Civil Disobedience MLA Essay
Women in Saudi Arabia are treated as second-class citizens, or humans for that matter, and some have had enough. Women are not allowed to go anywhere or do anything without a male relative’s permission. Women are not allowed to have access to healthcare, testify in court, or hold a job without this same permission (Mark). Women in Saudi Arabia were not allowed to drive cars before September 2017. Currently, women are not allowed to ride bicycles without restrictions, and women across Saudi Arabia are starting to fight back for their freedom to have an independent form of transportation. Saudi laws restrict women to riding bicycles in “designated, recreational areas,” and they must have a male relative with them,
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This ban had been in place since 1990 (Women). But the restrictions were put in place and did not allow women to actually be able to cycle seriously: with the intent of going from point A to point B. Protesters include women such as Baraah Luhaid, creator of Spokes Hub, Saudi Arabia’s first cycling community and business for both men and women (Hemery). Luhaid wanted to create a place for women to take cycling workshops and receive bicycle services, but she is not even allowed to enter her own business. Her brother has to run the business because their services can only be offered legally to men, and it is a place where women cannot congregate. However, she finds ways to offer services to women- sometimes even out of the back of a van (Hemery). Another key protester is Ndima Abul-Enein, who started the first team of women cyclists in 2015 (Women). This protest is not trying to only address the need for more rights for Saudi women regarding cycling, but more rights for Saudi women in …show more content…
Other countries such as Iran have issued an Islamic fatwa that officially bans women from riding bikes, stating, “If a male sees a woman in the act of riding a bicycle he would be exposed to her body physique, which will cause him to be aroused” (Iranian). Some in Saudi Arabia feel the same, and believe that women should be more conservative, even when they are fully covered head-to-toe. Baraah Luhaid regularly experiences verbal assault when she bikes. She says that people “regularly roll down their windows and shout insults and she is routinely stopped by the police.” (Hemery). Soon after Saudi women were granted the right to bicycle, religious authorities “advised women on their bikes to steer clear from areas with youth rallies” in order to avoid violence and confrontation with protesters (On). Although the ban for Saudi women riding bicycles has technically been lifted, it is the societal expectations of women that are causing protests and backlash of women
The article “My Body Is My Own Business” by Naheed Mustafa is about an Islamic women’s principle that putting on her usual headscarf, or Hijab, actually empowers her as a female, contrary to the popular principle that the hijab represents male oppressiveness. She ex...
Women’s rights in the Middle East are being restricted, therefore there are many different reactions. Some people were in favor of women having equal rights while there are some who are against women to have the same rights. Since before times, many countries in the Middle East have been taking women for granted and minimized their rights by telling them they can't do something or selling them as if they were prized. When women were treated as prizes it was a practice in Afghanistan called Ba’ad that used women as the compensation, for example a story of a girl named Sakina. She was a consolation prize so that her brother could marry a woman and the Jirga system told her she had to marry a 80 year old guy when she was like 18. This tells me
For some women wearing a veil is not something that is forced on them but rather a choice of their own. Martha Nussbaum and Maysan Haydar are both authors that try to explain their reasoning that veiling isn't an oppressive tool used against women. Martha Nussbaum's article “Veiled Threats”, is a political and philosophical take on why banning the burqa is a violation of human rights. On the other hand Maysan Haydar’s article “Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering”, is a more humorous and personal take on why veiling shouldn't be as judged or stereotyped. Though Nussbaum and Haydar have equal goals this essay is being used to understand the main argument, claims and whether or not each article has any weaknesses.
Ever pass by Muslim woman in a hijab at the mall or park and think how oppressive and restraining her culture must be? Maysan Haydar, a New York social worker who practices the Muslim tradition of veiling, believes otherwise. In her article, “Veiled Intentions: Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering,” Haydar highlights on her experiences as a Muslim living in an American culture, where showing more skin is the “norm.” Haydar speaks specifically to a crowd who unconsciously makes assumptions about certain Muslim practices, in hopes of sharing the truth behind them. Haydar suggests that, contrary to popular belief, not all Muslim women cover themselves strictly as an “oppressive” religious practice, but that some women, like herself, find
Women have always been thought of as something that needed to be controlled in Muslim culture. Their bodies are a source of shame that must be covered during prayer and also in the public (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 3). Veiling, done by a hijab or chador, is when women either wear a headscarf to cover themselves or they wear a veil that covers their entire body, excluding her hands and eyes (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 1; Mir-Hosseini 2003: 41; Berger 1998: 93; Smith-Hefner 2007: 390-391; Brenner 1996: 674; El Guindi 1999: 6). Veiling is used as a tool for oppression. By having women veil themselves, it enforces the control by the male run and male dominated society (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 7). Also, the punishment for women appearing without a veil transitioned as the concept of veiling was addressed, transitioning from seventy-four lashes, to being arrested and held between ten days and two months for being “immodest” women and offending public morality, or fined 50,000 to 500,000 rials (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 8). The oppression of veiling is perpetuated through the thought that it is a woman’s religious duty to wear one, condemning foreigners and women in society if they refuse. Although it is a tool for oppression, there was resistance the oppression. In ...
