SAUDI DRIFTING - A CRIMINAL MOTORSPORT

The youth in Saudi Arabia have very little forms of entertainment or avenues to express themselves and thus they have created their own form of entertainment and amusement in the form of Saudi drifting also known as tafheet or hajwalah in the Arab world. This dangerous and deadly activity has been occurring in the Kingdom ever since motor cars have made their way into the oil rich Kingdom. Tafheet practice and events occur with little to no concern for any vehicle occupants, other drivers or any spectator safety. For those of you out there who do not know what drifting is all about let me give you a brief explanation. Basically the driver would drive the car at maximum speed and then turn the steering wheel sharply towards the right and then left causing the vehicle to spin and sway from side to side. Young Saudi men see this as an act of bravery or very simply a means of showing off their manhood....It is a case of "I am a macho man". In most instances though the car spins completely out of control and causes loss of life and damage to property. Many innocent bystanders or pedestrians lose their lives. Many of these drifters would actually be daring enough to carry out this bizarre activity in peak traffic on the main streets of Riyadh. Many 'shabaabs'---young Saudi men would consider drifting in rich affluent neighbourhoods to attract the young women residing in those neighbourhoods forcing the police to set up speed bumps to contain this bizarre activity. I believe that if a person has no respect for their own life and wishes to destroy their own life then no problem that's your right. But no one has the right to destroy someone elses life or show disrespect towards another human beings property. The video below is absolutely appalling. The young men in the video literally hijack the vehicles driven by expats and then utilize the vehicle to carry out their drifting stunts. As you can see they have targeted the poor expat workers residing in the Kingdom knowing fully well that these labourers do not really have a say in the Kingdom from a human rights point of view. I do not think that these youth would dare to try a stunt like this with a Saudi citizen. These youth have shown no respect towards another human being and have failed to respect another persons property. I wonder if the parent's of these youth know what their young men are up to. They continued this horrific activity for four hours. The question is this? Where the hell were the police? The mutawwa are quick to run after women in the malls yelling at them to cover their eyes, cover their faces, reprimanding them for wearing nail polish etc etc. Why was there not one mutawwa in sight to advise these destructive youth about respecting other people? Islam is a religion that teaches us to respect and value other people along with their property irrespective of race, colour or creed. Clearly these youth have not upheld the teachings of Islam. It is of paramount importance that youth camps be set up to teach young Saudi men to become productive members of society.These young men should be inspired to learn other skills or take up part time jobs. They should be encouraged to become involved in social and community welfare projects like visiting the sick, visiting orphanages, raising funds for various charities across the globe. I strongly believe that residing in an overly repressive environment creates a recipe for disaster and the video below is a clear depiction of this. What are your thoughts on this one?

