Saudi Women and Hypocrisy

In Saudi Arabia, there are many restrictions on what women can and cannot do, can and cannot wear. In fact, their lives are restricted in a myriad of ways that does not occur in many other Arab Muslim lands. And, while people are generally obedient while in that nation, there are many rules that they abandon once they leave.

This raises the question: if the rules are religious and an important part of Islam, shouldn't they be obeyed everywhere? That's the issue addressed by Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi in the Arab News:

We have to synchronize our beliefs, behavior and attitude. If we believe in our religion and culture, then Allah is everywhere. We cannot pray five times a day in Saudi Arabia, and then skip even Friday prayers abroad. We shouldn’t cover hands and toes at home, and wear shorts when we are away.

If working in a mixed environment is allowed in Islam, then it should be permitted inside the Kingdom as well as outside. Why may families mix freely in London, but not in Riyadh? Why can women drive in Bahrain, but not in nearby Dammam? How come we let them study in Dubai in mixed schools, but won’t give them the same right in Jeddah?

Batarfi seems to believe that the rules should be imposed universally, regardless of where Saudi women go. I agree — but whereas he seems to think that all of the rules are valid, I would say that they are not. The fact that they are not required in even neighboring Muslim lands indicates that the rules stem from a particular culture, a particular conception of Islam. They aren't necessary to Islam, something with which many Saudis obviously agree, otherwise they wouldn't ignore the rules when they go abroad.

 

Read More:

• Islam
• News About Islam
• Islam and Politics
• Islam and the Koran
• Women in Islam
• Wahhabi Islam
• Religion in Saudi Arabia