Saudi women unveil opinions online

[Socod_badne]

Saudi women unveil opinions online

 

 

By Rasheed Abou-Alsamh, Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor Mon Jun 19, 4:00 AM ET

 

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - In this country where women are forced to completely cover themselves in public, are barred from driving, and need permission to travel abroad, it's small wonder many are embracing the freedom of anonymity on the Internet.

 

As Internet usage continues to climb here, so do the numbers of women who have started Web logs, or blogs, to express themselves in ways they might never do in public.

 

"I love blogging because it helps me to express myself and I like to write in English," says Farah Aziz, a translation student at King Saud University in Riyadh who started blogging in January 2005.

 

The content of Ms. Aziz's blog (http://farahssowaleef.blogspot.com), which chronicles the life of a college student, would probably do little to cause alarm among government censors. But other women bloggers are drawing the attention of the state as well conservative male bloggers who have taken to policing the Internet for bloggers acting in ways that they perceive as inappropriate according to Islam.

 

Saudi Eve, who regularly writes about her love life and religion, and who declined to be identified by her real name because of the sensitivity of the issue, woke up on June 2 to find that her blog (http://eveksa.blogspot.com) had been blocked.

 

"Back and blocked," she wrote on her blog on June 2. "I'm temporarily back in Saudi only to find that 'Saudi Eve is officially blocked in Saudi.' "

 

The closure of her site signals the beginning of a cyber battle between liberal Saudi bloggers and their more conservative counterparts.

 

Blogging under the name Green Tea (http://www.g-tea.com/), Riyadh law student Mohammed al-Mossaed recently formed a conservative group of Saudi bloggers called the Official Community of Saudi Arabian Bloggers (OCSAB). "I am not responsible for the blocking of any website," says Mr. Mossaed. "OCSAB also has nothing to do with it. Maybe [saudi Eve] broke [the state's] rules by sometimes talking about God and sex."

 

Response and sympathy from fellow bloggers was swift, with many urging the Kingdom's Internet watchdog, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), to unblock the site.

 

Deeply conservative, Saudi Arabia is among the most restrictive countries in regard to Internet access in the world, with most traffic going through a central hub at KACST in Riyadh. The biggest number of sites blocked are pornographic sites, followed by sites that discuss drugs, religion, and terrorism. But KACST itself admits that it sometimes blocks benign sites by mistake.

 

"The blacklist we use is a combination of an international commercial blacklist and a local blacklist," says Mishaal Al-Kadhi, the head of KACST's Internet Service Unit, in a phone interview from Riyadh. "Ninety-five percent of blocked sites are pornographic. But we do make mistakes sometimes and urge people to e-mail us with their unblock requests."

 

Saudi Eve, who is in her late 20s, single, and often travels abroad on business, says she was singled out for being female and for daring to write about her love life and God in the same post.

 

"My blog wasn't blocked because I wrote about romantic escapades, for as you know there are so many blogs on the Internet – both Saudi and non-Saudi – that write/blog about 'romantic escapades' among other Saudi taboos but aren't being blocked in Saudi," she said an e-mail exchange.

 

"In my opinion, my blog was singled out and blocked because I – a Saudi female – wrote about romantic escapades in Arabic, plus I committed the 'ultimate sin' by mentioning the name of God in those posts," she explained. "To a Saudi male, romance is only allowed if written in English or by a male. It definitely isn't tolerated if it's written by a Saudi female, let alone in Arabic."

 

Saudi Eve is not the only blogger to feel the wrath of conservative bloggers. Aziz, too, has had her run-ins with OCSAB and Green Tea, saying that they have threatened her in comments left on her site.

 

"First, they say that a blog cannot disrespect Islam in any way in order for it to be included in OCSAB," says Aziz. "Second, they say that they don't accept blogs that are personal diaries, which is ridiculous as most blogs are just that."

 

Yet Aziz admitted that OSCAB's aim to spread the culture of blogging among Saudis was working, though perhaps not to her liking.

 

One female blogger (http://www.classic-diva.blogspot.com/) said that she was stopped from using the Internet at home for several months after her conservative brothers grew suspicious about why she was spending so much time online.

 

"I've been blogging since April 2005. It's a way to vent out my frustrations and to write," said Jo, who asked only that her first name be used. "My family knows that I have a site, but they don't have a concept of what blogging is."

 

Jo was forced to sneak out of her house to use the Internet at the house of friends or at a local Starbucks, and still has limited access to the Internet at home. She says that the blocking of Saudi Eve signals a battle that has already started between liberal and conservative bloggers in the Kingdom.

 

"We have this clash going on between us liberals and the conservatives in the blogosphere. I think that OCSAB is trying to scare us," says Jo.

 

For her part, Saudi Eve has not decided yet whether she will start a new blog to overcome being blocked in Saudi, or whether she will send KACST a request to unblock her site.