ABUSING OR BEING ABUSED - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

http://abusebites-com.doodlekit.com/ - Picture

Abuse and domestic violence agianst women and children is rife within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as much as it is prevalent in other parts of the world. During the past few weeks the world has bared witness to gruesome atrocities committed against two women and a child. The first case that rocked the world was the brutal rape of the New Delhi student who later passed on in Singapore followed by the murder of a five year old child at the hands of her father in Saudi Arabia who also happens to be a religious cleric who propagated Islam on television. Just hours ago South Africans have been left shocked and speechless at the barbaric rape and assault of a 17 year old girl whose lower part of the body was slashed open and her intestines ripped out of her body. The victim passed away on arrival at the hospital. Within the last few days I have heard of a few stories of abuse that were related to me by different individuals. My Sudanese colleague brother Ahmed related a story to me that he had witnessed a few weeks ago in his neighbourhood. He was standing outside his home when he noticed a teenage girl crying and running frantically down the road with a middle aged gentleman running behind her screaming and shouting at the top of his voice. The girl ran towards the street corner where she encountered a car with a few young Saudi men. Her father was yelling at them to stop the girl. The young men got out of the car and apprehended the girl. They then took their Iqaals (the black ring that is worn on top of the shemagh or ghutra - the chequered scarf) and began to hit the girl. The girl pleaded with them to stop hitting her. Bearing the situation no longer my colleague went up to them and adviced them not to hit the girl but to rather communicate and find out what the problem is. It was discovered that the father was angry with his daughter for communicating on the telephone with her aunts son; her mother's sisters son. A friend of mine residing in Jeddah called me a few days ago to seek advice with regards to his family issues. His mother has been in an abusive relationship with his father from the time he was a child but continued to stay in the relationship for the sake of the children. His mother has now become a grandmother of many grand children and still the abuse continues. Being the eldest son out of ten children, he has encouraged and adviced his mom to divorce his father and marry again. His mother was married at a very young age and hence she is now in her late forties. He wants to give his mother the happiness that she has not experienced throughout her life. A few days ago prior to going to Madina, I bumped into a colleague of mine who seemed visibly disturbed. She is a middle aged woman, short and stout and is more of a motherly figure to me. When she is her normal self she is always bright, bubbly and jovial. When I enquired about her sadness I discovered that she has a daughter working in the Eastern province here in Saudi Arabia. Her daughter resides alone at the hospital compound whilst her husband resides in India with her kids. From the time that she got married her husband has never worked but rather demanded money from her. She has to work hard doing over time to pay for her son's university education. Her mother has asked her on numerous occasions to divorce her husband and move on but she refuses to divorce him due to the stigma associated with a divorced woman in India. According to her mother she is willing to sacrifice her happiness for her children. A Saudi friend of mine residing in Jeddah related to me a story about the plight of a South African Muslim girl married to a Saudi from Jeddah. Apparently the girl met the boy during an umra trip in Makkah during Ramadhaan two years ago. Whilst her parents were dead against her marrying a Saudi Arab, the girl was blown away with the Saudi gentlemans wealth and good looks. Both families met each other in Makkah, gifts were exchanged and of course the wedding ceremony occurred in Makkah as well. Not even six months had elapsed and the marriage was on the rocks. Her husband started locking her up in his mansion whilst he would spend the weekends in Bahrain and Morocco wining and dining numerous other women. She then asked her inlaws to speak to her husband and threatened to divorce him. After a few family meetings and discussions her husband agreed to change and hence for a month of two he was spending more time with his wife. During this period she fell pregnant but her husband was hardly with her during her pregnancy.I guess a leopard never changes its spots. He started being more abusive physically and verbally and even took away her passport preventing her from traveling or leaving the country. When her baby was born her parents came to the Kingdom to visit her and noticed that their daughter was not her usual self. After confiding in her family they all decided to assist her in leaving the Kingdom. Due to her family's strong diplomatic ties across the globe, she sought help from the South African embassy and managed to escape from the country on a private chartered plane. To be honest she was lucky to escape because she hails from an affluent family. Here in the Kingdom a woman requires permission from a mahram, be it a father, brother or husband in order to travel outside the country. Without this permission the airport security will prevent her from flying. As per Saudi law if a foreign woman divorces her Saudi husband, the children will remain in the Kingdom in the custody of the father. Hence she will leave the country without her kids. How can any mother stay away from her child?
These are just a few cases of abuse that were brought to my attention. I wonder how many more cases of abuse go unreported everyday within the Kingdom as well as in other countries across the globe. If you are victim of abuse reading this article then this is my advice to you: Everyone in life deserves happiness. If you deem yourself to be a victim of abuse then I strongly recommend you to seek help right away. Stay away from people who dampen your morale and lower your self esteem through their negativity and verbal abuse. This notion or idea of staying in the relationship for the sake of the kids is totally incorrect. Bringing up kids in an abusive and violent home will undoubtedly have a negatve impact on their lives and it may not show initially but their will be some negative influence later on in their lives. I know for a fact that especially within the Indian community, women who are abused do not report their situation to the relevant authorities simply because they do not wish for the world to know their " inside house stories". This attitide needs to change. Perpetrators need to be brought to the fore and examples need to be set so that the future generation of young men would grow up to understand the correct dynamics of a relationship and they will be equipped in dealing with issues in a relationship without displaying abusive behaviour. In the words of Flora Jessop,“To those who abuse: the sin is yours, the crime is yours, and the shame is yours. To those who protect the perpetrators: blaming the victims only masks the evil within, making you as guilty as those who abuse. Stand up for the innocent or go down with the rest.” 

