Group+08




 * Reasurch Question:** How are Political and Religious views on women in Saudi Arabia less justifiable than the rights of Women in the United States?
 * Thesis Statement:** -will be filled in soon-

YAY. our page. :3 .. hm. did you guys know that Israeli girls are also thrown in the army? "Every 18-year-old is called up, boys for three years, **girls** for two. Time in the army has become one of the few defining bonds that keep Israelis together." crazy, right? haha. THAT, and child soldiers. yay. who else are they gonna recruit? blah. this is stuff i kinda need.. israeli girls are couch potatoes.] how about we widen this to all of middle east? b/c.. there are SO much articles out there but somehow, i couldnt find any specifically to Israel. Its tiny!

Proposal Saudi Arabia: Women Say Religious Traditions Block Their Rights//. Peyman Pejman, 30 Mar. 2004. Web. 30 Jan. 2010. [].// > > > and could somebody throw in the group timeline? like our own personal group goals? :D thankssssss... i'm hellishly tired. > > **Timeline (due dates added as topics and timeline noted as subtopics)**
 * The issue that was chosen for this project was: Women’s Rights in the Middle East. We decided to focus on the younger generation, essentially on young women, including teenage girls, because we could better relate to them and see how our rights differ from theirs. So far, we took a look at various resources like the NY Times. From research, teen girls in the United States are more privileged than the teenage girls in Israel. For example, many of them aren’t allowed to have cell phone and would receive a punishment of lashings and even time in prison. In contrast, a majority of American girls own cell phones.
 * So far, we understand that many women in the Middle East are underprivileged, especially when compared to a liberal place like America. By observing the differences between the teen cultures of these two countries, we can be more knowledgeable about the basic rights that all women should have. However, we hope to learn similarities and bridge over differences.
 * As a group, we hope to learn many important skills, such as organization of time and efforts, working together as a group, and flexibility.
 * So far, we’ve built on our prior knowledge about Middle East women with these sources (MLA [ERASE THIS AFTER: HEY GUYS, USE EASYBIB.COM TO MLA YOUR SITES]
 * Kenneth, Jost. "Democracy in the Arab World." //CQ Researcher// 14.4 (2004). Print
 * Mary, Cooper H. "Muslims in America." //CQ Researcher// 3.16 (1993). //CQ Researcher//. CQ Press. Web. 24 Jan. 2010. .//
 * //Oliver, Hargung. "Syria."// NY Times//. New York Times Company, 29 July 2009. Web. 24 Jan. 2010. .//
 * Mail Foreign Service. "Saudi girl, 13, sentenced to 90 lashes after she took a mobile phone to school." Saudi girl, 13, sentenced to 90 lashes after she took a mobile phone to school//. Mail Foreign Service. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. [].~//
 * //. Peyman Pejman, 30 Mar. 2004. Web. 30 Jan. 2010.//


 * Reasurch Paper Outline - February 19
 * Feb 10th - Organize reasurch compilements
 * Feb 15th or 16th - Planned meeting to finish Outline
 * 1st Draft - March 31st
 * March 22nd - 3 1/2 page Draft (each) Planned meeting
 * Final Draft - April 27
 * Presentation - May 14

Hey guys! I found a couple things and thought I'd add them up here! Though the neighbors got smart and figured out how to lock their wireless so now my Pirating days are numbered. Though I have a few other connections that I can use. Sadly they fade in and out and show up at random times so I can't be consistant.
 * Liz**

I found this video on YouTube talking about a "Moral Beauty Padgent" in Saudi Arabia! "Aired on Al-Arabiya TV on August 2, 2009" (Posted by 1001Phoenix)

media type="youtube" key="gf6TVIHn1Wc" height="344" width="425"

This is another video that I found that has to do with the girl that go the 90 lashes. From what I'm hearing, I have mixed feelings about the topic: Other than that, I don't believe she deserved those harsh punishments and I agree with everthing this man had said. media type="youtube" key="eD7qibzOyAY" height="344" width="425"
 * A:** If cellphones were not allowed, why did she bring it in to being with?
 * B:** Apparently she assulted the teacher but for me, I wonder if they clamied she assulted the teacher but that wasn't the case at all. Maybe the girl was defending herself.

I found this on [] It's an portion of an article taken talking about the dress wear of women and their freedom to be out in public. There is also mention of the government, the religion that rules it and those that uphold their laws.

