Nadia Beidas’ blog

About 60 Ethiopian Jews marveled at airports, escalators, televisions, their first airplane ride, and other technological firsts before boarding a plane to Israel last year, a member of the Jewish Federation of Metro Chicago said.

 

     Jay Tcath, vice president of the Jewish Federation of Metro Chicago traveled to Ethiopia last year to see the state of social services and accompany the Ethiopian Jews to Israel, Tcath said. Tcath found extreme poverty and lack of conveniences in the villages he visited, Tcath said.

 

     But the people were friendly, outgoing, warm, and thrilled to be immigrating to Israel.  

  

     “They were excited beyond belief,” Tcath said. “The plane ride alone was a first in a lifetime experience,” Tcath said, adding the group used reclining seats and a tray folding up and down in the plane. They had never been exposed to modern conveniences such as electricity and lit buildings at night.

     Under Israeli law, all Jews from around the world are entitled to return to Israel and have immediate citizenship. 3,595 Ethiopian immigrants came to Israel in 2006 out of the total 19,269 and are the highest number of incoming immigrants, according to the Jewish Virtual Library.

     Now the law of return is expanded to include grandchildren of Jews and allow them to return. Ironically, this law of return is based on Hitler’s definition of sending someone to a concentration camp, said Shirah Ozery, Director, Israel Aliyah Center Chicago and Midwest Regional Office.

     But Ethiopians face challenges once they come to Israel, Tcath said.

     “[Ethiopians are] not traditionally employed in anything other than archaic agricultural skills [such as] herding sheep, growing basic farm products, and maintaining cows,” Tcath said. The majority of Ethiopian immigrants lived a village life and must adapt to an urban life, which is challenging, Tcath said.

     “Most of the immigrants from Ethiopia are illiterate in their own language and despite a huge effort of the Israeli government to educate teach them Hebrew and a vocation, most of them are able to work only as cleaners and other simple non vocational jobs. Usually they earn only the minimum wage. However a huge effort is made to educate the young people,” said Nomi Arbel of the Gevanim Center for Community Diversity, a registered Israeli non-profit association.

     About 5000 second generation Ethiopian Jews are enrolled in universities in Israel, Tcath said. 

 

     Upon arriving in Israel, immigrants are granted immediate citizenship and like all Israelis have benefits such as healthcare, and must serve required time in the army, said Ozery.

     The Israeli government puts about $100,000 of services per Ethiopian immigrants, Tcath said.

     The government pays for housing between 24 to 36 months to help immigrants settle in and also make room for new immigrants, Tcath said.

     Jews are returning from North America as well. In 2006, 2,095 Jews from North America immigrated  to Israel with about 250 from sixteen Midwest states, according to Ozery and the Jewish Virtual Library.

     American Jews returning to Israel are returning for religious reasons, as the reasons for secular Jews to return to Israel, such as economic opportunity and persecution, do not apply to them, said Steven Bayme, director of the Coplan Institute on American Jewish Israeli Relations. 

     However, there can be problems with documentation proving immigrants are Jewish, which causes heartache, Bayme said.

     One Russian Jewish soldier from Beer Sheva was killed and was supposed to have a Jewish burial, but the rabbi found out the soldier’s father was Jewish and not the mother, so the rabbi stopped the burial, said Bayme. Jews are usually only considered Jewish if their mother is Jewish.

     Also some rabbis do not accept some documents from overseas proving one is a Jew, making it difficult to get married or divorced, said Bayme. “[The] chief rabbi of Israel treats the nonOrthodox Jewry with contempt.”

     But one group has fewer opportunities as a result of immigration.

     Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza held menial jobs such as construction and cleaning in Israel, until the 1990s and after the second Intifada, when Israel changed its law to bar Palestinians from moving between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza, said Yousef Munayyer, assistant to the president of the American Arab anti-Discrimination Committee.

     Now those jobs go to Ethiopian immigrants, Munayyer said.

 

     Sr. Elaine Kelley, administrative officer for Friends of Sabeel--North America, an international peace movement that started with Palestinian Christians, calls giving away these jobs a form of ethnic cleansing.

     “Israel has a policy of displacement through different ways of making life hard,” Kelley said. If life becomes more difficult, there are hopes more Palestinians will leave, Kelley said.