 

"I haven't decided yet whether to react to this block or just to ignore it. There are readers in the rest of the world you know!" she said in an e-mail shortly before leaving the kingdom on yet another business trip abroad.

 

Source

[Nura]

I hold two opinions on this topic.

 

1. I don’t understand what possible harm the internet can cause…if this restriction is justified by the reason “for the sake of Islam†is it not understood that Islam needs no protection…it is protection on its own. I can appreciate that removing aspects that are considered unlawful in Islam reduces the likelihood of people committed unlawful acts simply for the reason lack of means. However,

 

“To a Saudi male, romance is only allowed if written in English or by a male. It definitely isn't tolerated if it's written by a Saudi female, let alone in Arabic."

 

This does not make sense…a little hypocritical don’t you think?

 

It’s a personal choice whichever way a person chooses to live their life. One thing was always made clear there is freedom of choice…if you want to watch bloody pornography then that’s your choice isn’t it now really.

 

 

2. I understand that every nation does have some level of censorship yes even in Europe and the United Sates regardless of their denial and our lack of acknowledgment. Don’t you think it is about time their faults were displayed. It really gets on my nerves, it seems that Islamic nations are continuously ridiculed. Nonetheless, heavy censorship such as in this case is really over stepping the line.

 

By the way

 

“Saudi women unveil opinions onlineâ€

 

What do you mean by this statement?

How is utilizing the world wide web unveiling Saudi women?

[Socod_badne]

Originally posted by Nura:

“To a Saudi male, romance is only allowed if written in English or by a male. It definitely isn't tolerated if it's written by a Saudi female, let alone in Arabic."

 

This does not make sense…a little hypocritical don’t you think?

 

 

Yes, I do. Hypocracy is often what you get when you try to rationalise the palpably wrong. This article aptly underscores where draconian and downright sexist laws, billed as Allah's laws, foisted on people without their consent ultimately lead.

 

In most Sharia Law countries, obligatory attire for females (usually in the form of Hijab) has as much to do with religious observance as it does with conformity. A fact borne out by the requirement for nonmuslim women to wear a Hijab (or closely resembling figs) in S. Arabia, Iran and other places under Sharia Law.

 

 

Don’t you think it is about time their faults were displayed.

 

Yes but I would add they are. Just turn the TV and watch Saturday Night or one of the Late Night shows.

 

 

It really gets on my nerves, it seems that Islamic nations are continuously ridiculed.

 

You mean more than ALL the immediate and overwhelming problems facing Islamic nations? Ridicule rarely if ever gets my hackles up. Hunger, war, corruption, abysmal human rights standards and stuff of the sort is what bothers me most.

 

Ridicule you can survive. Wars, famines, corruption threaten your life. There is fine line between the 2 and I have no problem noting.

 

 

“Saudi women unveil opinions onlineâ€

 

How is utilizing the world wide web unveiling Saudi women? [/QB]

It's simile (a figure of speech) and I didn't write the article.

[Naden]

Saudi Eve, who is in her late 20s, single,

and often travels abroad on business

, says she was singled out for being female and for daring to write about her love life and God in the same post.

Love life? What gives! I thought Saudi women didn't travel without a mahrem. If she's travelling alone, then the morality police/ministry have a bigger problem on their hands than a couple of racy blogs.

[RendezVous]

SoCod Baddness topic (& forgot, was it the missionary...sumding)

 

Expect...???

 

Boring texts

Time wasting topics

Never Ending "personal" quotes and misquotes..

Reason Like " a real liberated qaxooti"...

 

This will do him.......................Come Back Oh SB, Come Back...............

 

You have just started "BAROWZING"..No wonder

[Strawberry_Xu]

It makes me wonder what goes through people's minds when they are so intent on withholding any opportunity to exercise one's intellect and free will in adhering to Islamic law. I wonder how far one can go in protecting people from themselves. I'd say from what I hear, that many muslim countries have gone too far, to the extent where you now have an abundance of involuntary piety and that as we know, means nothing.

 

Another thing which bothers me is these so called unofficial morality policemen (the ones mentioned in the article and in general). Have they so little to worry about in their own lives, so little vices and sins committed, that they have the spare time to protect others from committing sins? Allah bless them for their intentions, but oh my God has does their self-righteousness piss me off.

 

There's much to be said for the West in this regard. At least here we are free to choose piety, and when we do, I'm sure it counts for a lot more than it does in the KSA.

[Cawralo]

Just out of curiosity...exactly what did saudi eve say in her decadent post I ventured into her blog (quite nice) and found no trace of this infamous post of hers..so please, somebody, what did she write?

[Socod_badne]

^^It's there... you have to stare long enough and you'll see.

 

 

Originally posted by The Rendez-vous:

This will do him.......................Come Back Oh SB, Come Back...............

 

You have just started "BAROWZING"..No wonder

If that was meant as ecumenical gesture, it leaves alot to be desired. 1 brownie point for the effort.

