Saudi Body to Defend Divorce Women

From the Saudi Gazette - February 20, 2009

Body to defend divorced women OKd

By Diana Al-Jassem

JEDDAH – Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh Region, this week gave the go-ahead for establishing the first official association to take care of divorced women.

To get the Emir's nod for the association is the culmination of long efforts of Thuriyah Aabed Sheikh, member of the National Society for Human Rights and an official of the Al-Wafa'a Women's Association.

"We are aiming to increase the awareness among women groups against domestic violence," said Sheikh.

The association, she said, has three main goals – protection, treatment and development.

Mwaddah (love between the family) association will present several courses regarding the problems faced by Saudi women.

"We will start by making Saudi women aware of the problems and suggest ways to protect themselves from the scourge of divorce," said Sheikh.

Having such an association in the Kingdom is considered the first step to give a chance to Saudi society to defend divorced women.

The association, Sheikh said, will soon open branches in different regions of the Kingdom.

"The success of the Saudi Divorce Initiative website in solving many familiar problems had encouraged us to raise our voice and defend the divorced women," added Sheikh.

A staff of 43 women consultants will be ready to present their best for the divorced women, she said.

The association will provide women with lawyers to defend their cases, Sheikh said.

"We are waiting for the Ministry of Social Affairs to give us a plot of land to have our own offices," said Sheikh.

Haifa'a Khalid, the first Saudi journalist, who launched the "Saudi Divorce Initiative" website to support divorced women, said several government and private bodies are needed to defend and support divorced women.

"Launching the Saudi Divorce Initiative website was very important step, but it is not enough.We are supporting Sheikh because of her position in the human rights body," she added. "I want the people in charge to support this new association and try to have more associations around the Kingdom, especially since the number of divorce cases are increasing in the Kingdom," Khalid said.

Egypt's Group Turns Hijab into a Fashion Hallmark

From Al-Arabiya - February 5, 2009

Hijab is the new black as models get a new look

Egypt's group turns hijab into a fashion hallmark

Egyptian fashion league says it wants to fight the "nudity trend"

CAIRO/RABAT (Mona Madkour, Hassan al-Ashraf)

Hijab is the new black. The veil worn by many Muslim women has become a fashion accessory that indicates more than just religious observance as models, actresses and fashonistas use their headwear to make a statement.

In Egypt, a group of young women have formed the first organization for "hijab fashion" in hopes of catering to the increasing numbers of veiled women and proving that elegance can still be modest.

In Bahrain veiled models are increasingly preferred to their Western, unveiled counterparts because they more accurately represent their society. And in Morocco the popularity of tight, seductive hijab styles have earned the trend the name "shoufouni," Arabic for "look at me." The founder of the Egypt group, Yasmine Mohsen, calls herself a "veiled model" and told AlArabiya.net that she wanted to offer suitable clothes, makeup and accessories to meet the demands of women who choose to wear the veil.

Mohsen says many veiled women come from rich classes and need to dress fashionably "Now many veiled women come from rich classes and need to dress fashionably," she explained. "Some of them even hesitate to wear the veil as they think it will make them less elegant." But Mohsen's goals for the group also go beyond the fashion industry. She hopes that seeing models in hijab will help change stereotypes in the West about Islam and women. "We are saying that hijab is elegant and that being veiled is not equivalent to raggedness and lack of femininity."

Fighting the "nudity trend" " With the increasing number of veiled women the idea of a veiled model became more acceptable " Yasmine Mohsen, founder of fashion league When Mohsen started her career five years ago, she said she was criticized and treated as an intruder in a field that is not usually associated with covering oneself. "With the increasing number of veiled women the idea of a veiled model became more acceptable. It didn't stop at women's products; I also made a video clip and several commercials for Gulf channels," she said. More than 300 professional models who work in fashion shows, video clips and commercials have joined and found work through the group.

" It is well known what kind of clothes we model and what kind of commercials we can do " Mohsen, founder of fashion league Through its Facebook group and seminars the Cairo-based professional organization hopes to attract more members, explained Mohsen, who said that part of her goal is to fight the "nudity trend" in modeling. "We are here today to fight the nudity trend that objectifies women and present them as bodies for show and sale," she said, explaining that the industry often pressures veiled models to take off their hijabs or limits their job opportunities. "Exposing the body is not by any means elegant or feminine," she added. "It is well-known what kind of clothes we model and what kind of commercials we can do. So, whoever works with us must be seeking to offer something decent and respectable."