 While world leaders remain divided on denouncing China’s treatment of Tibetans, Chicago’s Asian community in Chinatown is divided on China’s response in the controversy but remains proud that the Olympics will be in their country.

 

     “[China has been] too wild in trying to express their point of view,” said Yat Wong, owner of 47 Gifts R Us from China. Wong said the Chinese government overreacted and was violent. The governments should “settle down in a peaceful way,” Wong said. In addition, China should look at their opponents’ point of view, Wong said.

 

     Western leaders are debating whether to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in August.

 

     “It’s the Olympics. It’s some sport, right? It should be separate [from politics],” said Aubrey Chang, employee at the Lucky Lantern Gift & Boutique from Hong Kong.

 

     But one Chinese sports player, in Chicago said arresting the protesters are a part of China’s plan. “In China they must be number one in everything,” said Jia Lu, employee at Imperial Décor. “They want to push Tibet out.” 

 

     But despite the controversy, Lu would not miss the chance to view the Olympics. “I will go back to China for the Olympics, ” Lu said.

 

  China worked on hosting the Olympics for about eight years, costing billions and displacing over two million people, according to the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, based in Switzerland.

    

     But others have said the best steps were taken towards a positive solution.

 

     Jack Huang immigrated from China two years ago and has worked in the Chinatown Bazaar for a year and a half.

 

     “Many people want to stop the Olympics,” said Huang, “It’s [the political situation] okay now.” “Everything’s gonna be okay,” Huang said.

 

     But Wong said the Olympics are good for China. “I think it’s a chance to let China take the responsibility for a big country worldwide.”

 

     Stephanie Xue, English literature professor who also works in English translation at university in Xi’an City in China was visiting Chicago last week.

 

     The Olympics is a “wonderful chance for China,” Xue said. “We have confidence for the success for the Olympics.”

 

     “I’m very proud of being a Chinese person,” said Xue.

 

     The government in China is working “to solve every problem in detail,” Xue said in reference to the political turmoil.

 

      But the repression of minorities in China has been ongoing, according to the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions.

 

     Chinatown in Chicago is on the near South Side and is located between Canal Dr. and Michigan Ave. One way to get to Chinatown is by the Red Line and stop at Cermak Chinatown.

 

     About 33,989 Asians live in Chinatown, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2006 Community Survey.

 

     An estimated 134,837 Asians live in Chicago, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2006 Community Survey.

 

  Bright splashes of color, especially red, gold and green, can be seen everywhere one turns in Chinatown just by looking around the numerous gift shops, restaurants, grocery stores, banks and many other places. Chinatown is also a community for the Asian population. It is also a tourist attraction; one can see people from out of the state and country taking pictures there.

 

Nadia Beidas

RPA International

Word Count: 1,577

 

 

     During the 1970s in Iraq, next to no one wore the hijab, Iraqi born Janaan Hashim,  Hashim, an attorney at Amal Law Group specializing in criminal law and civil rights and host of a radio show on Radio Islam, said. When she returned in 2001 and 2002, most people were wearing the hijab.

 

  Ghada Talhami, political professor at Lake Forest College and Palestinian woman, said in the 1970s hijabs were not worn. “We wanted to assimilate,” she said. “We dressed modestly. Upon her trip to Jordan last year, she noticed most women were wearing the hijab.

 

      Over the past several years, there has been a cultural shift in the Middle East towards a more conservative manner of dress for women. Head scarves, long sleeved shirts and traditional clothing are becoming the norm today. Some say this is due to wanting to present a Muslim identity, while others say it is a fashion that will do away. In past generations like the 1950s and 1960s, it was more common to see women dressing in Western fashions.

  During the golden era, 1950s and 1960s in the Arab world, the arts were taking off in the supreme vocal talents of Abdel Halim Hafaz, Um Kalthum and others as well as the acting talents of Nadia Lutfi, Soad Hosny and others. Abdel Halim Hofaz and Nadia Lutfi

     Women in the entertainment industry and outside of it were seen in pretty dresses, short skirts, shorts, sleeveless tops, spaghetti strap or strapless tops and dresses.

  At the same time, there was a strong sense of patriotism in the Arab world due to the rise of Gamel Abdel Nasser to power in Egypt, who called for the unity of all Arab countries.