THE POWER OF THE HOLY QURAAN

                                                           Picture: alimsumarno.com

Every morning my Sudani colleague, brother Ahmed reports to work an hour earlier to beat Riyadh's horrendous traffic. He would make two cups of coffee and we will engage in conversation about various subject matters. Yesterday morning he related a story to me that he had witnessed at the airport a few weeks ago. There was a student from Egypt who had completed his Islamic studies at a university here in Riyadh. He had graduated and was returning to Egypt with all his belongings. He hailed from a poor family in Egypt. His plane ticket was sponsored by the university. When he arrived at the airport check in counter, he was informed that he is overweight and needs to pay three hundred dollars before a boarding pass will be issued. He pleaded with the man at the counter regarding his plight showing the man the Quraan and other books that he had studied at the university. The man at the cunter was cold and adamant. He called a member of the military to escort the student away from the counter. Like all Saudi military personnel, the man was harsh and whilst banging his fist on the counter he told the student that he will make sure that he does not get onto the flight unless he pays the money first. The student looked at the man and in a polite tone replied, " Insha Allah - if God Almighty wills I will be on the flight most definitely." He walked away and went to the airport masjid. It was time for salaah but the imaam of the masjid did not arrive. Since their was no other person who knew the Quraan by heart in the small congregation, he offered to lead the prayer. God Almighty had blessed him with a beautiful voice and he read the verses of the Quraan as though he was speaking to His creator. When the prayer was concluded a gentleman who performed hir prayer behind him walked up to him with tear filled eyes. In fact the gentleman could not contol his tears. He was so moved by the way in which the student recited the Quraan. He asked the student where did he learn to read Quraan in such a soulful manner and also where is he travelling to. The student informed him that he was on his way to Egypt. The gentleman was surprised that the flight was going to take off within an hour and the student had not yet checked in his luggage and neither did he have a boarding pass. The Saudi gentleman then asked the student to accompnay him to the check in counter. When he arrived at the counter, the staff including the military personnel became cold with fright. The Saudi gentleman was one of the senior executive members at the airport. Within minutes the students luggage was checked in and he was given an upgraded ticket to Egypt. The Saudi gentleman asked the staff at the counter why were they harrassing the student and do they not have the slightest bit of humanity within their hearts. He lectured them on being kind to others especially students who have travelled to Saudi Arabia leaving their families behind to learn about Islam and memorise the Quraan. This folks is the power of the Quraan. A truly remarkable story indeed. The moral of the story is this, when you have complete faith and full trust in God Almighty nothing or no one can prevent you from achieving your goal in life. Always place God Almighty first in your life and you will always attain success from unknown sources.