"**Standards of Conduct and Religious Police:** Islam is the official religion of the country and pervades all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia. Public display of non-Islamic religious articles such as crosses and Bibles is not permitted. Travel to Makkah (Mecca) and Medina, the cities where the two holiest mosques of Islam are located, is forbidden to non-Muslims. The norms for public behavior in Saudi Arabia are extremely conservative, and religious police, known as Mutawwa, are charged with enforcing these standards. Mutawwa are required to carry special identification and usually are accompanied by uniformed police; however, in some cases they have detained persons even without police presence. To ensure that conservative standards of conduct are observed, the Saudi religious police have accosted or arrested foreigners, including U.S. citizens, for improper dress or other alleged infractions, such as consumption of alcohol or association by a female with a male to whom she is not related. While most incidents have resulted only in inconvenience or embarrassment, the potential exists for an individual to be physically harmed or deported. U.S. citizens who are involved in an incident with the Mutawwa should report the incident to the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh or the U.S. Consulates General in Jeddah or Dhahran. The Saudi Embassy in Washington advises women traveling to Saudi Arabia to dress in a conservative fashion in public, wearing ankle-length dresses with long sleeves and not pants. In many areas of Saudi Arabia, particularly Riyadh and the central part of the Kingdom, Mutawwa pressure women to wear a full-length black covering known as an Abaya, and to cover their heads. Most women in these areas therefore wear an Abaya and carry a headscarf to avoid being accosted. Women who appear to be of Arab or Asian origin, especially those presumed to be Muslims, face a greater risk of being confronted. Some Mutawwa try to enforce the rule that men and women who are beyond childhood years may not mingle in public unless they are family or close relatives. Mutawwa may ask to see proof that a couple is married or related. Women who are arrested for socializing with a man who is not a relative may be charged with prostitution. Some restaurants, particularly fast-food outlets, have refused to serve women who are not accompanied by a close male relative. In addition, many restaurants no longer have a "family section" in which women are permitted to eat. These restrictions are not always posted, and in some cases women violating this policy have been arrested. This is more common in Riyadh and the more conservative central Nejd region. In public, dancing, playing music, and showing movies are forbidden." (Feb. 12, 2010)

Aja []. The women of Saudi Arabia make up the majority of the population in that country. And although they are allowed to go to school with men they still are not allotted the same rights as the men in Saudi Arabia or of women in the United States.
 * __ P araphrasing/summary-__ **

Saudi women are kept under strict laws that don’t allow them to do a lot of the things that men can do such as choose certain majors and many other politically associated things. A lot of these laws are based upon their religious ties. For example of the things that Saudi women can do, they need to get permission to do them first, either from a “husband or male guardian.”

There have been many outside feminist groups who have tried for more rights for the Saudi women. Although they “welcome pressure on their conservative government, the emphasis is often on religious matters that are not as important to Saudi women as having other social and political rights.” For Saudi women, their religion is their culture and what it requires them to wear doesn’t bother them. It’s a tradition in their culture and that’s something they like to keep. Since their laws have been less strict about how Saudi women wear their traditional dress.

The real problem with the Saudi Arabian government and women is that Saudi women do not get the same equality in the workforce as men. It’s not what they wear which what Western groups are focusing on. Saudi women just want the same equality and respect as men do. Statistics even say that most university graduates from Saudi Arabia are women.

“They are not allowed to study any subject they want- law and engineering for example are closed to them. They cannot vote, travel… drive, without explicit approval of husband or male guardian. Even when hired into a private office, they are usually put in a separate room from men.” “Many Saudi women say what they need most is not a debate over what they can or cannot wear, but gaining social and political equality.” “It has nothing to do with religion. It’s all about cultural backwardness of men in this society.” - Kinda Bulkhair
 * __ S ignificant__ quotes- **

I felt that this was a good article. The only thing that bothered me about it was that the article title was a bit contradictory to what the article was really about. The title reads “Saudi Arabia: Women Say Religious Traditions Block Their Rights” however in the article it’s clearly stated that “It has nothing to do with religion. It’s all about cultural backwardness of men in this society.” (Kinda Bulkhair) It seems to me that most of these women have no problems with their religion it’s just fairness and equality that they want that is being withheld from them by a overly male dominated society.
 * __ R eflection __**

__H**elpful information-**__ http://www.religiousconsultation.org

= Here's our outline... just in case you forget! Remember, connect back to thesis after each topic ! [if you alter anything, leave a note~] =

Outline A. Thesis: I. Life for teenage girls in Saudi Arabia is greatly affected by Islamic law. Their religion not only governs politics, but society as well. In comparison to American teenage girls, many of their everyday duties are dictated by the Quran, which include personal rights, place in household, and public life. The overbearing influence of Islamic law, in some cases, restrict the human rights of Islamic girls and their potential.