     Faith and religion took a backseat to nationalism, Hashim said. “Because of that, society was reflecting that in the way they dressed.”

     “We wanted to assimilate, get an education,” said Ghada Talhami.

One Saudi man Ahmed said the golden era had a strong influence on Saudi Arabia.

     “In the 50’s and 60’s, more Saudis traveled to Lebanon and Egypt, which were almost European style countries, and adapted their fashion from there. In the 70’s and 80’s, Saudi Arabia kept sending students to the United States to make the people get a better
education and they adapted that style of clothing in that era,” Ahmed said.

     But the ideas of that time did not last.

      “Nationalism didn’t get them what they wanted. Faith did,” Hashim said. People then turned back to faith.

  “People [now] are more in tune, more in touch with their faith,” Hashim said.

     Muslim women want to be identified as such when they dress, Hashim said. When people see the hijab they will think “We know how she stands on issues. We know how to treat her with respect.”

 

     Hashim wears the hijab to show that she is a proud Muslim and for people to identify her as one. She also likes wearing jeans and keeping up with fashion.

 

     “You can have your religion and your fashion too,” Hashim said. Hashim is one of many Arab women who are choosing to dress with religion in mind.

     Like Hashim, Zeinab Abubakr, biology teacher at Douglas Academy in Chicago, also chooses to wear a hijab. AbuBakr is originally Palestinian and lived in Jordan before coming to the U.S. It was important for Abubakr to put the hijab on, as she was raised in a religious family, she said.

     Talhami does not wear a hijab.

     But some of Hashim’s cousins told her that incorporating religion into fashion will not last.

     “They said a big part of it is a fad and fashion,” Hashim said. “The other part is returning to Islamic identity.”

     Once the fashion changes, people will see who changed their appearance for religion and who followed fashion, Hashim said.

     “It’s [wearing the hijab] the fashionable thing to do,” said Talhami.

     Ahmed said in Saudi Arabia, religion does not play a part in the fashion as much as culture. (picture)

     “If a woman wore a red abaya, [an abaya is a black garment that covers a woman with the exception of her feet, hands and face] they would probably imprison her for a day; the religious police would at least give her a hassle because of the color,” Ahmed said.

     There is nothing in the Muslim religion stating a woman should wear a black abaya or even an abaya, Ahmed said. 

     “[The] religion states that she should wear clothes that cover up her body as in a not so tight dress, baggy clothes, but our culture was here way before our religion [Islam], so it dominates.”

     At the same time the conservative clothing has become fashionable now available in more styles with bright colors and sequins. Hijab fashion Some women wear western clothing, like bright halter tops with long-sleeved shirts underneath.

  In Jordan, more young women are following this trend.

     “The ones wearing the hijab [young women] even the middle class wear tight clothes with all the makeup and they just put the hijab,” Abubakr said.

     “[They wear] tight pants, tight top very tight,” Abubakr said. “Religion wise, it should not be this tight.” But Abubakr said the style looks nice on the girls.

  More styles are now available for the older generation as well, Abubakr said. Traditional dresses have new kinds of cloth and more colors.

     Traditional dresses are available in bright blue, red, green, pink and many colors with sequins, lace and other types of nice embroidery. The traditional dresses have matching hijabs in the same material and with the same ornamentation.

     Arab men and women are divided on whether this shift is yielding positive or negative results.

     “It’s a beautiful industry,” Hashim said. “I just loved seeing the different ways of seeing women wear hijabs  and clothing.”

     “[Tight clothing] is part of the fashion,” Abubakr said. 

Fashion

     On one visit to Medina, Hashim saw a woman wearing a rich red outfit with a matching headscarf and thought the outfit beautiful.

  “We’re not told what to wear,” Hashim said.

     In Saudi Arabia women vary their abayas, Ahmed said. 

     “Women here do not wear colorful abayas, body and hair covers... they are all black. But still, they use different styles,” Ahmed said.

     Women wear “body fit” abayas which give them an hour glass figure, or straight cut abayas like fancy robes, or “overhead abayas” worn by religious people and is a large black cloth draping her body, Ahmed said.

      “The “not so religious” women like to decorate their abayas with little sparkly objects, and pictures (like butterflies, tigers... etc) on the back of the abaya.,” Ahmed said.

