There sure are some haters in Saudi Arabia.
Tariq Al-Maeena offers a collection of the comments he’s received on the issue of women’s driving. The comments are pretty startling in their fear, misogyny, and spite toward women—even comments by women. Some days, looking forward to the end of the world seems to make sense…
May:28:2011 - 06:43 | Comments & Trackbacks (16) | Permalink
16 Responses to “Just, Wow!”
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
May:28:2011 - 07:21
I found this comment rather enlightening:
“Jamshaid says: Who cares or gives a hoot? There are more important issues in the world than driving for Saudi women. Let them fend for themselves. If you do not oppress women they become like obnoxious American women who boss, dominate and degrade men. Men should stop empowering women as when they do this they give away/deplete their own power. Keep in mind that all ‘Women Rights’ are at the expense of ‘Men Rights’.”
Apparently some of that hate is exported:
http://www.floridatoday.com/comments/article/20110527/NEWS01/105270323/Prosecutors-charge-alleged-spitting-Saudi-woman-hate-crime-charges
May:28:2011 - 07:24
@ Lola,
I was just going to comment on Jamshaid quote. I hope the negative comments in the Arab News is NOT the common denominator in KSA. Crazy world isn’t it lately.
Yes, John, it seems the ‘end of world’ is rearing its’ ugly head.
May:28:2011 - 09:23
Saudis have been trying to cover up their mistreatment of women for decades but it is ALLL Coming to Light.
Should it not be surprising that a lot of Saudi people believe that a woman’s purpose is to STAY at home and bear children. She should not have any wants beyond that…
Some take that to the extreme like a contest of who hasn’t left her home in a race of piousness.
Saudi women under the current system of governance in the K.S.A. are nearly identical to that of the status of women and wives in Ancient Greece 800-500 B.C. I laugh when I look at all the pamphlets I received on Islam empowering women. Islam may have empowered women but the Saudi government hasn’t.
http://webpage.pace.edu/nreagin/F2004WS267/AnnaCho/finalHISTORY.html
“The social life of women in ancient Greece often mirrored the submissive female image. Women were restricted from participating in outside events in which men were involved. Since “working out of doors,” was perceived as a place for women to become “potential prey of rapists and seducers” (Pomeroy, p. 21), women were confined indoors. The house was considered a secure place; however, inside the home, women were often raped by their own husbands. A social life for a female was only achieved in boundaries “within her husband’s house and the domain of his power” (Lacey, p. 153). This indicated that a woman was permitted to socialize outside her home if her husband granted her permission and if her husband held a high position or authority in society. While men were outside the house, trading, hunting and working the fields, “women remained in their houses” (Lacey, p. 168). The majority of activities girls were involved in were “basically domestic” (Demand, p. 10).
Females were occupied with nurturing their children and carrying out household duties. Restricted and secluded within the household, women were compared to “mere adolescents” (Pomeroy, p. 21). Living and working in the home, various responsibilities were imposed on women: “the functions of wife and mother that women had always performed were now construed as a necessity and a duty” (Arthur, p. 85). The two primary functions for women of the 4th century, were child-bearer and housewife.
Bearing children, one of the main roles of women, was especially demanding and stressful. It was distressing because women were not given a choice about carrying on their family’s name. If a mother did not give birth to a male child, her daughter would be compelled to carry on the responsibility of producing a make heir: “When there is no son, a daughter can prevent the extinction of the oikos by producing a son” herself (Pomeroy, p. 25). Giving birth to a girl was seen as an embarrassment and disgrace. After giving birth to a daughter, a mother would “turn her head away” from her husband “in shame” (Demand, p. 6). A father would not even consider his own daughters as his children: “men often do not count daughters when asked how many children they have” (Demand, p. 6). Females were neglected and looked down upon starting the day they were born. The strain and pressure of carrying on the name of the oikos, a household, lead to the following several appalling situations.”
Are females on Saudi family trees? NOOOOOOOOO
May:28:2011 - 10:09
http://freethoughtnation.com/contributing-writers/63-acharya-s/535-pakistani-muslim-rapist-admits-women-have-no-rights-or-opinions-in-islam.html
“He said that he had the right to do exactly as he wanted to a woman. Why? Because that is how it was in his religion. Women did not have rights or opinions. He was in charge.”