Rules Hijab styles in the Middle East range from traditional wraps to spanish ties The group has rules for the kinds of clothing its members can wear, which forbid sleepwear or lingerie, for example. "This type of clothes needs unveiled models since normally a woman doesn't stay veiled at home," she explained. "On the contrary, she wears clothes that highlight her beauty." Those who want to hire its members also must abide by certain rules. Photographers and directors cannot, for example, use their hands to direct the position of the model's face or body in front of the camera and must rely only on verbal instructions.

Saudi Arabia: Tiptoeing Towards Reform

From the Economist

Tiptoeing towards reform

Feb 19th 2009
From The Economist print edition

The king makes some striking changes, but gradualism is still the watchword

King Abdullah sends a Valentine

REFORM-MINDED Saudis cheered when Abdullah became king four years ago. The avuncular Custodian of the Holy Places, as Saudi monarchs title themselves, had a reputation for probity, tolerance and humility that augured change for the better. Yet few of his tentative reforms have stuck. Initiatives to modernise state schools and courts have stalled in the face of entrenched religious conservatives.

But in a move of rare boldness for the stately kingdom, on February 14th the 86-year-old king decreed sweeping changes in government. His reshuffle affected top posts in education, the courts, the armed forces, the central bank, the health and information ministries, the religious police and the state-appointed religious hierarchy, as well as the royally-appointed, 150-man proto-parliament, the Shura Council.

It was not the scale of the turnover that raised eyebrows; most senior ministers retained their posts. More striking was the injection of reformist blood into the ossified school and court systems. With his background in intelligence, and as a son-in-law of the king, the new minister of education, Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Muhammad, may be better equipped to flush out teachers who are failing to comply with curricula that have been revised to emphasise tolerance in Islam.

The departure of Sheikh Saleh Luhaydan as head of the supreme judicial council, along with several other senior judges, suggests a new push to modernise the courts. Mr Luhaydan was notorious for rulings such as one that said it would be legal to kill the owners of TV channels broadcasting "immorality". During his tenure judges faced little pressure to adopt new rules meant to make the kingdom's unique and often harsh forms of sharia justice more open and consistent. Similarly, the sacking of the head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice will be seen as a response to a chorus of demands to curb the morality police, whose puritanical agents have often been accused of harassing law-abiding citizens.

Equally significant, the new appointments are markedly diverse. The 21-man board of senior clerics which issues official religious rulings, or fatwas, now for the first time includes representatives of all four schools of Sunni Islam, so breaking the monopoly, exercised solely in Saudi Arabia, of the arch-traditionalist Hanbali school associated with Wahhabism. The body still excludes Shias, a minority numbering about 10% of Saudis that faces widespread discrimination. But King Abdullah has compensated in part by increasing Shia representation in the Shura Council.

A far bigger slice of the population that has been kept to the margins of society, namely women, also got a boost with the appointment of a female deputy minister, the highest-level government post yet to be filled by a woman. Nora al-Fayez, an American-educated schools administrator, is to run the girls' section of the ministry of education, a division managed until recently by Wahhabist clerics.

Should such personnel changes give an impetus to the deeper reforms that many Saudis long for, King Abdullah will have secured an important legacy. But a quite different reform, decreed by him three years ago, may bear fruit sooner. Addressing concerns that the line of succession to kingship, which traditionally passes between brothers before reaching their sons, would produce a series of brief reigns by dotards, King Abdullah created a 25-man family council to elect future kings.

The council was to meet only after his own brother had succeeded. But the current crown prince, Sultan, is in his 80s and said to be very ill. In all likelihood, it is the council that will choose Abdullah's successor, in what might prove to be, even if restricted to a handful of senior princes from the Al Saud family, the first quasi-democratic transition of power in Saudi history. It would be a momentous feat. But it will also set nerves jangling.