B. Body I. Religion/Government · Islamic Community · Muslim · 5 pillars · No separation of church and state: they follow Islamic law with twisted interpretations

II. Family roles · Subordinate to their fathers and the elderly · Not allowed to drive · Not allowed to associate with men, other than their husbands and family · Need to live ,dine, entertain guests, and other things apart from male members · When a couple meets another couple, the visiting husband and wife are separated at the entrance and they are led to separate rooms

III. Young Marriage/Dating · Dating is forbidden · Girls can only meet boys in the presence of their parents, usually in the informal (pre)-betrothal ceremony that takes place when the boy’s parents want him to get married to their daughter (formal and ideal)

IV. Schooling · Girls can go to school · All-girls schools only · Closely supervised and highly regimented · Girls aren’t allowed any free time between classes (continuous) · However, expected to just learn the skills to take care of home and family

V. Jobs · Always all-female jobs · Nurses, banks, and teachers · Men always get the better paying job

VI. __Personal Rights__ a. Cell Phones + Other Women’s Privileges i. A13 year old girl was given 90 lashes, with schoolmates witnessing, and 2 months in jail for bringing a cell phone to school. No cell phones are allowed in all girl schools. Also, it was alleged that the girl was attacked by the Principal for having this phone. ( **Dr Radhasyam Brahmachari)** 1. “Islam treats women as sub-human domestic animals, and this gender apartheid is its worst in Saudi Arabia, where a woman cannot drive a car, go outdoors without a male family member and properly dressed in Islamic veil; use of cosmetics is banned for them.” (Al-Watan ) ii. Women are constantly being watched by “Religion Police” to make sure there aren’t any “violations” being done. Punishments such as “floggings” or “lashings” are both used on those convicted of adultery but also for driving a car or being in publish with a person of the opposite sex that isn’t a relative. 1. “This punishment is medieval and pathetic, as well as inhumane and barbaric. The girl should be given a maximum of three to five lashes in front of the assembled school enrollment, and let it go at that. Cell phones are not needed in school, and should not be permitted! However, her punishment represents a gross overreaction from an insane society. The life of those poor people is not as good as life in a prison in the USA or Europe.”( an observer) 2. “…three years ago 16 schoolchildren, aged between 12 and 18, were each sentenced to between 300 and 500 lashes for being aggressive to a teacher. In September, last year, 20 Saudi teenagers, who ransacked shops and restaurants, were publicly flogged and each of them received at least 30 lashes in a public square. And, in fact, Saudi Arabia is the world's leading country in the use of inhuman mediaeval torture by flogging, public beheadings, and public crucifixion of condemned prisoners. In April 2009, during the visit of President Barak Obama, the country crucified two convicts, including one in the capital Riyadh”

C. Conclusion 1. Differences between American girls and Saudi girls. 2. Similarities

Works Cited: Brahmachari, Radhasyam. "90 Lashes for Carrying Cell Phone to School: How Shariah Law Deals with Modern Inventions?" Faithfreedom.org //. 6 Feb. 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2010. .//

Twilight in the kingdom understanding the Saudis//. Westport, Conn: Praeger Security International, 2006. Print.// Culture and Customs of Iran (Culture and Customs of the Middle East)//. New York: Greenwood, 2006. Print.// Heinrichs, Ann. Saudi Arabia (Enchantment of the World. Second Series). New York: Children's (CT), 2002. Print. //Keddie, Nikki R.// Women in the Middle East Past and Present//. New York: Princeton UP, 2006. Print.// //Mahdi, Ali A., ed.// Teen life in the Middle East//. Westport, Conn: Greenwood, 2003. Print.// //Mansfield, Peter,.// New Arabians//. Chicago: J.G. Ferguson Pub., Distributed by Doubleday, 1981. Print.// // Metz, Helen C., ed. //Government//. 1992 ed. Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1992.// Countrystudies.us //. Web. 30 Jan. 1992. .// // Metz, Helen C., ed. //Religion//. 1992 ed. Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1992.// Countrystudies.us //. Web. 30 Jan. 2010. .//

//Niblock, Tim, ed.// State, society, and economy in Saudi Arabia//. New York: St. Martin's, 1982. Print.// //Siddiqi, Muhammad Iqbal.// Islam forbids free mixing of men and women//. Delhi: Rightway Publications, 2001. Print.//

World Book encyclopedia of people and places. 2003 ed. Vol. 5/S-T. Chicago: World Book, 2002. Print. // "Saudi: Why We Punish Rape Victims." //CNN.com//. CNN, 20 Nov. 2007. Web. 12 Feb. 2010. <http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/11/20/saudi.rape.victim/index.html#cnnSTCText

[] Tues. 3 March. 2010. [] Sunday. 7 March. 2010. [] Thursday 11 March. 2010.


 * (By the way, there is no swear words allowed! They are watching us!)**

Sincerely, Aja Gample

Elizabeth Kooiman

Jonie Nguyen

[too lazy to print stuff out... my stuffies..~] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcjyW1R8nY4&feature=related -a cute girl singing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ULlWIbpbTo -lovely background music to set the mood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67UoexXU-28 -news thing; infant children are like.. raped. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDLb2GuIM3Y&feature=related -12 yr old girl asks for a divorce from her abusive husband

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpV_cJ5E0wQ&NR=1 The Quran allows men to hit women:

QURAN [|4:34] - "Men have authority over women because God has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because God has guarded them. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them. Then if they obey you, take no further action against them. Surely God is high, supreme."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSDNAd-zP7I&feature=related -10 yr old girl divorced and married]