     The decorations come in different styles and are custom tailored, allowing women to be free and creative with the style, Ahmed said.

     In Saudi Arabia, Sara, Saudi blogger, said women with hijabs have certain styles they look for. “I just went Hijab-clothes shopping with a friend of mine recently, and mainly what she looks for is long kaftans in cool materials. They are worn over jeans and a cotton scarf.”

     “What’s under the abaya is a different story. People in public usually don’t get to see what’s under it. But in friends houses, parties... etc. they dress fashionably,” Ahmed said.

     Saudi women do follow Western fashion, Sara said. “The Victoria Beckham bob is a huge trend here, and has been for a number of months, just like it has in the West.”

     But sometimes Saudi women go overboard with fashion, Ahmed said.

     Saudi women, the upper middle class and the upper class, are known for behaving in a superficial manner and chasing after the latest fashions, with a few exceptions, Ahmed said.

“The majority would not be caught dead going out in public without a LV bag, Gucci shoes, channel belt, $1500 top and the most expensive jeans they could find which has a well known trademark,” Ahmed said.

     “The middle, and lower class of society can’t afford those things and go with ‘knockoffs’,” Ahmed said.

     The women also follow European fashion, Ahmed said. They think American women are not stylish.

     “Levis jeans and a GAP T-shirt is considered ‘fashionably retarded’ to most women in Saudi. If it’s not a huge European designer brand that costs thousand of dollars and only a couple of cents to make, it’s not stylish,” Ahmed said.

  Saudi women also spend a lot of money on makeup, Ahmed said.

     “Women here spend around $500 at the beauty salon in order to put make up that makes them look like a different person for a party or wedding or whatever. It’s ridiculous,” Ahmed said.

     Most fashionable women are rich, spoiled, between 20 and 30 years old, unmarried, cannot date because of the culture, unemployed and watch their televisions in order to imitate, Ahmed said.

    “In the 90’s and currently, we started getting all the fashion channels available in the world, and we have all the major franchise apparel shops in the world,” he said.

     But not everyone can afford to be into fashion.

     “The majority of Saudi Arabia is poor, lower class. They can barely afford one piece of clothing for the year. The

 upper middle and upper class of society in Saudi Arabia represent less than 20 percent of the population, so we are

talking about a minority here,” Ahmed said.

Nadia Beidas

Eastern Europe blog

Word Count: 343

 

     Sex trafficking is one of the ongoing problems that most horrifies me. Imagine yourself being young, poor and desperate for a better life; one day someone comes along and offers you a job in America, the land of freedom. So you jump and take the job, but there are harsh consequences. Once on American soil, you’re thrown into a brothel with other girls and forced to allow strangers into your body every single day.

 

     Human slavery is beyond disgusting. For more about human trafficking, see Robert Lindsay’s blog. Robert Lindsay

 

     One of the places where sex trafficking is ongoing in Eastern Europe. When I was in college I watched a Lifetime movie called Human Trafficking, which examined the lives of girls forced into the sex trade. There were graphic portrayals of the rapes of these women and children and the horrors they endure from day to day in the movie.

 

     After they are taken, in this movie, the women were stripped and examined like horses. Then they were raped by their captors, probably to break them into their life. If they tried to escape the lives of their families are threatened, and guards are watching their families at all times.

 

     I couldn’t sleep for a week after seeing this movie, and online comments suggest that the real thing is more graphic than this – too much for television.

 

      One Eastern European country the sex trade is prevalent in is Romania, where people battle horrible poverty. According to the blog, Human Trafficking Project, efforts are made in Romania to combat this problem. The blog states statistics from the Romanian National Agency Against Trafficking in Human Beings statistics, which stated about 406 Romanian people were victims of human trafficking. For more about efforts to combat this problem, see the blog. Human Trafficking Project

 

     Ukraine is another country where this problem is prevalent. The Orange Ukraine tells the story of a Ukranian woman who was taken to Israel under false pretenses and now is hiding from both her captors and the Israeli government, who would deport her. For more, see Orange Ukraine. Orange Ukraine

 

 

 

 

Nadia Beidas

4/22/08

AIDS in Africa and Asia blog

 Words: 405

     Human trafficking in Asia increases the outbreak of HIV and AIDS, according to a Reuters report. About 300,000 women and children are affected in trafficking. Most of the routes for human trafficking go between Nepal and India and also run from Thailand to neighboring places such as Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. The majority of victims who succumb to AIDS are teenage girls who become prostitutes.