Saudi King Appoints First Female Cabinet Minister

From PBS - February 19th, 2009

First Female Cabinet Minister

Rawan Jabaji

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia shook up his kingdom by boldly appointing the first female minister to his government cabinet earlier this week.

Norah al-Faiz is now the deputy minister of women's education — the most senior role ever held by a woman in Saudi Arabia.

Though al-Faiz occupies a new post, she is still very much bound by the stringent laws that dictate how women live within the kingdom. Like all women in Saudi Arabia, al-Faiz is only permitted to do what her closest male relative allows, based on the guardianship system.

Al-Faiz, who received her master's degree in education from Utah State University, is fully cognizant of the challenges ahead of her, stating that the "guardianship system" is the first thing that should be removed by the new Saudi government.

During my own time living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the late 90s, I recall needing my father — my closest male relative — for anything that required me leaving our compound walls. From driving me to the mall (women aren't permitted to drive) to accompanying me to a doctor's appointment, I needed a male escort for everything. And while there is no law stating that a male must accompany a female to the doctor (though a male often has to authorize all procedures at the doctor's office), females are not allowed to interact with unrelated males—and almost all doctors in Saudi Arabia are males.

Even when it came down to something as simple as getting a shawarma sandwich, I would have to ask my father to order because it was frowned upon for women to enter the restaurant and interact with men. My mother and I would wait in the car as my father walked into the restaurant crammed with men ordering for a parking lot filled with hungry women.

Putting all shawarma aside, women aren't even permitted to testify in a criminal court unless there isn't a male witness and the testimony is related to a personal matter. And even then, the testimony of a woman only counts for half that of man's testimony, leaving it up to the court to decide whether or not it is to be accepted as valid.

Saudi feminist and writer, Wajeha al-Huwaider, said it is unclear if al-Faiz will have any real power, or if she will follow the path of other Saudi women who had been appointed to lower councils but were never heard from.

But Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, dean of Effat College in Jeddah, is more optimistic. "This is not just about having the first woman deputy minister. It's about having more women in important positions. Al-Fayez's presence in the Ministry of Education will make women's voices heard."

For a country where, under Saudi law, women are considered the property of men, appointing al-Faiz as the first female minister, though she's only in charge of women's education, is a big step in the right direction.

Saudi Women Move Abroad to Find Work

Saudi Women Move Abroad to Find Work

Written by The Media Line Staff

Published Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The number of Saudi Arabian female university graduates who are moving to neighboring countries in order to find employment is increasing every year due to the difficulties in finding jobs at home, the Dubai-based newspaper Gulf News reports.
 
Only about 500,000 of Saudi Arabia's estimated five million women work, or 10 percent, which in percentage terms is the lowest number in the world, according to statistics presented by the paper.
 
"There is a program for hiring Saudi teachers in Kuwait, which is relatively similar to Saudi Arabia when it comes to the education system because girls are taught in segregated schools… It has been arranged between the two governments and that is why many Saudi graduates have moved to Kuwait to teach there," Sabria Jawhar, the former editor-in-chief of the daily Saudi Gazette, told The Media Line.
 
A majority of the Saudi women who find work in Saudi Arabia is employed by the government and 31% of all public sector jobs are held by women.
 
"When it comes to the Gulf area it [employment] has been open to both men and women. So for example a Saudi citizen can work in any of the neighboring countries," she said.
 
"I'm aware of some Saudi women who have moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for better job opportunities in PR," Jawhar said.
 
The UAE, and especially Dubai, has built a modern economy to a large extent on liberal values and a vast number of expat workers. 
 
"It's the nature of the job that pushes Saudi women to look for another job," said Jawhar.

Copyright © 2008 The Media Line. All Rights Reserved.

Canadian Author Protests Dubai Fest, Won't Attend

From the Associated Press - February 19, 2009

Canadian author protests Dubai fest, won't attend

By BARBARA SURK

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Canadian author Margaret Atwood has pulled out of an international Dubai literary festival after organizers banned a forthcoming novel by a British author because it contains references to homosexuality.

In a letter addressed to the festival's director, Atwood said she could not attend Dubai's inaugural International Festival of Literature next week because of the "regrettable turn of events surrounding" the book "The Gulf Between Us."

