Comments on: ‘No!’ to Saudi Women as Maids http://xrdarabia.org/2010/03/21/no-to-saudi-women-as-maids/ Informed comment and commentary about Saudi Arabia, reform, and its relations with the US Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:04:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Solomon2 http://xrdarabia.org/2010/03/21/no-to-saudi-women-as-maids/comment-page-1/#comment-29867 Solomon2 Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:49:06 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=9984#comment-29867 <i>Some sort of extreme Hardship, i’m afraid, like any hardship that faced any civilization modern or ancient before they rose and flourished...I really hope my views are wrong and that there are other means to cure a society. what do you think Solomon?</i> First, that such hardships can be manipulated. We just saw that in the past year in Pakistan, when the ruling class, just to teach the little people a lesson, permitted the Taliban to take over the province of Swat for a time so people could experience for themselves what Taliban justice was like. Something like a quarter million people fled into internal exile. Other than kicking the Taliban out, nothing new has been promised and nothing new delivered to the populace. When the French Revolution occurred, the imprisoned King Louis XVI did not shake his fist at the failing farms and fields of his country and declare, "This has ruined France!" - for famines and failed harvests and worse had happened before, without lasting political effect. No, he shook his fist at busts of Voltaire and Rousseau and declared, "<b>YOU</b> have ruined France!" "Hardship" isn't the essence for real political change. New ideas are. And new ideas can only come from individuals willing to face argument and ridicule. Their ideas are often ignored in good times and catch on quicker in bad times, but they can spread in good times or bad. Some sort of extreme Hardship, i’m afraid, like any hardship that faced any civilization modern or ancient before they rose and flourished…I really hope my views are wrong and that there are other means to cure a society. what do you think Solomon?

First, that such hardships can be manipulated. We just saw that in the past year in Pakistan, when the ruling class, just to teach the little people a lesson, permitted the Taliban to take over the province of Swat for a time so people could experience for themselves what Taliban justice was like. Something like a quarter million people fled into internal exile. Other than kicking the Taliban out, nothing new has been promised and nothing new delivered to the populace.

When the French Revolution occurred, the imprisoned King Louis XVI did not shake his fist at the failing farms and fields of his country and declare, “This has ruined France!” – for famines and failed harvests and worse had happened before, without lasting political effect. No, he shook his fist at busts of Voltaire and Rousseau and declared, “YOU have ruined France!”

“Hardship” isn’t the essence for real political change. New ideas are. And new ideas can only come from individuals willing to face argument and ridicule. Their ideas are often ignored in good times and catch on quicker in bad times, but they can spread in good times or bad.

]]> By: olive princess28 http://xrdarabia.org/2010/03/21/no-to-saudi-women-as-maids/comment-page-1/#comment-29799 olive princess28 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:30:32 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=9984#comment-29799 as this article so vividly yet painfully points proves, saudi is still a nation of tribes which is intellectually backwards, and primitive in structure. as this article so vividly yet painfully points proves, saudi is still a nation of tribes which is intellectually backwards, and primitive in structure.

]]> By: Daisy http://xrdarabia.org/2010/03/21/no-to-saudi-women-as-maids/comment-page-1/#comment-29762 Daisy Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:53:45 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=9984#comment-29762 Mishly, I agree with you. Mishly,
I agree with you.

]]> By: Mishly http://xrdarabia.org/2010/03/21/no-to-saudi-women-as-maids/comment-page-1/#comment-29741 Mishly Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:47:39 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=9984#comment-29741 Hi Anon, Work is explicitly and precisely considered a way of worshipping God in Islam. There's a saying by profit Mohamad telling his companions "work in this world like you're living for eternity, and work for your afterlife like you're dying tomorrow" and in another he said "if the end of this world is upon you and you're holding a seedling in your hand then you shall plant it in the earth". Earning living through any decent work no matter how menial or how prestigious is essential in Islam which dignified and strictly equated between all people, kings and peasants. However Islam and "Muslims" are clearly not on the same page in Saudi and many other Muslim countries as well. Hi Anon,
Work is explicitly and precisely considered a way of worshipping God in Islam. There’s a saying by profit Mohamad telling his companions “work in this world like you’re living for eternity, and work for your afterlife like you’re dying tomorrow” and in another he said “if the end of this world is upon you and you’re holding a seedling in your hand then you shall plant it in the earth”.
Earning living through any decent work no matter how menial or how prestigious is essential in Islam which dignified and strictly equated between all people, kings and peasants. However Islam and “Muslims” are clearly not on the same page in Saudi and many other Muslim countries as well.

