of cultural clashes between the West and the Middle East.
According to popular Western opinion, Saudi women are discriminated against and misguided about their own existence; while Middle Eastern traditions maintain their intentions to respect women through various forms of protection.
The importance of such protection is derived from the sacred law of Islam called Sharia, which is the root of the controversy.
“Sharia as it should be observed treats both men and women equally, many of its details are meant to protect women, not oppress them,” Muhammed Alghabban, Saudi immigrant and member of the Islamic Center for Bloomington clarifies. “Tribal traditions are what make Sharia look oppressive…but those are personal choices, not something actually enforced through Sharia.”
To the millions of Muslims around the world, Sharia is a practice that is more than just a combination of law and life, but an all-encompassing method of putting their faith into actual practice.
All Muslims believe Sharia is God’s law, but practiced beliefs differ due to varying interpretations by scholars in each Muslim country.
In Saudi Arabia, Sharia is not only God’s philosophical law, but also the law of the land upon which the Saudi government operates. The responsibility lent to Sharia in this way is what makes Westerners so uncomfortable — how can religion provide fair lawful guidelines without being repressive?
“There is a big misunderstanding between culture and Sharia,” Alghabban explained, and in a country like Saudi Arabia, this discrepancy is the catalyst for controversy.
Despite sharia’s importance, controversy is growing about whether or not it is a concept that can coexist with secularism, especially given Saudi Arabia’s sudden economic growth and global exposure.
“Saudi Arabia has had to move from a tribal society to an urban society in the span of one generation,” Abdulkhader Sinno, Associate Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and Political Science at Indiana University explains. “Tribal societies were necessary for survival—traditional views of sharia were enshrined in the law and were told as being ideal… [but now] appearances of the modern world are showing themselves because of oil money.”
So what does this mean for Saudi women, will their country’s wealth have a paramount effect on thousands of years of culture and tradition? Evidence of an internal struggle is already brewing, according to a New York Times report.
While some women want the Western ideals of liberation such as traveling without a chaperone, the ability to drive automobiles, and appear in court, others staunchly oppose such “Western” changes to Saudi society.
The women opposing reform declare abuses occurring under Sharia, like forced marriages and messy divorces, are isolated problems not the norm of Saudi Arabian society.
Saudi Arabian males, like Anas Alhamed, an Indiana University graduate student, defend themselves as males having lived under Sharia. He says the religious law is not intrinsically misogynistic and cruel.
“Stories about women and their rights being abused come from people manipulating Sharia to treat women badly personally,” he states, “According to true Sharia, although the father has to approve a marriage, the daughter has the final word or else the marriage is invalid…”
Despite vehement testimonials like those of Alhamed and Alghabban, many in the West still cannot help but wonder if there is any truth to the myths.
“Saudi society is restrictive towards women when compared to other countries — Sharia speaks the language of protecting women but is not always practiced that way in all parts of the country,” Professor Sinno says. “Women are not allowed to drive, leave the country without permission…[that being said] more women than men attend Saudi universities.”
It seems like the role of a Saudi woman under Sharia law is under a current state of give and take, and as a society, Saudi Arabia is attempting to prioritize how it can protect women traditionally without being oppressive.
Alghabban highlights the changes Saudi Arabia has undergone while maintaining elements of traditional culture, “Men and women are separate in public spaces, but the facilities are equal…Women do work but they must work alongside other women…they are educated people.”
That being said, he also admits that the change to the image of a completely “modern” woman is not something Saudis are necessarily ready to accept, “Women are becoming more involved with work, but people are just not used to it.”
No matter how long it takes for a “modern” and “independent” image of a Saudi woman to appear not only in Western news outlets but also in the entire global perspective, it is undeniable that Saudi Arabia is undergoing major societal and cultural changes regarding women.
As Professor Sinno points out, “Saudis need to empower women, but generally there is no pressure yet…change will come from moral pressure within, not outside influence.”