Sex and Beyond

Sex along with sexual related matters is very much a taboo subject here in the conservative Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and hence I find that young Saudi couples grow up with many misconceptions regarding sex in general. I have noticed varying sexual behaviours among young Saudi couples. Anal sexual intercourse is a very common practice within the Arab world even though the Quraan clearly mentions that it is forbidden in Islam. My colleagues in the emergency department have encountered female patients who are admitted due to bleeding as a result of slight tears in the colonic lining as a result of anal intercourse. Many husbands insist that their wives have anal intercourse with them. I have come across Saudi women who have divorced their husbands due to their persistence in engaging in anal intercourse. It is interesting to note though that many Saudi women do engage in anal sex prior to marriage. This allows them to still retain their virginity. I have encountered Saudi women coming to the pharmacy for fleet enemas that they utilize as a douche to clean out the back passage before engaging in anal sex. Unlike in South Africa there are no guidance classes at a schooling level to teach young Saudis about their bodies and sexuality and this of course causes problems later on in life as you will establish through the next story below.
Every Thursday and Fridays I dispense medication to the infertility clinic patients. A few months ago prior to my vacation I had a chat with one of the OB-Gynae doctors from Canada who mentioned to me that in Saudi there is a dire need for sex education. The doctor had a young couple as his patient. They were in their early twenties and were married for four years. They resided in one of the rural areas outside of Riyadh city. The woman could not fall pregnant and her in laws were now encouraging her husband to take on a second wife or divorce her and then marry someone else. After conducting all the routine tests, it was discovered that both the husband and the wife were in perfect sexual health. The doctor was baffled. He then explicitly questioned the couple about their sexual life and it was then discovered that they were in fact engaging in anal sex rather than vaginal sex. That explained the painful sexual experience the woman complained about. A few days ago I met the OB-Gynae doctor again and he informed me that the woman came by the emergency department for anti nausea medication as she had finally fallen pregnant and is expecting her first child to the delight of the entire family. I had another case of a woman utilizing birth controls and yet she was falling pregnant on a yearly basis. When the medical team questioned her she mentioned to them that she takes her pill diligently. When she was further questioned as to how she takes her medication she informed them that she only pops one pill prior to intercourse as opposed to it being taken every day at a specific time. Whilst their seems to be a complete lack of sex education in the Kingdom, one Saudi gentleman has decided to tackle these misconceptions heads on. I came across Dr. Abdul al Lily’s blog ‘Sex and Beyond’ a few months ago whilst surfing the internet and the first thought that ran through my mind was ‘wowww’. Dr. Abdul chooses to handle a taboo and sensitive subject in a very polite and respectful manner whilst still making sure that he gets his point across. Read on to find out more in his own words...Q3TCETW4B3SA

Nationality: Saudi

Education:

 PhD: Education, Technology, Sociology and Organisational Politics

MA: Information, Commutation, Technology and Education

BA: Maths and Education

Career:

 Assistant Professor (Promotion in Process): King Faisal University

Lecture (2009-13): King Faisal University

Teaching Assistant (2005-9): King Faisal University

Maths Teacher (2005): Royal Commission

1. Firstly, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed despite your very hectic lifestyle. So tell me who is Dr. Abdul Al Lily? Tell me a little bit about your background. Where were you born? Basically a brief synopsis of your life from a child up until adulthood.

I was born in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and lived there till I turned 21 when I moved to Canada for a few months, then to England for around 7 years, then back to Saudi Arabia till now. At the age of 11, I joined an ideological community that trained its members in so many skills (e.g. computing, languages, management, organisation and graphics) and, more importantly, educated them intensively in Saudi Arabian culture and its theoretical aspects. I was very active and disciplined in this community, to the extent that I became an authority in this community at the age of 17. Through this community, I got very ‘culturalised’ and managed to achieve a high level of theoretical understanding of Saudi culture, to the extent that this qualified me to become a cultural authority outside this community, becoming at the age of 16 a ‘mouezzin’ (i.e. the person who issues the call to prayer from a mosque) and then at the age of 18 an ‘imam’ (i.e. an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and a Muslim community, who may lead Islamic worship services, serve as community leaders and provide religious guidance). At the age of 20, I managed to memorise the whole Quran with understanding of the rules governing pronunciation during recitation of the Quran, and therefore I became qualified as an authority to teach others how to recite Quran. I, moreover, was an educational supervisor in Hajj five times.

Because I was always very keen to influence the organisation to which I am attached, I was very politically and socially active at school and engaged even with the regional education agency. Likewise, at the university where I did my undergraduate studies, I was a leader of social activities. Despite me being politically and socially active, my academic studies still had a top priority, and for this reason, I managed to pass my undergraduate studies with distinction and to gain a royal reward for the highest academic achievement in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Beside my academic studies, I attended a great number of seminars and lectures in the theoretical and practical aspects of Saudi culture. When I got my BA degree, I decided to learn English. I always like to do what people find difficult to do, and since English is considered (at least by Saudis) to be something difficult to learn, my focus had become on learning English. But the problem was that my background in English was zero. I did not even know what the term ‘newspaper’ meant in English. So, since the second I finished my undergraduate studies, I started studying English intensively for a year in Saudi Arabia, and then moved to Canada to continue learning English, then to England to study particularly academic English and do my postgraduate studies.