 

     In the Asia Pacific region, about 5.4 million people live with HIV as of 2006, according to the Reuters report. In sub-Saharan Africa, 25.8 million people live with HIV. India has about 2.5 million people who have HIV.

 

 

     In addition, 500,000 people are expected to die every year by 2020 if no preventative measures are done. The number of those infected will increase to 10 million, according to the Private Sector Development blog. For more see the blog. Private Sector Development blog

 

     We keep seeing these numbers and keep hearing about prevention awareness here in the United States, but upon reading Michael McColly’s The After Death Room, it seems that there is some awareness in Africa and Asia but perhaps not as much as the United States. Some organizations work towards creating awareness and disease prevention, but sometimes society rules and taboos get in the way. However, most people know what the disease is.

 

      Sometimes I wonder if the problem with the spread of disease is not that people are not aware they may contract HIV, but that they believe they are invincible. Especially here in the United States, I admit I am perplexed why the disease keeps spreading. I remember hearing about HIV prevention since elementary school. While I realize people may not have had the exposure and education I was fortunate enough to have, I sometimes feel that with all the media messages and awareness groups that people should know how to protect themselves.

 

      But admittedly, I am not an expert.

 

     Another important thing to not is The Media Global blog reports that an AIDS vaccine will not be likely or forthcoming anytime soon. The Media Global blog

 

     One blogger from the Phillipines, Wilhelmina, said the majority of infected people are children. Like the United States, people infected with HIV face a taboo of being morally bankrupt – having sex with many people, Wilhelmina said. She also talks about a pharmacist who works on getting medication to people for less money and her experiences when viewing the Oprah show on this topic. For more, see her blog. Wilhelmina

Nadia Beidas

4-15-08

Pakistan blog

Word Count: 294

 

     Warning: what I am about to put here is truly horrible.

 

     In Punjab, a province of Pakistan, two women were “honor raped” Friday for the honor of a man identified as Latif, whose daughter fell in love and married one of the women’s nephews, according to Net India. What is “honor raped” anyways? An excuse for men to humiliate a woman and ruin her life subsequently priding himself on saving his honor . . . give me a break!  

    

     A gang of about 12 men took the two women, one was pregnant, into a nearby jungle where they were raped over the course of two days. This rape was to avenge the loss of his honor.

 

     Those poor, poor women. I can’t even begin to imagine their sorrow. And the pregnant woman . . . I wonder what her husband will say. To see this story, see the feminist blog. ifeminist

 

     Another blogger, using foul language, suggests the women castrate the rapists and are angry women are treated like objects. See this blog. Angry blogger

 

     One Pakistani woman used her story for good.

     Mukhtaran Mai was an illiterate rape victim whose story is told through the work Shame.

 

     Mai lived in Meerwala Pakistan. Her brother had been accused of conducting an affair with a woman and as punishment, Mai was ordered to be raped in 2002 and following her rape, paraded all over the town. Mai was able to get to the Supreme Court and received international attention and was offered 500,000 rupees from the government, Mai built a school for girls with this money. For more, see Doc blog. Doc blog

 

     Mai herself has a blog in Urdu, which she tells to someone who writes for her, as she is illiterate.

 

    

Nadia Beidas

China blog post

Word Count: 370

 

     China is looking at ending their policy of allowing families only one child.

I think that’s a wonderful idea. Considering the number of girl babies that were killed as a result of this policy, I think it would be wonderful. What must that experience be like for Chinese women, to grow up thinking their birth is not as good as that of a boy’s and to get married and worry about producing another girl? For more, check out this blog. China's policy

 

     But to truly understand why this happened, we need to understand the mindset that went into this. A USA Today blog post looked at a 1973 meeting between Henry Kissinger, U.S. envoy, and Mao Zedong, chairman. During the meeting, Mao said China had an excess of women and the U.S. could take tens of thousands of them. I think this was meant to be some sort of joke, but I find it extremely distasteful. For someone to make a joke like this shows he has no respect for women . . . . they’re all the same take tens of thousands of them. It’s like he’s saying they don’t have feelings, personalities, or worth. He sees them as less than human. He went on to say these women coming to America will bring the U.S. disaster. He said in China the women just have too many children, like the fault belongs only to the women. He’s making jokes like these one after the other and it really shows how little he values women. For more see the USA Today post. USA Today

