# data[].attributes.headline
Saudi Arabian Women’s “Dress Code” (Secondary)

# data[].attributes.subject
Saudi Arabian Women’s “Dress Code” (Secondary)

# data[].attributes.body
Women in Saudi Arabia had to wear an Abaya, but since 2018, women’s dress code has been relaxed. Women are now able to choose from a selection of clothes that are still modest.

“The dress code for women is enforced to varying degrees across Saudi Arabia. Women are required to dress modestly, and this means tight-fitting clothing and see-through materials are generally prohibited. Wearing heavy make-up is generally considered inappropriate.
Traditionally, the abaya – a long, loose garment that typically has a black headscarf or niqab which was the norm through much of the 20th century – is worn over a woman’s clothing when in public. However, in 2018 the crown prince somewhat relaxed the dress code, and said women did not have to wear an abaya in public.“

# data[].attributes.headline
To what extent has Saudi Arabian law impeded on the freedom of women?

# data[].attributes.subject
To what extent has Saudi Arabian law impeded on the freedom of women?

# data[].attributes.body
“Saudi Arabia’s Women’s Rights Reforms Long Overdue.” Amnesty International, 2 Aug. 2019, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2019/08/saudi-arabia-womens-rights-reforms-must-be-followed-by-release-of-detained-activists/.

# data[].attributes.body
Beckerle, Kristine. “Boxed In.” Human Rights Watch, July 2016. Human Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/07/17/boxed/women-and-saudi-arabias-male-guardianship-system.

# data[].attributes.body
A reform was put in place to allow women to receive a passport without a male guardian and lead certain household relations.

“Saudi Arabian newspapers announced major reforms to several laws easing some of the major restrictions which are imposed on women as part of the country’s repressive male guardianship system. The reforms will allow women the right to obtain a passport that should make it possible for them to travel without the permission of a male guardian. They also give women equal rights to lead household and some family-related matters.
‘The reforms announced today are a significant but long overdue step forward for women’s rights. These changes are a clear testament to the tireless campaigning of women’s rights activists who have battled against rampant discrimination in Saudi Arabia for decades,’ said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director.”

# data[].attributes.body
Men control most of the social decisions of women in Saudi Arabia. Some of these decisions are very controversial.

“In Saudi Arabia, a woman’s life is controlled by a man from birth until death. Every Saudi woman must have a male guardian, normally a father or husband, but in some cases a brother or even a son, who has the power to make a range of critical decisions on her behalf.
As dozens of Saudi women told Human Rights Watch, the male guardianship system is the most significant impediment to realizing women’s rights in the country, effectively rendering adult women legal minors who cannot make key decisions for themselves.”

# data[].attributes.body
“‘We Have a Voice’ -- Artist Confronts Saudi Arabia’s Male Guardianship Laws.” PBS NewsHour, 16 Oct. 2016, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/saudi-artist-guardianship-laws.

# data[].attributes.body
updated, The Week Staff last. “What Women Can and Can’t Do in Saudi Arabia.” Theweek, 9 Sept. 2014, https://theweek.com/60339/things-women-cant-do-in-saudi-arabia.

# data[].attributes.headline
Saudi Women’s Experience With Marriage (Primary)

# data[].attributes.subject
Saudi Women’s Experience With Marriage (Primary)

# data[].attributes.body
A Woman from Saudi Arabia explains having to deal with an arranged marriage, divorce, and the benefits of coming from a family in government.  She talks on how the benefits of her family allowed her to more easily divorce too.

“My parents as well as SOME of my extended family members were supportive. The reason why I say some is because it was my uncle’s wife’s brother who I married in the first place. Of course when I asked for a divorce, it did not go too well with my uncle nor his wife but I did not care at that point of how they felt.

The ex-mother-in-law ALWAYS convinced me to stay and give the ex a chance. She would always tell me that as a divorcee it will be very hard for me to find someone and especially someone that would take my kids and treat them good. She would take me to several women whom I met who supposedly had issues in their marriages but despite the issues, they still stayed for the “sake” of the children.