2. I remember the first time I came across your blog I was completely blown away by your open minded broad personality. Why did you start the blog ‘Sex and Beyond’?

Moving to such multicultural countries (Canada and then England) gave me the opportunity to explore other cultures and compare them to Saudi culture. This has indeed improved my critical ability to analyse Saudi culture and look at it from a new perspective. I have decided to share my new perspective with the international community, believing that this sharing is of the essence given that the world is witnessing a high level of cultural exchange but the contribution of Saudi culture to this exchange was weak and limited. So, I decided to write about Saudi culture, thus enriching information about Saudi culture in this international cultural exchange. Many Saudis avoid critically and internationally writing about Saudi culture for various reasons, including not being good at writing in English, not being good at theoretically and critically analysing Saudi culture, not having the writing skill, not being good at expressing themselves and/or not feeling politically confident. Another reason why there is a lack of writings about Saudi Arabian culture is that Saudi Arabia is a collective society, and therefore anyone writing about Saudi culture thinks of himself or herself as a representative of Saudi culture, which therefore puts so much pressure on himself or herself, thus discouraging him/her from writing about this culture. Likewise, because of this collectiveness, Saudi citizens think of any Saudi writer about Saudi culture as a representative of Saudi society, and therefore they will be hard on him or her if s/he misrepresents the culture.

3. I must say that you are very brave to be blogging about a taboo subject by utilizing your real name. Have you experienced any repercussions of this in terms of members of the Saudi society criticizing your blog or attacking you on a personal level?

Not really, and a key reason seems that the blog is written in English and therefore is read only by those Saudis who can speak English. Those Saudis who can speak English tend to be highly educated and have normally been to the West, which makes them somehow tolerant. That said, I did receive some inappropriate comments from some such Saudis. For example, one said to a friend of mine: ‘If I see Abdul, I’ll piss on him.’ Another wrote to me: ‘You’re strange.’ A critic of my blog saw me as being a ‘disgrace’ to Saudi culture.

4. I do know for a fact that many Saudi men and women are sexually active prior to marriage. Many women admit themselves in hospitals abroad for hymenoplasty or vaginoplasty type operations prior to marriage with some surgeons even inserting blood capsules to create the illusion of blood on the wedding night. Do you think that too much of emphasis is placed on virginity and the hymen? Many Saudi men are involved in multiple relationships before marriage but still expect to marry a virgin, pure bride. Do you think that this double standard that does exist within Saudi society needs to change?

Some might hold the belief that Saudi society has witnessed so many challenges, and many of these challenges are challenges just because they have been turned into challenges and because they are exaggerated by the culture that generates them. For example, virginity and gender separation, for example, are, it could be believed, challenges just because they have been turned into challenges and because they are exaggerated by the culture that generates them.

5. What are your thoughts on polygamous relationships?

This issue has been already discussed widely by the media and writers.

6. Do you think that sex education needs to be implemented at perhaps a high school level in Saudi Arabia?

It could be believed that sex education is needed, and this is an important element of any civilised society. Some Saudis seem aware of the importance of sex education but the problem seems that they are sensitive about and feel uncomfortable with the term ‘sex education.’ So, the problem here is merely with terminology. Some might feel that Saudi parents might not have a problem with the idea of there being a ‘sex education’ syllabus, but they might have a problem with what should be included in such a syllabus. I was wondering if Saudi parents would refuse sex education if it carried a different name and was integrated into the biology syllabus, for example.

The question that should be addressed is whether sex education should exist in the Saudi education system. Some might believe that one will learn about sex with or without sex education, thanks to the Internet and to the information revolution. Others, however, might argue that the Internet might expose Saudis to certain aspects of sex (e.g. how to achieve more pleasant sex, including positions) but not to other aspects (e.g. how to achieve safe sex). Sex education has the potential to, or at least should, cover all possible aspects of sex and give students a comprehensive view on sexual practice.