 

     But even now, perhaps women’s rights is still going to take time. In Reappropriate, a personal and political blog for angry Chinese-American women, as they term themselves, they express anger over a restaurant advertisement. In the ad, a women’s torso is showing with Chinese letters, apparently these letters mean Chinese Laundry. The ad does not have the women’s face, arms or legs. This is horrible to say the least. The women said the women in the advertisement is objectified as a sexual figure because it only shows a women’s sexual parts. This shows the women is only used for sex and nothing about her personality matters.  That is unbelievably sad. Women's blog

 

 

Nadia Beidas

Lebanon

 

     Lebanon is considered to be the Paris of the Middle East. Lebanon is one of the countries in the Middle East with the most Western influence. Despite the beauty of the land and culture, what we see now of Lebanon’s coverage in the media is death and destruction.

 

     In July 2006 two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah, leading to a conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

 

     A cease-fire put in place by the United Nations put an end to the war August 14, 2006.

 

     The death toll was about 1,191 Lebanese civilians and about 29 deaths by land mines or unexploded Israeli cluster bombs. The death toll for Israelis was about 116 to 120 and 43 civilians. more on the aftermath here.

Aftermath 1

 Aftermath 2

Aftermath 3

  

     I was in Israel during the war in July. My family usually had the TV tuned to the news to view the developments. We would go from our house to visit another relative who had the news on. Emotions were running very high to say the least. I remember my aunts all gathered around the table after a meal talking about how horrible the war is, how many people were killed on both sides and how they were hoping for peace.

 

     One of my aunt’s friends was so angry about the bombing of the airport in Lebanon. While she did not approve death on either side of the conflict, she said Israel always strikes harder than Israel was hit and most of the people were defenseless, as many of the dead were children.

 

     Some of my relatives left their cities in northern Israel to live with other relatives. One of my great uncles lived in a village about an hour away from the cities bombed in northern Israel and he said he could hear the bombing every day.

 

     Lebanese families were living in theaters and schools during the war. One television program in Lebanon, Star Academy, has a house where their contestants stay every year. During the war, workers in the television station LBC, which hosts Star Academy, stayed in the academy during the war.

 

       

Nadia Beidas

I communicated with two Saudis on Fri. Mar. 7. I had sent out e-mails with questions during the week and I was fortunate enough to get two responses, one from a Saudi female, Sarah, and the other from a Saudi male, Ahmed. I included both interviews because I believe both of them give different interesting viewpoints. I was surprised that Ahmed seemed more comfortable addressing the mistreatment of women, than Sarah. But Sarah was into talking about how women in Saudi Arabia are misrepresented by the West. I thought their responses were genuine and reflective of young people’s thoughts in Saudi Arabia. Read on. 

Interview with Sarah and Ahmed

 

1. What are the biggest news stories impacting Saudi Arabia right now in your opinion?

 

(Sarah)

Currently, a member of AlShura (Saudi Arabia's equivalent of a US senator) has been let go because he gave a controversial interview in which he criticized the minister of finance among other high ranking Saudis. This is currently what everyone I know (and probably everyone in the country) is talking about. (This is a link to the first part of the interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef8AeCxfSes  )

 

(Ahmed)

At this moment, the biggest concerns in Saudi Arabia revolve around inflation. People are going back and forth with the government discussing the increase in pay for all working classes. Also, a big issue these days (which is kept hush hush) is how ministers are hiding major issues of the public from the king, because they are benefiting financially from them.

 

2. Are there any stories in Saudi Arabia not covered by the media?

(Sarah)

Hundreds, I am sure. There are many things the Saudi government does not want to reveal.

(Ahmed)

The majority of issues involving the government, social and physical abuse, and human rights issues are not covered by the media, so that they could portray a "picture perfect" side of Saudi Arabia.

3. How do you feel about the discussion of women’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia?

(Sarah)

I feel very strongly that women should be allowed to drive. And I truly do not know what the hold up is. The King has said he has no objection to it, so I can't think of what is keeping the law from passing.

