Will women go missing from Saudi Arabian media?

You're right that this is backlash against the progress Saudi women have been making recently in expanding their rights in a variety of areas, including getting legal training.The Kingdom is so far out of line with women's rights in other countries across the Middle East.

I don't know enough to predict what Khoja will decide; I hope he refuses. All we can do is support Saudi feminists who are fighting these battles, and trust their decisions. I'm not sure, for instance, if the TV issue is the top of Saudi women's lists; I can imagine other topics, like the driving restriction, being a higher priority.

I hate knowing, however, that my money is supporting the very wealthy fraction of Saudi Arabia that makes rules like this. I don't have a car, but I'm sure the bananas I bought this weekend (and a lot else of what I eat, wear, and buy) were flown to the US and carted to my grocery store using Saudi gas.

...

*speechless*

what next? banning females back to the kitchen?

unbelievable... it's the 21st century... not 21st AD! when will they ever learn? when.. oh when...and they call us the non-believers...gee!

......  frosch411 online   ......

Somos una gente
Hay tantísimas fronteras .. que dividen a la gente .. pero por cada frontera .. existe también un puente

For someone who is born and brought up there, these kind of news does not surprise me at all. Women there face alot of degrading situations. They are not considered humans with rights. The society there is very male dominate.It holds so many contradictions, you would think what the hell is this all about? i mean the Royal family is living by their own rules, while imposing strict sharia law on citizens and foreginers!!

"I hate knowing, however, that my money is supporting the very wealthy fraction of Saudi Arabia that makes rules like this. I don't have a car, but I'm sure the bananas I bought this weekend (and a lot else of what I eat, wear, and buy) were flown to the US and carted to my grocery store using Saudi gas."

I felt the same way while writing this. Economically, we could make a huge impact and really make our voices heard about human rights violations in the region. Let's just hope that the push for a gas-free America continues...and people, including myself, start becoming more aware of every mile they drive. 

It's really not a safe place for women. Some travel books even say so, and it's a bit funny because they still have to promote the country in the book. I've been there when I was 10, it really was hard because my parents gave me a lot of rules to follow. Mostly things I couldn't do; I couldn't go out of our flat without my dad, couldn't even buy a freaking candy in the convenient store across our building without my dad, my dad should always be with us when we need to go somewhere, even if it's just 2 doors down the hall, and it seemed absurd to me. There were times that I was scared whenever someone is knocking on our door. Being a foreigner there is hard, it's a lot harder being a foreign woman. Maybe I was just paranoid but even my dad is sometimes afraid to leave me and my mom alone in our flat. I do respect their religion and culture, but I don't understand why and how religious beliefs could cause oppression.

I'll soon go back there, wish me luck. 

If they're so afraid of "Westernization" why do they allow television and the media in general to begin with?

 mother-frakkin @#%@^@$#&* hypocrites.

This is just depressing. I'm in Pakistan at the moment, where things haven't gone completely downhill just yet, but I'll be graduating soon and heading back to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. To be educated and then head back to face this atrocity is a slap in the face.

"there should be no Saudi woman on television, in any case … there is no doubt that this is religiously impermissible."

Religiously impermissible?? Ah, that's right, if there's no other excuse, they can always pull out the religion card! There is nothing vulgar or erotic about the Saudi women that grace the television screens. 

I agree with Amy M. Why just ban Saudi women? Why just stop there? Do away with all channels showing women. This is an example of chauvinist assholes with too much time and money on their hands. 

It's the 21st Century. I can't believe that in this day and age I have to read this B.S in the news.

Non-sense, that is beyond the rules of 'male superiority'. Letting woman in the media is not about Westernization is about human rights!!, so Woman cannot be anywhere past the kitchen? why are man allowed to hit them in public? Their excuse is religion and conservatism? WHAT?!. I will never understand how a country could be so close minded, and allow Machismo to flow so freely?. WHY havent any other countries intervened?...wait, thinking about it we shouldnt intervene or we go to war, another unnecessary war-but then again is not right to see people get treated that way; but we can do nothing without a major side effect. =\ . Isnt Saudi Arabia one of the riches country in the M.E?.

Gaaah! too many questions.And no answers....? O_O

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Let it Rock,Let it roll

It's odd that all these "fantastic" and "necessary" rules are always made by men. I don't get why they want to supress women that much. Threat to the ego, maybe? It's hypocrtical that the men who made such rules have wives on the biasis of loving them ( I should think so... maybe) yet make their lives a living prison.

External interferences will probably be useless since it is an extremely sensitive issue = religion. Still, best of luck to the really brave feminists there!