7. Can you perhaps share some of the interesting misconceptions or stories you have come across with my blog readers?

One problem is that some Saudi readers have judged my blog without thoroughly reading it. Another problem is that some readers judge the blog as a whole not its individual ideas. An additional problem is that people do not differentiate between the blog and the blogger, and therefore they might direct their criticism to the blogger not to the blog itself and its ideas. Some people think that, since I am an active writer about sexual practice, this means that I am sexually active. They forget that I am just a writer/researcher who is interested in analysing social issues regardless of the sensitivity of these issues. By way of illustration, writing about AIDS does not necessarily mean that the writer has AIDS. Likewise, writing about sex does not necessarily mean that the writer is sexually active. Some Saudis want to keep their ‘business’ for themselves and therefore are not interested in cultural exchange and mutual understanding, which explains why such Saudis are not happy with such a blog as mine.

8. Not so long ago a Saudi man was arrested for coming on live television and discussing his sex life along with his passion for sex toys. In Bahrain there is apparently one sex toy shop owned by a woman and the authorities there are constantly trying to shut it down yet in the same breath the religious scholars have mentioned that it is permissible for a husband and wife to pleasure each other with toys. Do you think that these type of shops should be allowed in the Middle East in general? Many Saudis order such paraphernalia from abroad.

Some of the Saudi Arabian social authorities forget that tools remain tools that can be used for good or for evil, and therefore the best way of handling these tools is not to ban them and therefore spread a sense of repression throughout society, but rather to educate citizens in how to use these tools for good. One might argue that such tools (i.e. sex toys) can be exploited to enhance the sexual pleasure of any married life, and therefore there is no cultural problem when allowing them. 

9. What are your thoughts with regards to the Saudi authorities controlling the subject of marriage whereby approval by such authorities is required if a Saudi wishes to marry a non-Saudi?

I actually always wonder why such approval is required.

10. Homosexuality and Lesbianism is an issue that is rife within the Kingdom as I have witnessed personally. Where has this culture emerged from? Do you think it is a direct result of strict gender segregation?

Saudi culture actually acknowledges the historical existence of homosexuality, but the struggle comes when discussing how to deal with it. Gender separation seems to have resulted in a new aspect of ‘homosexuality’ whereby one engages in sexual activity with one or more of the same gender despite the fact that he is not homosexual but the reason is that he cannot express his sexual desire with people of the other gender due to gender separation. So, engaging sexually with people of the same gender is done just because it is the only possible way of getting rid of one’s sexual desire anyway, or at least out of curiosity.

11. On a more personal note, have you ever lost friends or have you ever been threatened due to a viewpoint you expressed on your blog?

Not really, for various reasons. One is that I am trying so hard to be diplomatic and charismatic as much as possible, which seems to have discouraged any cruel social reaction towards the blog. Besides, there has apparently become no (or at least hardly any) physical harm to anyone criticising Saudi cultural and social values and patterns - with the exception of the fundamental norms of the national political system which I intentionally avoid talking about in the blog. There, however, remains some social hatred towards such critics. That said, I have started to notice that some Saudis (whether young or old, liberal or even conservative) somehow admire, normally secretly, anyone who is ‘westernized’/’modernized’ and has its own distinctive way of seeing Saudi culture, especially when this person is successful and delivers his/her criticisms in a polite and delicate way. Frankly, given the fact that I hold a doctoral degree and am a faculty member in Saudi Arabia, this grants me so much prestige, which makes Saudis show respect to me despite my critical writings about their culture. Besides, the fact that I did my master’s and doctorate in the West and lived over there for a long time, this makes people somehow forgive me for viewing their culture through a critical lens. I am, as mentioned earlier, a faculty member in a Saudi university, teaching a large number of Saudi undergraduates, and since the relationship between me and my students tends to be good, these students are more likely to become influenced by my values, thus increasing the number of my followers and therefore my ‘protectors.’

