Returning to Saudi Arabia and gender in the Middle East

An insightful article by Rasha, a professional woman from Saudi Arabian on how it feels to return to her country after a holiday and the misogyny which hits her as soon as she arrives back.

An excerpt from the piece on Middle East Youth:

'The ability to take a bus, a train, a taxi or my own car without any worries. reading a book in a cafe, in the park or at the beach without someone looking at me as if I was mad reminding me that a woman’s place is at home!
Enjoying the sounds of a band, watching a play in the theater or watching a good movie in a cinema while munching on popcorn!

I noticed that in these few weeks the thought of my gender haven’t crossed my mind; not even once! yet the moment I walked out of the plane coming back home, reality hit me and slapped me hard in the face. I am a woman in Saudi Arabia. The passport control officer hardly looked or talked to me making me feel filthy. At that moment I whispered under my breath welcome back home Rasha!'

It's worth always remembering that when we talk about Islam and democracy in Muslim-majority states in the Middle East, the status of women is as important as electoral systems or the debate surrounding the role of religion in a democratic system - indeed it is intrinsically linked to both.

An additional perspective on gender in the Middle East but even more horrific is the increase in the use of female suicide bombers in Iraq and elsewhere. Warmeeth reports in detail one instance of a man fleeing a group after being told his wife had been chosen to carry out an attack. Since 2003, 79 attacks by female suicide bombers have been reported - sometimes carried out by wives of those involved in insurgent activities, or 'street girls' not even 18 yet (as seen by the recent prevention by the Iraqi forces of an attack by a 13 year old girl).