Oppression in the Name of Allah: Women’s Rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

  • Anmari Meerkotter

Abstract

On 17 May 2011 history was made in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (the Kingdom): Manal al-Sharif defied the driving ban that had been strictly observed for decades. To add insult to injury, she posted a video of the event on the video-sharing website YouTube. Manal al-Sharif commanded the attention of the world and has become a symbol for the emancipation of Islamic women.[1] The issue of female subjugation and women’s rights within Islamic countries has once again been brought into the global spotlight. The growing significance of human rights and poor treatment of women is increasingly creating tension within Arab countries. The actions of Manal al-Sharif and women like her are evidence of the growing dissatisfaction with the perception of women as inferior to men.


This article explores the situation of Islamic women in these Arab countries, devoting particular attention to Saudi Arabia.[2] While the Kingdom does not represent a standard situation, it is the hallmark of Islamic countries due to its strict adherence to Islamic law. A more focused approach will also allow for a detailed, contextualised investigation of the issue. This article enquires into the source of the inferior status of Islamic women. A further analysis of human rights as a concept and its effect, if any, on the position of women in Saudi Arabian society will also be discussed.


 


[1] G Adams ‘Manal al-Sharif: “They Just Messed with the Wrong Womanâ€â€™ (2012) The Independent available at <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/manal-alsharif-they-just-messed-with-the-wrong-woman-7778800.html#>; ‘Manal al-Sharif: A Driving Force for Change’ (2013) available at <http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/ManalAl-Sharifadrivingforceforchange.aspx> accessed 8 march 2014.


[2] See VM Moghadam ‘Towards gender equality in the Arab/Middle East Region: Islam, gender and feminism’ 2004 Human Development Report Office Occasional Paper 20. It cannot be denied that non-Islamic women too face difficulties, including the deprivation of the free expression of their cultural and religious identities.. It must be stated at the outset, however, that the focus of this piece is the position of Muslim women in Arab nation. As such, any reference to “women†denotes Islamic women.

Published
May 1, 2014
How to Cite
MEERKOTTER, Anmari. Oppression in the Name of Allah: Women’s Rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Inkundla, [S.l.], may 2014. Available at: <https://inkundlajournal.org/index.php/inkundla/article/view/18>. Date accessed: 29 mar. 2024.
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Articles