[Nura]

"You mean more than ALL the immediate and overwhelming problems facing Islamic nations? Ridicule rarely if ever gets my hackles up. Hunger, war, corruption, abysmal human rights standards and stuff of the sort is what bothers me most."

 

Ok OK…

Yes…fair point there are much worse things in life than ridicule…how can anyone in their right mind possibly disagree? These issues do incredibly upset me, I can talk about that until im blue in the face. However, hunger, war, corruption, abysmal human rights standards exist everywhere in the world. A nation does not specifically have to be Islamic to face these problems.

 

But you misunderstand me….my point was Islamic nations are continuously ridiculed and attacked for the simple reason that they choose to hold this faith and practice it and that it is recognized as a national faith.

Congratulations if this does not bother you…. I guess im just a little too sensitive.

 

"Ridicule you can survive. Wars, famines, corruption threaten your life. There is fine line between the 2 and I have no problem noting."

 

why do we have to put up with things that can so easily be avoided…we dismiss it so easily placing the reason “oh its not so bad, it wont kill youâ€. Of course ridicule wont kill you. Don’t you agree that nipping the problem by the bud instead of it growing is so much easier than dealing with something that has escalated? This is propaganda…the only outcome that can be achieved is a dislike for Islam. Because all these nations whether it be Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan have one thing in common Islam and it is so easy to come to the conclusion that has to be the problem.

 

"Yes but I would add they are. Just turn the TV and watch Saturday Night or one of the Late Night shows."

 

I agree… their faults are displayed otherwise I wouldn’t know about them…I guess I didn’t make myself clear enough. But this is restricted to "Saturday Night and other Late Night Show" like you say. How about putting it on practically every newspaper, headline news, every news channel regurgitated in the morning, lunch time and evening news for lets say a couple months (light sentence, way too lenient) just like how they continuously report on Islamic nations and their cruelty, unfairness, oppression of women blah blah blah.

 

"It's simile (a figure of speech) and I didn't write the article."

 

Darling I understand a figure of speech…some people would say that it is clever how they have linked the two together (not necessarily you)...personally i think its disgusting. They make it seem like using the internet is something to be ashamed about like unveiling, or even more sickening by somehow liberating Islamic women.

 

I know you did not write the article I was simply stating my opinion… I wasn’t attacking you… nonetheless I do apologise. But you did post this and im guessing that you did want people to comment right?

[RedSea]

Originally posted by Socod_badne:

Saudi women unveil opinions online

 

 

By Rasheed Abou-Alsamh, Contributor to

The Christian Science Monitor

Mon Jun 19, 4:00 AM ET

 

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - In this country where

women are forced to completely cover themselves in public

, are barred from driving, and need permission to travel abroad, it's small

wonder many are embracing the freedom of anonymity on the Internet.

I have highlighted those lines, to show who exactly has written this report. It's non other than the Christian Science Monitor, which not suprisingly reports bias and bogus information from Islamic countries. I am really surprised that they don't spend time talking about their western women who sleep around town each night spreading disease, the ones that are under stress everyday and night, the ones that commit suicide, the ones that are abused and raped on the streets and inside their homes. Study that was conducted depicting, that there are average of 500 women being raped each and every day in Western countries. The solution to this problem would be to wear Hijab in order to protect their body and beauty and thus makes the job of sexual predotors that much difficult.

 

In addition, about 6 months ago one of U.S president's advisor to the middle east which was a woman went to Jeddah University to to try to observe how women are being treated. She was humilated and embarass by proud Muslim women who had stated that they were happy in their everyday life, they said they have something that no Western women have which is family bondings.They further stated that they were proud of their religion and the way things are going.

 

Moreover, the statement about the covering from head to toe. Well one must acknowledge that is Muslim women's faith in Islam to cover themselves modestly. Our women are not being forced to cover themselves, they are doing it for the sake of themselves and to obey their lord.

 

Finally, the Hijab protects, and is a dress code for all believing Muslim women. I don't think a Muslim women would allow a christian who doesnt' obey Allah and calls the beloved prophet Jesus (Ciisa), the son of Allah to tell them what is wrong and what not. (subxana Allah). Allah said " "O Prophet [PBUH] Tell thy wives and daughters and the believing women that they should put on their outer garments; that is most convenient in order that THEY MAY BE RECOGNIZED (as Muslims) and not be molested."

 

I don't give a darn about what Christian says, for I know that they in denial of the truth and they know it well. How do I know that, well, Allah said in the glorius Quran: 109. Quite a number of the People of the Book wish they could Turn you (people) back to infidelity after ye have believed, from selfish envy, after the Truth hath become Manifest unto them: But forgive and overlook, Till Allah accomplish His purpose; for Allah Hath power over all things.

 

and Allah said: 105. It is never the wish of those without Faith among the People of the Book, nor of the Pagans, that anything good should come down to you from your Lord. But Allah will choose for His special Mercy whom He will - for Allah is Lord of grace abounding. (Surah Baqrah)

 

Assalamu Calaykum.