Atwood was referring a novel by British author Geraldine Bedell who said the festival banned it because of references to homosexuality. The book, set in the Persian Gulf, is scheduled to be published in April.

"I was greatly looking forward to the Festival, and to the chance to meet readers there; but, as an International Vice President of PEN — an organization concerned with the censorship of writers — I cannot be part of the Festival this year," Atwood said in the letter, posted on her Web site.

Festival director Isobel Abulhoul described Atwood's decision not to attend the Feb. 26 to March 1 festival as "regrettable."

The festival has not given a specific reason for why it banned Bedell's forthcoming book. But Abulhoul said decisions can be driven in many cases by "simple attendance imperatives."

"I would hope that anyone informed and interested in the differing cultures around the world would both understand and respect the path we tread in setting up the first festival of this nature in the Middle East," she said in a letter posted on the festival's Web site late Wednesday.

Dubai has struggled over the past year to merge its glitzy international appeal with its conservative Muslim values. The UAE has also come under intense pressure this week after it barred an Israeli women's tennis player from a lucrative Dubai tournament. On Thursday, it announced that an Israeli men's doubles player would be allowed entry into the country to play in next week's men's tournament.

Other well-known authors such as Frank McCourt, Louis de Bernieres and Jung Chang are also scheduled to attend the Dubai festival.

On Monday, Bedell, a journalist for the British Observer newspaper and the author of several novels, said the organizers had first discussed launching her book at the festival because of its Gulf setting. But later, Abulhoul wrote to Penguin, saying Dubai didn't want the "festival remembered for the launch of a controversial book," Bedell said.

According to Bedell, who lived in Bahrain for five years in the 1980s, the book was not acceptable because one characters, Sheikh Rashid, is assumed to be gay. Homosexuality is illegal in the United Arab Emirates.

The author also said festival organizers complained that "it talks about Islam and queries what is said."

On the Net:

• http://www.owtoad.com/home.html
• http://www.eaifl.com/

Singapore Mosques Get Modern to Keep Up With Times

From Reuters India - February 18, 2009

By Kash Cheong

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - Rooftop gardens, a shiny aluminum exterior and an environmentally friendly design: this is not a new mall in Singapore, but a mosque that is trying to put a modern face on a traditional faith.

The Al-Mawaddah mosque, a S$14 million ($9 million) space-age structure in a new housing estate, is due to open next month, and is one of several in this Southeast Asian city-state that has a Muslim population of around 15 percent.

Mosques that incorporate modern architecture, and that do away with the traditional domes, are becoming more popular in Singapore, and officials say they hope this will put forward the progressive face of Islam.

"Mosques have to change their outlook to stay relevant to Singapore's modern context," said Zaini Osman, head of mosque Development at the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore.

"This is what Islam is all about: co-existing with society at large," he said, adding this mosque would appeal to the young.

The Al-Mawaddah mosque still features a minaret, but this is a sleek and minimalist tower without the traditional onion-shaped dome, while the building has an imposing metal facade.

"Domes are not a must-have, they are mostly used for acoustic purposes during prayer," Osman said, adding that such domed mosques were first built by Arab migrants in the early 1800s, who brought their architecture along with trading goods to Singapore.

But these big domes are prone to wear and tear in the tropical country's weather, costing each around S$50,000 to maintain every three years. Instead, new mosques are being built in geometrical shapes to make them easier to clean and paint.

"Minarets at modern mosques certainly look more like contemporary art pieces nowadays," said Bobby Wong at the National University of Singapore's School of Design.

"The aesthetics of a mosque no longer look so value-laden. They look welcoming to even non-Muslims," he added.

Not everyone is upbeat, especially given Al-Mawaddah and another planned mosque will tip the mosque building fund -- pooled from mandatory contributions of several dollars a month from every Muslim -- into a S$4.5 million deficit by 2010.

"Knowing that these new mosques will create a deficit doesn't really settle well with me. The money could go into helping less privileged families or spreading awareness of the religion," said Junaini Johari, a Muslim student.

The country's Islamic council also said it had to allay public concerns that the Al-Mawaddah looked "more like a shopping center" than a worship facility.

Some Muslims, however, have embraced the change.