]]> By: Daisy http://xrdarabia.org/2010/03/21/no-to-saudi-women-as-maids/comment-page-1/#comment-29738 Daisy Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:26:49 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=9984#comment-29738 Anonymous, Besides, don't forget that Islam is supposed to treat all humans as equal. There is not supposed to be this racist attitude in Muslims. Anonymous,
Besides, don’t forget that Islam is supposed to treat all humans as equal. There is not supposed to be this racist attitude in Muslims.

]]> By: anonymous http://xrdarabia.org/2010/03/21/no-to-saudi-women-as-maids/comment-page-1/#comment-29733 anonymous Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:13:17 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=9984#comment-29733 What Daisy said. Most Muslims don't have a problem with work. Saudis are an enigma in this regard. I find it arrogant and racists to imply that non-Saudi women can "humiliate" themselves with a day of honest work but that this is above the "divine" race known as the Saudis. After all, look at everything Saudi women have contributed to the world! We should all be in awe! What Daisy said. Most Muslims don’t have a problem with work. Saudis are an enigma in this regard. I find it arrogant and racists to imply that non-Saudi women can “humiliate” themselves with a day of honest work but that this is above the “divine” race known as the Saudis.

After all, look at everything Saudi women have contributed to the world! We should all be in awe!

]]> By: Daisy http://xrdarabia.org/2010/03/21/no-to-saudi-women-as-maids/comment-page-1/#comment-29715 Daisy Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:56:10 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=9984#comment-29715 Ahmad, That's because they are getting their money without much effort. After the oil finishes in a couple of decades, Saudi Arabia will come round. Ahmad,
That’s because they are getting their money without much effort. After the oil finishes in a couple of decades, Saudi Arabia will come round.

]]> By: Ahmad Mishly http://xrdarabia.org/2010/03/21/no-to-saudi-women-as-maids/comment-page-1/#comment-29708 Ahmad Mishly Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:56:33 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=9984#comment-29708 Hi Solomon, People in Saudi resist change (please tolerate the generalization in this context, we all agree that there's always the good and the bad, but let's think who's overpowering whom?). The government is for change and for modernization, and uplifting the society to the 21st century globalized world standards, they invest hugely in developing the people and economic infrastructure. But the people are not as dedicated to development, they resist change, fiercely sometimes. They would like to indulge themselves in "traditions" that require no much intellectual effort to accept or reject, they just simply go by the norms. Something should shake up this lifestyle. Some sort of extreme Hardship, i'm afraid, like any hardship that faced any civilization modern or ancient before they rose and flourished. I believe curing a whole society and fixing a whole nation require more than PR awareness campaigns or building infrastructure. It's about fixing the will of the humans and urge every individual to rise and change from within. I really hope my views are wrong and that there are other means to cure a society. what do you think Solomon? Hi Solomon,

People in Saudi resist change (please tolerate the generalization in this context, we all agree that there’s always the good and the bad, but let’s think who’s overpowering whom?). The government is for change and for modernization, and uplifting the society to the 21st century globalized world standards, they invest hugely in developing the people and economic infrastructure. But the people are not as dedicated to development, they resist change, fiercely sometimes. They would like to indulge themselves in “traditions” that require no much intellectual effort to accept or reject, they just simply go by the norms.

Something should shake up this lifestyle. Some sort of extreme Hardship, i’m afraid, like any hardship that faced any civilization modern or ancient before they rose and flourished. I believe curing a whole society and fixing a whole nation require more than PR awareness campaigns or building infrastructure. It’s about fixing the will of the humans and urge every individual to rise and change from within.

I really hope my views are wrong and that there are other means to cure a society. what do you think Solomon?

]]> By: Solomon2 http://xrdarabia.org/2010/03/21/no-to-saudi-women-as-maids/comment-page-1/#comment-29702 Solomon2 Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:43:18 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=9984#comment-29702 "Islam has curbed the extreme paradoxes in such societies, but it will never be fulfilled without major events that slap people out of their tribal nests and adopt human reason, honesty and decency..." What sort of "major events" do you have in mind, Ahmad? “Islam has curbed the extreme paradoxes in such societies, but it will never be fulfilled without major events that slap people out of their tribal nests and adopt human reason, honesty and decency…”

What sort of “major events” do you have in mind, Ahmad?

]]> By: NielsC http://xrdarabia.org/2010/03/21/no-to-saudi-women-as-maids/comment-page-1/#comment-29699 NielsC Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:43:50 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=9984#comment-29699 You often get the impression, that some Saudi imams doesn't know there is a world outside. You often get the impression, that some Saudi imams doesn’t know there is a world outside.

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