... and threats of violence against her. Fighting an unjust system is hard enough, but women’s emancipation is still on the wrong side of popular opinion in the still deeply conservative kingdom. And though progress has been made; the first female Saudi athletes at the 2012 Olympics and the promise of Women to participate in 2015 municipal elections, the progress is slow.
Saudi Arabia is commonly known for its strict moral values and customs regarding religion and women. Gender discrimination is a global conflict, but it is prevalently seen in Saudi Arabia. Gender discrimination is so poignant in Saudi Arabia because there are strict sets of moral guidelines and ideologies that Saudi Arabian culture implements on its people. Although Saudi Arabian men impose restrictions on women for the sake of upholding their cultural beliefs and family’s honor, there is no doubt that Saudi Arabian culture is male dominated and holds misogynistic views on women, but progress is being made. Firstly, gender discrimination is not an exclusive feature of Saudi Arabia, but it is a more outwardly visible problem there.
Having equality rights allows for the acceptance of the diversity in human beings as well as granting them with the feeling of equality towards others under the equality rights from as imposed in the Charter. Discrimination against women is currently occurring in Saudi Arabia, where women driving are frowned upon and if authorities catch sight of women driving they stop them whereas men are allowed to drive freely. This demonstrates the oppression of women due to the fact that them being independent is seen as inappropriate and that women must be escorted by a man at all times, for their supposed protection and order in keeping the men in higher ranking as the authority over women. Equality rights eliminated stereotypes against women and revolutionized women’s freedom to be seen as equals to men, which signifies that women hold the same amount of importance as men do which aids in society as a whole and encourages all individuals to be
Middle Eastern women need to stand up for their rights and get educated to reverse the notion that they are servants and properties of their men. Furthermore, they need to rise up to their potentials and prove beyond doubt that they are equal to men. This practice would lead the path for future generations to follow and protect the inalienable rights of women. Finally, these women need to break the cycle of oppression by addressing these deeply rooted beliefs, gaining the tools to fight back, and joining forces to make lifelong changes.
Deeb, Mary-Jane. Freedom House. Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa-Oman, 2010. http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=179 (accessed August 14, 2010)
Penny documented her experience at a women’s march in Egypt, after interviewing after obtaining views of the social injustices occurring in this region. The very similar infrastructure for these texts allows one to easily draw connections. Both article and novel can be connected through the familiar settings of the authors, the techniques used to convey the situation of Egypt, and the direct intentions that the authors held and ultimately saw into fruition. The first essential means by which the writings can be connected is through the settings of both the authors and the writings presented. Some basic research by both Nawal El Saadawi and Laurie Penny will expose the underlying beliefs held by both authors, namely feminism, or essential human rights in general.
Wearing the burqa and veil by Muslim women in France has become a controversial topic. The burqa and veil are recognized in France as a conflicti...
As most people know, Saudi Arabia is one of the most if not the most conservative country in the world, and the only country that prevents women from the right of driving. However, things are about to change as a group of activists launched a campaign called "October 26 driving". Basically, this campaign encourages all women to just get in the car and drive on October 26th. This campaign has started a huge debate whether women should drive in Saudi Arabia or not.
The role and place of Women in Islam has changed drastically, in a positive way, over the past millennium: the changes can be greatly attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, and the Qur’an. To understand the changes in women’s rights and freedoms, one must understand their role and place before Islam was created, which happened in the Arabia Peninsula, now Saudi Arabia (Angha). Before Islam was formed women lacked many of the basic human rights, and they were treated as more of a burden in their culture then someone who should be respected, but that is not the case today. Though women in Islam have gained many rights, there is still some controversy over whether or not women are still being oppressed and treated like second class citizens compared
“Women’s human security rights in the Arab world: on nobody's agenda.” 50.50 Inclusive Democracy, 2 Dec. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.