“Islam teaches utter disrespect for women, who are mere possessions of savage men, to be raped whenever the beasts feel like it. At least this rapist admitted that fact of Islamic misogyny and sexism, which should be obvious to anyone with eyes to see.”
“Women are your fields: go, then, into your fields whence you please.” Quran 2:223
May:28:2011 - 11:15
@Sparky
Remember that the Amazon Woman hails from Ancient Greece!!
As Churchill once said, “Where there is hope, there is glory”.
May:28:2011 - 11:45
I find it interesting that people keep mentioning how any woman that drives without a driving license is breaking the law..and shame on her. Saudi men (or should I say boys) break that law all the time. You can see very young boys driving cars, some of them with their mothers or sisters sitting right next to them, and nobody bats an eye. A lot of the grown men dont have licenses as well. This is true for Bahrain as well because the procedure for getting a license is a huge chaotic mess that has everyone in an uproar. (just read the gulf daily news letters page any day of th week usually). If Saudi women do get behind the wheel without a license they are no different than many others…but of course will be treated like criminals none the less to make a point.
May:29:2011 - 00:07
Guys God spoke to my heart this morning. He gave me a message.
He said, “Child I want you to do something for me.” and I said, “what”. He said, “I want you to go out there and drive, no I want you to go out there and fuking drive.” I said, “oh no God you said fuk.” He said, “I am King. I am God. I have created all. I can say what the F I want.” He then went on to say,
“Take your husband’s EGAL and raise it with your left hand and if any man, woman or child approaches you are to say ‘Allah who Akbar, Allah who Akbar that’s right Allah who Fuking Akbar”
May:29:2011 - 00:20
Lola @ 4 I wouldn’t take the words of a rapist to heart. I can assure you that many men I know are not being taught Islam in that manner. That is his miscontrued and demented twisted mentality and he has used Islam as a scapegoat.
Men may go into the fields when he pleases but if the field isn’t ready he may require astroglide
It is pretty much understood that men can have sex with their spouse when they need to but walking into a field doesn’t necessarily mean he will get laid. If he forcefully takes it from her (even if its his wife), then in my opinion he has violated her and himself.
I have to look up that verse. It’s the first time I have seen it. Perhaps we should call in our Islamic Scholar Jay Kactus.
May:29:2011 - 03:39
“Believers, take neither the Jews nor the Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number. God does not guide the wrong-doers.” Quran 5:51
“Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal firmly with them. Know that God is with the righteous.” Quran 9:123
“Muhammad is God’s apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another.” Quran 48:29
May:29:2011 - 05:52
Lola #4
The verse you have mentioned, actually in a very simple and very elegant way explains the ethics of human sexual intecouse, in light of what is allowed and what is not, but there always will be people who will only understand things illustrated by means of kamasutra photoes and videos.
If we are to reach to somewhere, First of all we must let aside our prejudice and bias against each other, otherwise there is no hope, thought I know that human beings are fated to fight each other, over one thing or another.
English sources that explains the Quran are limited and the latitude to campare between explanations is very tight, but i have found a link for you, that might explains very well that verse, of course if explanation was actually your hunt and objective in the first place.
http://www.answering-christianity.com/anal_sex.htm
Saudi men bossing women is a big lie, actually Saudi men prostrate between the legs of their women more often than they prostrate before Almighty God, they rarely leave any wish of their women unrealized,and the few rights that saudi women are short of is either legal,semi legal, otherwise waudi women just few decades ago used to do all the hard work, from gatering fire wood in desert (not forest), grazing sheep,preparing food,bearing babies and growing them, bringing water from just few Kilometers away on foot, and when there was time to spare she had to make tents out of camel hair,those days men the only thing men did was to give their women a good massage at night,it is only in saudi arabia that now they prevent her from doing all that, all other Arabs who live hard lives actually let women do all the hard jobs it is her right by birth to them,let her do everthing.
May:29:2011 - 07:44
Those verses in the Quran have context for which they were revealed. It could just as well have been that the infidels revealed in that verse were “specific” infidels of the time and not to be applied universally. I haven’t been one to follow those who have a habit of quoting a verse and claiming it as an absolute dictate or truth and there are plenty of others who can vouch for the same.