12. In your opinion what are the positives or negatives of blogging?

In terms of positives, blogging is important for cultural exchange, helps one engage in critical reflection on his/her experiences, improves one’s writing skill, encourages one to engage in debates with the international community, etc. In terms of negatives, however, the fact that one can be anonymous can encourage some people to deliver his/her criticisms in a cruel way and to make comments without careful thinking. Although criticisms can be constructive and lead to positive evaluation, it can also be destructive, hurt and result in disappointment and frustration on the part of the one being criticised.

14. Do you consider yourself to be a spiritual person? What are your thoughts on religion and faith?

I am sympathetic towards the concept of spirituality, but the question I have not found an answer to yet is: What is spirituality?

15. Some time back an article I read mentioned that the Saudi authorities wanted all blogs to be registered and licensed. What are your thoughts on this?

I have not had any clear view on this issue yet.

16. Should bloggers within the Kingdom be allowed total freedom of expression or do you think that the authorities have a right to control this?

The problem is that Saudis were in the past exposed to hardly any communication channels, but now they are suddenly exposed to way so many communication channels (e.g. web-based forums, Facebook and Twitter) but without the necessary skills in constructive criticism. Saudis are not ready yet for freedom of expression given the lack of the skills concerned, and therefore training is needed to train Saudis in such skills. For example, university students should be trained in constructive criticism as part of the foundation year. In school, there should be in the so-called Nationalism Course some units concerning constructive criticism. Many of the criticisms I have come across in the Saudi online domains tend to be close to being destructive than being constructive, thus frustrating reforms, authorities and policy-makers.

17. What advise would you give to people out there who are thinking about starting up their own blog?

a. Write about what has not been written about yet.

b. Write in a diplomatic and characteristic way.

c. Write! Write even just about facts. Analysing and criticising are useful but not essential. What is essential is to share social facts with the international community even in a descriptive (i.e. uncritical) way.

d. Write in English even if you are not confident with your English skills. Writing in English will broaden your audience.

e. Always take notes of your ideas and thoughts even if you are at the toilet.

f. Writing a blog post should not take more than 3 hours, i.e. an hour for research, an hour for writing and an hour for proofreading.

g. Avoid writing long blog posts. Two paragraphs per post should be enough.

h. Choose a tidy template with less information on the right and left sides (i.e. with less distraction). 

19. Are there any other websites or internet publications that you write for?

a. I wrote an article for openDemocracy: (http://www.opendemocracy.net/abdulrahman-al-lily/writing-about-saudi-arabia)

b. I was interviewed by American Bedu (http://americanbedu.com/)

c. I wrote an academic article called On Line And Under Veil (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X11000066).

d. Another academic article is Teaching across gender lines: A Saudi innovation (http://sdrv.ms/X9Rxap)

e. Another scholarly article in the press is Social Change and Educational Technologies: By Invitation or Invasion

Once again, thank you very much Dr. Abdul, for taking the time to answer these questions. Desert Moon wishes you the very best in your career and beyond!!!! I strongly recommend all my fans, friends and family to please visit the blog ‘Sex and Beyond’. Kindly provide me with feedback and your thoughts regarding the blog.

Q3TCETW4B3SA 

JUST A CENTURY AGO A WOMAN RULED IN THE GULF

Article written by Sultan Sooud Al - Qassemi 

In no other region of the world does the tired old cliché that "behind every great man is a great woman" hold more true than in the Middle East. And yet women have not always played a role only from behind the curtains that are their men but have also occasionally stepped up to share the burden and privilege of leading their people.

Ironically, some of the most famous women in the world are those who have reigned in the Middle East. Cleopatra, a direct descendant of a general in the army of Alexander the Great, lover and seducer of two emperors of Rome, is one such example. Another is the Queen of Sheba, who travelled from what is believed to be Yemen at great peril to herself to meet King Solomon in Jerusalem.

Less well-known but equally powerful was Sultana Ismat of Egypt, known as Shajarat Al Durr, who almost single-handedly brought to an end the dynasty started by the great warrior Saladin 800 years ago and heralded the rule of the emancipated Mamluk Sultanate that spanned more than three centuries.