 

(Ahmed)

I feel that it is ridiculous to even discuss it. It is not something to discuss. It is a basic human right, regardless if it's male or female.

 

4. Describe the everyday life of a single woman versus a single man in Saudi Arabia.

(Sarah)

I have never been a single man, so I can only speculate. To be fair, I am sure their lives are difficult, often the man in the family is the one who has to drive his mother and sisters to work and school, so he is quite busy and stressed. Women have to find someone willing to drive them around, and not all families can afford to keep a driver.

 

(Ahmed)

Single women in Saudi do not have a choice in working, getting an education, or just going out of their house without the consent of a male relative (I'm talking about the majority and not the 2-5% of women who enjoy these freedoms). To be a single female above the age of 25 in Saudi Arabia is like a prisoner at home. She has no rights, and everything is up to the father. He can make her life a paradise, or turn it into hell, and she has no say in it (it usually is hell). A Saudi single male is the exact opposite. He could do almost anything he wants if he is above the age of 21.

 

5. Describe the everyday life of a married woman versus a married man in Saudi Arabia?

(Sarah)

Probably the same as that of the single man and woman. We lead quite normal lives here in Saudi Arabia.

(Ahmed)

For a married Saudi women, it is the exact same thing as a single Saudi female, except the word of her rights is in the hand of the husband and not the father. For a married Saudi man, it is no different.

6. How much education does the average woman receive in Saudi Arabia?

 

(Sarah)

I don't know, so I really can't say. But it is very rare to find people who do not send their daughters to school, if that is what you are asking.

 

(Ahmed)

High school degree.

 

7. How is the educational system changing to include both men and women into programs or the workforce? What jobs are women more likely to have?

 

(Sarah)

The educational system is not changing, but employers are noticing that women tend to be more efficient workers, and are leaning towards hiring women more and more. Traditionally, women are mostly doctors or teachers in Saudi Arabia. That is rapidly changing, however.

 

(Ahmed)

It hasn't changed in the past 50 years. Women still have a 99% chance of becoming either a school teacher, or a secretary, or a cleaning lady. 

8. What are some misconceptions of women in Saudi Arabia?

 

(Sarah)

That they are all oppressed. I assure you they are not. Even those who seem oppressed; ones who wear black abayas from head to toe, ones who rarely leave the house... These women are happy like this. It is what they believe to be socially (and sometimes religiously) required of them. They are just practicing what they believe to be right. They do not represent all of the women of Saudi Arabia, though.

 

(Ahmed)

That they actually want to be treated this way. Some women are actually happy with the lives they have due to being ignorant, uneducated, or just plain naïve.  

 

9. What do you think is the most shocking about the mistreatment of women in Saudi Arabia?

 

(Sarah)

I think you will find it shocking that MOST women in Saudi Arabia are NOT mistreated. Many of the things you think they are 'forced' to do, they actually choose to do. Many of them believe in covering their faces, and believe in the "traditional" role of women.

 

(Ahmed)

If a man beats his wife or daughter to the point of breaking bones and fatal injury, the most harsh punishment he could ever get is signing a paper that says he won't do it again. The next day, he could beat them up again and sign on the same paper if they complain.

10. Have women’s lives in Saudi Arabia changed since the publication of Rajaa AlSanea’s book Girls of Riyadh or Jean Sasson’s trilogy on the princess? How have they changed? Or why have their lives stayed the same?

 

(Sarah)

They have not changed. Why would they? I think these books only put in print what we all already know to be true. They are by no means a revelation to anyone, in my opinion.

 

(Ahmed)

Did not change one bit. Most people don't read books here. And most of those books are illegal in this country.

 

11. What do you think the West, particularly the United States, does not understand about the women’s plight in Saudi Arabia?

(Sarah)

I actually think the West dramatizes the women's plight in Saudi Arabia. We do not drive, and we cannot vote, and that really is the extent of it. Abuse of women happens everywhere in the world, and is not exclusive to Saudi Arabia. I am not at all defending Saudi for it's lack of women's rights; but I do honestly think that the West sometimes overplays it. Women are abused more in other parts of the Middle East, and the Western media might be mixing it all up.