Those without faith “infidels” could be just as easily be those who keep me opppressed those who ally themselves with abusive oppressors! Such quotes whether Quran or Tsa Zu can be used and manipulated however one wishes to cook them up.
My family are non-muslims. Some of the best people are non-Muslims. Do some Muslims believe and adhere to that quote sure there are and sure they are many who don’t. Just as the old testament has some absurd verses esp. ones of collecting foreskin trophies. Do all Christians or Jews take that to heart all the verses of the scripture esp the screwy ones? Of course not…Many Muslims still do (more recent faith, region has been more isolated from the rest of the world) because they take the Quran either
1. Out of Context or
2. Too literally and suffer much as a side effect.
May:29:2011 - 08:34
Majed: You might want to ask around about that prohibition on anal sex. If it were true, then an awful lot of Saudis would be in serious trouble.
May:29:2011 - 10:00
““The social life of women in ancient Greece often mirrored the submissive female image. Women were restricted from participating in outside events in which men were involved.”
Will Durant in his History of Civlization noted that Arabs only started secluding and veiling their women when Muslims conquered Greek Syria, where this was the custom.
May:29:2011 - 10:13
Mr. Jhon,
In my comment #10,I put that link just because it contained what exactly 2:223 verse means, not because I wanted to say anything about Christianity or about that sickening action.
As for the sickness you have mentioned in your comment #12, I had written once somewhere may be on your blog or Chiara ‘s that this problem is there and on large scale not only with wives but often with men and boys,I assure you all those criminals, many of whom are whose beards might be reaching their belly buttons admit it is Haram (prohibited), yet they do it, only few outcast Islamic schools shyly and vaguely allow it in specific conditions, yet there are increasing number of people who are so fond of that, are citing and passing around unauthenticated incidences and people in favor of it, to pass the lie as truth, you are a diplomat you know those techniques.
May:29:2011 - 12:36
@11 btw my American family non Muslim and Saudi family Muslim
May:30:2011 - 16:12
@13
Hi Solomon,
Who is the intelligent one – the human who strives to build that which must perish, or the one who strives to build that which will endure? Thank you, I was very pleased you mentioned Durant’s body of work.
Mr Durant was accused of not writing from a harmonious point of view and that the volumns lacked correlation. I believe he/she was closer to their pursuit of a “constant search for truth”. Often both he and his beloved wife who was the co-author were, by the opinion of some, caught in areas of contradiction in that they saw the effect yet denied the cause. I think a mistake has been in how some people critiqued this body of work, either from a Jewish or Christian view.
Though Will Durant actually concluded that God does not exist, he, in-fact in the same breath concluded God did. Yet he or Arial didn’t realise it. So yes, there is a basis of contradiction His/her views were not from a self acclaimed atheist’s point of view but that from what is labelled as Pantheism.
As this Pulitzer Prize Winner Philosopher/Historian once said, “I find in the universe so many forms of order, organization, system, laws, and adjustments, which I believe in a cosmic intelligence. I conceive God as the life, mind, order, and law of the world. … We are drops of water trying to understand the sea.”
Back in the early 80’s , on my birthday after flying out of L.A , Ariel died and 2 weeks later her husband, Will Durant joined her. They left humanity a gift .their body of work, “The Story of Civilisations”. What a wonderful birthday present that was.
P.s About veiled Greek women. …
If they were all veiled this would have been evident in the art from the Archaic, High Classical or Hellenistic period. The Black and White period or the Red period shows no evidence, from what I know. However, I may be wrong. Women were mainly depicted with the draping of the cloth over their bodies and/or heads, not the face.
They would have had their styles of fashion too and the veil not only served aesthetic purposes but functioned as an early form of a hat; keeping the sun out.
Fashion, like education reflects a society.
Now during the High Classical period women became aware of the attractive nature of clothing and began to wear the peplos, a chiton, or a himation that revealed the voluptuous nature of the body. This is evident in the medium of sculpture and terracotta images from the Red, Black and White period. It is evident in the frescos and mosaics. However, there are some mediums where women were veiled over the face, but this was rare. Maybe this was a fashion amongst the elite or some entertainers of the time.
It actually was an interesting time in Ancient Greece. No wonder the birth of the Amazon Women hailed from there! Now that saids alot about the society and attitudes towards women. Heres to feminism!!