Interestingly, among the 15 documented Islamic female monarchs, two women ruled 11th century Islamic Yemen back-to-back for many decades. According to Fatima Mernissi's book The Forgotten Queens of Islam, not only did Asma and subsequently Arwa al Sulayhiyya regularly attend the council of ministers with their faces uncovered and debating matters of state, but more significantly the imams of the mosques would repeatedly proclaim the Friday sermons in their names, a gesture signalling who called the shots in the country.

All these women ruled many centuries ago and in more progressive and developed societies far away from the conservative Gulf. Surely none would be allowed to rule here, especially not in the strict society that is Wahhabi Saudi Arabia?

Wrong. In the early 20th century, Princess Fatima Al Zamil qualified as one ruler. A blue-blooded lady born of a marriage between members of the Al-Rasheed and Shammar tribes - which makes her a relative of the current Saudi Arabian King Abdullah - she ruled the province of Ha'il from 1911 to 1914 as an administrator of her minor grandson's estate.

Princess Fatima ran the affairs of her society and people from the historic and lavish three-storey Barzan Palace, over which she had full authority. She received foreign guests such as the British writer and politician Gertrude Bell, a close friend and associate of TE Lawrence (of Arabia). She allowed her visitor to photograph her in her residence with her long beaded hair adorning her chest and with her face uncovered, something that is taboo for many Arab women almost a century later.

What is possibly the most significant fact of Princess Fatima's reign wasn't that she ruled over the now demolished 300,000 square metre Barzan Palace, but that she was chosen by the elders of the two most powerful tribes of the central Arabian peninsula in what may be one of the few exercises of tribal democracy in the Gulf.

One may ponder the obstacles that would hinder women from reaching the top post once again. Religion is often used by conservatives to maintain the status quo. However, in modern history, years before Hillary Clinton decided to run for president of the (secular) US, more than one woman has reached the helm of power in Bangladesh, a country founded on Islamic tenets.

It could be argued that the societies of the Gulf are tribal and therefore it is unthinkable for women to lead. But Pakistan, like the Gulf, is a patriarchal, tribal and male-dominated society, yet women have been elected to the post of prime minister and speaker of parliament. Even in the secular sphere it was Turkey that gave continental Europe its second elected female leader after Norway, an honour that a French woman has yet to achieve.

Today, one cannot ignore the roles that three female leaders are playing in the Gulf. In the UAE, Sheikha Fatima has been directly involved in making education and work more accessible for women. In Bahrain, Sheikha Sabeeka famously dismissed a proposal that there should be a quota system for women entering parliament, calling it "discriminatory"; she wanted women to enter according to their merits. In Qatar, Sheikha Mouza heads the influential Qatar Foundation that was able to attract Ivy League universities to the small emirate as well as invite various global figures to the Doha Debates that are held under her personal patronage.

There naturally exists no position that should be out of reach for women, neither before nor after a palace called Barzan.

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sultan-sooud-alqassemi/just-a-century-ago-a-woma_b_832961.html

Where is the justice Saudi Arabia?

This man is a Saudi cleric, his name is Faihan Alghamdi. He has killed his 5 years old daughter after months of torturing her. Two days ago, the judge has decided to release him from prison after he pays diya or blood money to his ex wife. If his ex wife (mother) had murdered the child then she would be executed. The child's mother has objected to this unfair verdict and is asking for a new trial. The woman said she had not appointed a lawyer during the trial to demand execution of her husband on the grounds she is “ignorant in the law.”

“The body of my daughter has been in the morgue for nearly four months.. I have just received a court permit to bury her,” she said.

In a report in late 2012, the Saudi Arabic language daily Alyoum said the scholar often appears on a local satellite TV channel to deliver religious lectures.

The paper said his daughter Lama died in hospital after spending several weeks suffering from broken arms, skull fracture and head bruises.

It quoted the girl’s mother as saying her daughter had been systematically tortured by her father and his new wife before she was admitted to hospital in a serious condition.

Source:

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/11/11/249009.html