See, you have to understand that although in Saudi, divorce is widespread, it is still considered “taboo” and not quite accepted. In fact, you will have many women that stay in bad marriages just so they can avoid the taunts and “stigma” of a divorce period. Many will use the excuse the “children” but in reality, it is more because of how society looks at a divorced woman.

My father was very supportive and even paid a $10,000 bribe that the judge demanded if he were to grant me the divorce. In Saudi, when a woman asks for a divorce it takes a very long time to get it and it is not usually in the favor of the woman anyway. For me, it took one day and I was done. But that was strictly due to the bribe really not because of anything else. Unfortunately, bribery still exists in Saudi.”

# data[].attributes.body
“A Saudi Woman Shares Her Story of Marriage to a Westerner | American Bedu.” American Bedu | Experiences and Observations of a Former American Diplomat Now Married to a Saudi and Living in KSA…, https://americanbedu.com/a-saudi-woman-shares-her-story-of-marriage-to-a-westerner/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.

# data[].attributes.body
Shari’a Law is the law that Saudi Arabia is built on as an Islamic state.  The main point of this passage is that Shari’a Law is submitting to the Will of God, and laws fall within categories: mandatory, recommended, permissible, reprehensible or forbid- den.  Some laws that inhibit women in American Ideas of freedom are misplaced within these categories.

“Islam means submission. A Muslim therefore is one who submits to the will of God, and his legal system serves to show him how. The concept as well as the role of law therefore differ from that with which Westerners are familiar. In Professor Schacht's famous phrase, Islamic law "is the epitome of Islamic thought, the most typical manifestation of the Islamic way of life, the core and kernel of Islam itself."  It regulates daily life, religious activity, social behavior, financial transactions and family affairs and establishes and provides punishment for crimes and civil offenses. As Islam is concerned with the whole range of human actiVIty, Islamic law does not divide simply between what is lawful and what is not. It views a wider ethical horizon and classifies an act in one of five categories: mandatory, recommended, permissible, reprehensible or forbidden.  A Saudi lawyer might be asked by his client for an opinion on a question of contract liability; he could as well be asked for guidance as to what action might please God.“

# data[].attributes.body
Esposito, John L. What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam. Oxford University Press, 2002.

# data[].attributes.body
Ms. Saffaa talking on what it’s like dealing with male guardianship laws. Specifically, she is talking on having to prove that she is living with a male guardian because she is sponsored by the government.

“Well, I have to go back to 2012, when I was doing my honors degree at [the University of Sydney]. While the Saudi government does sponsor women, women sponsored by the government have to prove that their male guardians are actually living with them. I was an A student, and the only thing that was stopping me from completing my degree was [not] having my male guardian here. The government asked me a few times to prove that my male guardian was with me. At the time I was, I think, 31 or 32, and I found it humiliating, dehumanizing in many ways. And this was a moment that kind of shaped my career, and that’s when I decided to create #IAmMyOwnGuardian.”

# data[].attributes.headline
What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam (Book)

# data[].attributes.subject
What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam (Book)

# data[].attributes.body
The Quran declares men and women as equal in the eyes of God.  Many would say this is not true because of how women are treated in Muslim societies.

“The Quran declares that men and women are equal in the eyes of God; man and woman were created to be equal parts of a pair (51:49). The Quran describes the relationship be- tween men and women as one of “love and mercy” (30:21). Men and women are to be like “members of one another” (3:195), like each other’s garment (2:187).
Men and women are equally responsible for adhering to the Five Pillars of Islam. Quran 9:71-72 states, “The Believers, men and women, are protectors of one another; they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil; they observe regular prayers, pay zakat and obey God and His Messenger. On them will God pour His mercy: for God is exalted in Power, Wise. God has promised to Believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein.” This verse draws added signifi- cance from the fact that it was the last Quran verse to be re- vealed that addressed relations between men and women. Some scholars argue on the basis of both content and chronology that this verse outlines the ideal vision of the relationship between men and women in Islam—one of equality and complementarity.”