 

(Ahmed)

That most of them can't do anything about it because it's culture driven. It's not religious, it's cultural. They treat women the same way they used to be treated before Islam in this part of land.

 

12. What should people in the United States understand about marriage in Saudi Arabia?

 

(Sarah)

That it is rarely 'forced' or arranged. In Saudi Arabia, a man asks for a woman's hand in marriage from her father, and then she meets him and they decide whether or not they'd like to continue with the engagement. If they do decide to continue, they get to know each other through dates and phone calls. After that, they are married. So it is unfair to call it arranged marriage, since the couple has the choice to break off the engagement.

 

(Ahmed)

 

That tradition and culture drives it more than the relationship between two people. The whole concept of marriage in this culture isn't about love or respect. It's about a man wanting to have sex and having children to carry on his name.

 

13. What other women’s issues are important to you?

 

(Sarah)

Mostly I'd like to educate women in Saudi Arabia. I'd like them to know that there is nothing wrong with opposing what a man says. That fighting for your right to drive and vote and walk down the street without men looking at you like you are half naked, is not wrong. It is okay to have a voice and want it to be heard, is what I want women here to understand

 

(Ahmed)

Human rights, physical abuse, job opportunities, driving, education, and health.

 

14. Do you have anything else to add on women’s issues in Saudi Arabia?

 

(Ahmed)

Some rich, liberal Saudi women might say that the media exaggerates how women are treated here in Saudi. They are wrong. They have never been to even middle class neighborhoods to judge this. They are the ones who mostly make it to the outside and tell the public that nothing is wrong here.

 

15. One blogger in Saudi Arabia was put in detention, as reported by the New York Times. Are you afraid of being put into detention or any similar punishment? Why or why not?

 

(Sarah)

I am very careful about what I post on my blog, so I am not afraid. But then again, I have looked through Fouad's blog and have not seen anything I myself would not post, and that is quite alarming. I pray that he is released soon, I cannot imagine what his family is going through.

 

(Ahmed)

No. Because this is a basic right as a human being. Can't I speak my mind? If I can't, I'd rather be in prison. I never bring politics into the issue, I never discuss religion in an offensive way. I just voice my opinion on my way of life and the challenges I face in this country. So, I don't think it is grounds for any case to be up against me.

 

16. What has been your experience been like growing up? Please share any pleasant or unpleasant experiences or any particular details of your life.

 

(Sarah)

I had a wonderful childhood. I have a wonderful life. Every weekend my father would take us to the desert and we would ride ponies and camels, we'd see hawks in the sky, and we played in sand as soft as flour and it was a beautiful shade of Burnt Sienna. We went swimming every day and then played Super Mario afterwards. I watched Captain Planet every morning, and on Eid my mother took us out to buy all the candy we could eat. I remember I got a Cabbage Patch doll for my 9th birthday and I fell in love with her. I thought the world was magical. I had a great childhood :-) I never thought my childhood was particularly affected by my growing up in Saudi Arabia.

 

(Ahmed)

My father is very liberal and well educated. I have a house, a nice car, a beautiful open minded wife, and a great job. I have no complaints except the usual stuff that comes from human nature. Most of the population is not lucky enough like I am.

 

17. What needs to happen for political, social, or other changes to occur in Saudi Arabia?

 

(Sarah)

Reforms, obviously. It's coming.

 

(Ahmed)

The culture (that hasn't changed a bit for more than 1500 years) must change. If it does not, the people won't.

 

18. What would you like people in the United States to know about Saudi culture?

 

(Sarah)

That it is mostly misrepresented. We are very traditional people, and that within that there is beauty in the culture.

 

(Ahmed)

That it is a totally different ball park. There are many simple things that might offend people here, and the consequences are ridiculous. Lets say you poured coffee to a guest (and if he is one with the culture and very closed minded) if you pour the coffee with your right hand and give it to him with your left, you would expect him to cuss you or throw the coffee in your face or on your clothes.

 

19. You mention on your blog that your country is made famous by oil wells and bin Laden. How does that make you feel?

 

(Sarah)

Misrepresented, lol. Not everyone in the country is a rich terrorist. I wish people would look beyond what the media says. But truthfully, I cannot say I really care about what people think of me or my counrty. I know what I am and who I am... That is enough for me.