"The purpose of the mosque is a place of worship, its outlook doesn't matter to me," said M. Salleh B. Ahmed, a Singaporean Muslim who has completed his pilgrimage to Mecca.

(Editing by Neil Chatterjee and Miral Fahmy)

From the Jakarta Globe - February 19, 2009

News / National / Article

Anita Rachman

Islamic Scholars Fight for Minorities

Indonesia's Islamic scholars will draft recommendations to the international community to promote the rights of minorities through tolerance, a prominent scholar said on Wednesday.

Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama National Board, or PBNU, said that the board, along with other Islamic organizations, such as Muhammadiyah, were urging a follow-up to the third International Conference of Islamic Scholars, or ICIS, held in Jakarta last year. He said that answers needed to be found to solve the problems that occur in parts of the world where Islam is a minority religion.

"We saw problems occurring in Taiwan, the Philippines and Burma, where Muslims are a minority," Hasyim said.

He was speaking at a national workshop in Jakarta involving Islamic scholars from six provinces in Indonesia, who were discussing the recommendations made at last year's conference. The six provinces are among the areas where Islam is a minority religion, such as Papua, Bali and Maluku.

Hasyim said that many scholars, who live in the country with the world's largest Muslim population, were trying to find solutions for Islamic minorities and were promoting a peaceful Islamic lifestyle. He said that there are two elements that spark conflict between the majority and the minority. "It's the government and the Muslims."

Hasyim said that some of the problems occurring in a number of countries are caused by the government's failure to pay attention to the minority. On the other hand, the minority communities were unaccommodating in their demands. Hasyim also criticized Muslims as being intolerant.

"We want Muslims to consider introspection [of their ways]," he said.

Ma'ruf Amin, chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulema, or MUI, said that the Indonesian scholars' recommendations would cover a call for the international community to raise awareness on tolerance. He said that Indonesia could share some of its own knowledge on the issues.

The forum felt confident that the call would be heard by the international community, Hasyim said, adding that the Vatican had already considered some of the drafted recommendations.

Masykuri Abdillah, the vice secretary general of ICIS, said that Indonesia would release its recommendations in August, when the country will host an international conference to discuss the challenges that face Islam.

FW: Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) condemns the murder of Aasiya Hassan

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Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) condemns the murder of Aasiya Hassan Press Release For Immediate release Los Angeles, CA - February 17, 2009 - Muslims for Progressive Values is heartbroken and dismayed by the news of the brutal murder of Aayisa Hassan, apparently at the hands of her husband. As we mourn the loss of yet another sister to domestic violence, we ask that Muslims everywhere reaffirm their commitment to eradicate this lethal threat to our beloved mothers and daughters.   Mrs. Hassan worked in service to the Muslim community, attempting to dispel hateful stereotypes by developing television programming with alternative perspectives. The cruelty of her slaying is only compounded by the element of betrayal of her life's work: Mrs. Hassan attempted to portray the best of our community, only to fall victim to its worst.   It is now up to every Muslim to fulfill Mrs. Hassan's mission by actively preventing tragedies like this. In the renewal of our commitment to end domestic violence, we honor the memory of a woman who endeavored to show the world her compassionate vision of the Muslim community. Working together, we can redeem her contribution to society by securing within our own families the respect, understanding, and compassion that she was so cruelly denied. We call on our community leaders in mosques, Islamic centers and schools across the nation to raise awareness of domestic violence and to reinforce the central Islamic teachings of love, compassion, free choice, and gender equality. Specifically, we expect our leaders and role models to adhere to a zero tolerance policy toward domestic violence and to support practical solutions toward aiding those threatened by it. In this way, may we honor the memory of Mrs. Hassan and every woman and family who has suffered the pain of violence in their own homes. MPV has recently launched a petition to eradicate domestic violence in our communities. We invite you to add your voice, please click here. About Muslims for Progressive Values Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) seeks to bring together progressive Muslims and friends who share their values to work for a more humane world. We welcome all who are interested in discussing, promoting and working for the implementation of progressive values - social justice, human rights, economic opportunity, and separation of church and state - as well as tolerant and inclusive understandings of Islam. Muslims for Progressive Values Public Affairs Office pa@mpvusa.org (408) 556-9790 © Copyright 2008 Muslims for Progressive Values