The entire problem with this attitude in this part of the world is very complicated and will not be an easy one to over come. First of all, I'd like to point out that mans history is full of oppression, often when extreme religious views are held. The irony is that religion SHOULD be made up of people exuding tolerance and compassion. Our own country has a history full of oppression. The good news is that oppression NEVER lasts. Ultimately people rise up. Unfortunately, this has, thus far, only been accomplished through violence. One of the biggest problems that Saudi Arabia faces is the fact that the population of the country is nearly 54% male. A large majority of them are under the age of 25. This is the demographic with the highest numbers of people with exterem views. While the reaction of most people in the west is to find alternative energy sources, which I am all for for numerous reasons, that more than likely wouldn't fix the problems we, as a world, are having with these extermists with this mind set. Imagine, as bad as it is there, it could get worse if the Kingdom were to lose its power over the country. Sure, it's ideal to think of them sitting there with all that oil and nowhere to send it and no money to be made off of it. What potential problem that sets in motion is this: The Family there isn't really that well recieved and thought of. Their wealth and friendship with us helps them maintain power and control. Like it or not, the Crown Prince and Kingdom are our allies....if they lose control over the country, then it potentially falls into the hands of people who would love nothing more than to see the west completely obliterated. In other words, as bad as it is, it could very reasonably be much worse. Boycotts are a good idea, but unfortunately, a little idealistic if not dangerous and would probably contribute to things getting worse before they get better. (Finding alternative energy sources will happen, as I hope they will and are the best solutions for many reason, especially trying to save this earth, but the problems that could arise from elliminating fossil fuels could cause much civil unrest and, ironically and possibly, some world destruction). The answers are NOT at all clear nor obvious. Bottom line, it is all so very scary. I wish I had one good insight into one part of the picture that is the answer. Time is more than likely one part, but how much time? Faith, the kind that comes from a persons heart, not what a church or religion deems proper, is another ingredient. Sadly, it's going to take too much blood, sweat and tears before this is righted. I wish that it didn't have to. Nonetheless, I hope and pray for them all and will hold out hope for peaceful resolve and will continue to have faith in the compassion that does exist in people. There are more good people than bad. I firmly believe that.

Ironically, allowing women and their more sensible abilties of reason and compassion could stop this potential path of destruction, but they don't want women contributing. They don't think we can. (By the way, not all the men there believe this, a majority do, those in power especially, but not all).

Oh, the sad irony. Hope and pray for insight to be born large and loud. Take care.

*ahahahahahahahahahahaaa**sighs*

funny: the attitude still prevalent in the country

not funny at all: its results.

and i find it ironic, before posting i went and had a look at Saudi Arabia, Sharia law and islam.

apparently Mohammed said

from brief reading, the king is trying to live by the islamic perspective of man and woman being equal and woman being revered (every woman is -potentially- a mother, interestingly wether or not there's genetic commonality between the female and the child she's mothering), while Sharia seems to actually (when it comes to the end product of application) step so far beyond basic islamic teaching that it results in contradiction with the Qu'ran.

my thanks to saudi arabi for futher evidence of people = stoopid

(seriously, one day im going to actually calculate the global gross average stoopid per person)

"weigh each of your words with care, for they will betray "you" and are by which you are weighed."
"Freedom of speech is not an excuse to say anything you want carelessly and then the means to avoid an acco

Good points. One of the things that true scholars who study religious doctrines seem to find is that the prophets teach their followers to respect the woman. She is the giver of life. For some reason it has become more popular for religious practices to bastardize these doctrines or call them false. It is said that Jesus even preached the act of loving and respecting the feminine. It is very possible that Jesus kept Mary Magdelene at his side as his mentor. She came before the diciples. Yes, it sounds like I am quoting the DaVinci Code, but Dan Brown based his story on facts and the Free Masons believed this completely. The possibilty that there is so much more to the story than organixed religion would have or want us to believe. It makes sense to me that the real truth has been pushed aside so far it will take a long time for it to be recovered. At least it is being discussed these days. That is a BIG start. Perhaps, this is exactly what is making this part of the world shake and become nervous. In their guts they knnow what the truth is and it frightens them.

Even though I'm a Middle Eastern myself, i pretty much gave up on Saudi Arabia becoming a remotely civilized country. I think everyone with enough sense should just pack their shit and leave.

honestly now, who the hell has any hope to reform them after this?!

 where I come from, I see Saudi people clubbing and partying their life away, even attacking us, the actual residents, if we ever clashed with them. I personally take it on my own toll to harrass saudi men in my town, and make them feel as inferior as possible.

I know this point is irrelevant, but thats how much hatred I have built up in me, just by being generalized with such people, and because i visited Saudi Arabia once and it was one of the worst experineces of my life, my mother didnt recover from it and it has been years.