http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=110041&d=19&m=5&y=2008
The Middle East's Leading English Language Daily
Monday 19 May 2008 (13 Jumada al-Ula 1429)
Al-Angari Blames Ignorance of Rights for Women's Plight
Hassna'a Mokhtar, Laura Bashraheel & Somayya Jabarti, Arab
News -
JEDDAH, 19 May 2008 - Ignorance, lack of awareness about
their rights and lack of appreciation by society are why Saudi women are in
their current situation.
This was emphasized by Al-Jowhara Al-Angari, vice chairman of
the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) on Saturday night at a meeting
organized by the Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center at the Jeddah Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (JCCI).
Basmah Omair, the center director, introduced Al-Angari and
requested that all mobiles be placed on silent mode.
Al-Angari's wide-ranging discussion covered most aspects
concerning women and she exhorted them to take an active role in making a
difference. "When a door is locked, it is not going to open on its own. You've
got to bang on it, on and on for it to open," said Al-Angari. "Women are
afflicted with ignorance. We can't claim our rights unless we know them."
Al-Angari said that women in Islam have legal, social,
political and civil rights. Islamic tolerance should not be confused with
social norms and traditions. Women in early Islam were recognized as
individuals with rights and voices and they acted accordingly. She illustrated
this with examples from Islamic history. Citing that history, she questioned
where, in comparison, women are today.
"Women pledged allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him).
During the Al-Hudaybiya Treaty, the Prophet asked his wife Umm Salamah for
advice which he later took," added Al-Angari. "Asma bint Abu Bakr (daughter of
one of the Prophet's companions) carried food and water on foot alone to the
Prophet and her father when they took refuge in Thawr Cave, outside Makkah,"
she cited as another example of women's initiative during the Prophet's time.
She urged the almost 600 women present to know their rights
and ask for them.
As Al-Angari continued with the discussion, more women - one
or two with their children - continued to join the session. As she spoke, every
now and then "Bless her" or "May Allah give her life" could be heard among
those seated. The discussion drew women from all levels of society.
In the middle of the discussion, a couple of mobiles rang and
Basmah Omair repeated her request that all mobiles be put on silent mode. At
this point in one of the front rows, an elderly woman whose mobile was
disturbing the meeting fumbled briefly with the phone before asking those
around her to silence her ringing mobile. A mother continuously rocked her
infant to keep her quiet throughout the session in order to benefit from the
discussion. Women sitting beside her were seen to help her in her attempt to
keep the child quiet.
All the women heard Al-Angari mention how Saudi women's
contributions and merits were further reinforced by Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Abdullah's inclusion of women in delegations during his state
visits. The king continuously meets with Saudi women from different fields to
discuss various issues. This is nothing new as far as Muslims are concerned.
During Umar ibn Al-Khattab's reign in 634 AH, Muslim women took the lead in
different ways. He appointed Samra bint Nuhayk Al-Asadiyya as a market
inspector in Makkah and Ash-Shifa bint Abdullah as an administrator of the
market in Madinah. Later, Ash-Shifa was appointed as the head of health and
safety in Basra, Iraq.
In comparison, the current status of Saudi women is far
behind the times. But the situation of women and the discrimination they endure
worldwide is much the same. "One in four women in the world suffers from
physical abuse. One in three women is illiterate and one in two women suffers
from poverty," said Al-Angari. "Women are not paid the same as men for doing
the same job in different parts of the world."
While Saudi women are paid the same as men - this is a law -
they cannot be released from prison without a legal male guardian despite a
Saudi law which states otherwise. "The law says that it is prohibited to delay
the procedure of releasing the prisoners," Al-Angari said, adding that a
prisoner - man or woman - must be released immediately after completing their
sentence.
Al-Angari went on to mention other forms of discrimination
Saudi women are subjected to.
Inheritance laws are not applicable to Saudi women married to
non-Saudi men and their non-Saudi children. Her family, excluding her husband
and children, inherits her assets. Additionally, Saudi women cannot donate
their organs after death without the consent of legal guardians.
Another major problem is that regulations and laws pertaining
to women are not implemented. For example, Al-Angari said, according to Saudi
law, a 45-year-old woman can travel without the presence or the consent of a
legal male guardian. Not only is this not implemented, it is not even publicly
known. "The reason why women are so ignorant of their rights is because they
are not taught their rights in schools," said Al-Angari.
Aside from the lack of implementation and knowledge of the
laws, she attributed problem areas to some of the regulations themselves.
"33.60 percent of the civil status issues that we receive in NSHR show that
there is a deficiency in some regulations," Al-Angari explained.
"A mother of four girls went to her husband who was in jail
for drug abuse and possession. She wanted his consent so she could get a job.
The husband refused. She then went to the judge, filing for 'khula' (divorce by
redemption). The judge ordered that she return the dowry," said Al-Angari,
wondering aloud how the woman could get the money for the "khula" when, in the
first place, she was in search of a job because she had no money.
During the discussion, one woman raised the issue of men
using the family card to buy shares and conduct business projects in the name
of their wives without the wives' knowledge. To that, Al-Angari said: "A civil
family code should be established and handed to every woman when her
identification card is issued in order to inform her of her rights. This is a
system implemented in many Arab countries."
When a woman touched upon the issue of many holding premium
accounts in banks, Basmah Omair responded that for a woman to invest, she must
appoint a male representative who has power of attorney. Unfortunately, there
are many cases when the power of attorney is abused; hence many women prefer to
keep their money in their bank accounts. She then emphasized that the Khadijah
Bint Khuwailid Center provided legal assistance for women investors in drawing
up a specified power of attorney which does not give absolute power to the
representative.
Another woman said that she had many friends formerly married
to educated and open-minded men. However, their husbands deprived the women of
their children - custody and visitation rights - after divorce. "Islamically,
this isn't correct," she said and then quoted a verse from the Qur'an: "No soul
shall have imposed upon it a duty but to the extent of its capacity; neither
shall a mother be made to suffer harm on account of her child, nor a father on
account of his child, and a similar duty (devolves) on the (father's) heir."
Throughout the meeting, Al-Angari emphasized the
responsibility and obligation women have to themselves and each other. The
meeting ended with many women asking that men also be educated about women's
rights.
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