As a sequel to my previous post, I present here few specimen and proofs of harassment of Muslim women in the most conservative country like Saudi Arabia. Of course, you need to understand that this is just the tip of iceberg. Only Allah knows how many more cases go unreported...
Street harassment of women on the rise
JEDDAH: FOUZIA KHAN
18 November 2014
Women in Jeddah are becoming increasingly concerned about the rising trend of harassment and have urged the traffic police to be more vigilant in dispensing their duties considering that the reckless young men often chase taxis and cars with women passengers at high speeds posing a risk to fellow motorists and pedestrians.
Taxi drivers and women passengers regularly complain about this nuisance.
“I was taking a taxi to my workplace when suddenly a young man driving a Jeep began ramming the car from behind and ordered the taxi driver to pull over. I advised the taxi driver to change his route but it did not help and the man continued to follow and harass us,” said Farah Zaman.
She added that he finally swerved in front of the taxi blocking their path. “He began shouting at us to scare us and said that he would call the police, but before he could do so, I dialed 999 and called them myself. The police officer was very cooperative and asked me to look around to see if there was a police officer available,” said Zaman.
She explained that she was lucky to find a police officer after 10 minutes. The police officer told the young man to leave or risk arrest, she said.
Another victim, Sameera Zahrani, said that these unruly young men not only harass women on the streets, follow taxis and cars and terrify expatriate drivers but they also harass women pedestrians. Motorist Faroq Ali said: “These youth drive recklessly creating havoc on the roads which could result in terrible accidents or even death. However, as an expatriate, I am afraid to interfere.”
Tariq Abbasi, a visitor from the UK, told Arab News that he was shocked at seeing the way the youth chase women. He said: “We don’t expect this to happen in an Islamic country hosting the two holy cities. In fact, we haven’t seen such things happening on the streets of London.”
Vice president of the Social Science Forum organization and a social scientist, I. Hasan, said that the solution to the problem is to have the traffic police exercise more vigilance on Jeddah’s streets. "They should also be authorized to arrest anyone doing this obnoxious activity and there should be strict laws.”
He added that the "wasta system" should be eliminated as the guilty party takes advantage of its contacts with high officials to obtain a release without punishment.
He said that the guilty youth should stand trial and have the sentence read out to them in the presence of their parents, who should also be warned to reign in their sons or risk facing punishment themselves.
“Just as the traffic department is introducing a points system for reckless drivers, there should be one for youth who harass women where they stand to lose their driving license if they continue with the behavior,” he said. “Introducing stricter laws will certainly be a deterrent and the behavior will disappear with time,” he concluded.
Female harassment also takes place in malls which has resulted in some malls barring entry of young men at weekends.
Crackdown on single men paying women to access malls in Saudi Arabia
Legal action to be taken against young women who help bachelors access venues
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
November 19, 2014
Shopping malls in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province are planning to take legal action against young women who get paid to help single men access the venues.
The decision to sue was taken after the security departments were alarmed by the number of contraventions booked by members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the religious police, against men who entered the malls despite the ban on the presence of single men.
“We became familiar with the sight of women selling items in front of the mall gates,” Abdul Aziz Al Brahim, the manager of a shopping mall, said. “We have also seen female beggars pleading to be allowed inside the mall. However, we are now noticing a new phenomenon — women who help men go past the security guards tasked with making sure that only families are allowed inside the mall,” he said, London-based Al Hayat daily reported.
The women who are paid by the single men to pretend they are wives, sisters or relatives and assist them go inside the mall can make up to 1,000 riyals (Dh978) a day, he added.
‘Fed up’
“They are very active during the weekend,” he said. “Several malls are fed up with the grouping of single men in front of the gates looking for women to help them get inside and we plan to take legal action.”
The malls imposed the ban on single men as a precautionary measure to prevent harassment of families and women.
Abdul Rahman Al Dossary, a security head at a mall, said that the women ask for 50 riyals or 70 riyals per head and move between gates to avoid being spotted by the security guards.
A young woman who made money by posing as a sister or wife to help young men past the security guard said that she was not breaking any rule, insisting there was no legal text that banned men from entering the mall.
“So there is nothing wrong with me receiving money for doing something that is not illegal,” she said. “I refuse to joke or exchange pleasantries with the men as I am working. I am always serious about work and I do not feel any shame doing it. The security guard is wrong by not allowing single men into the mall,” she said.
Several businessmen have called for the lifting of the ban saying that it was causing huge losses, especially in men’s clothing.
Many men said that they wanted to go inside malls to sit in cafes and enjoy their weekend.
“Whoever is in charge should think of other ways to prevent harassing women,” Rami, a single man, said.
Street harassment of women on the rise
JEDDAH: FOUZIA KHAN
18 November 2014
Women in Jeddah are becoming increasingly concerned about the rising trend of harassment and have urged the traffic police to be more vigilant in dispensing their duties considering that the reckless young men often chase taxis and cars with women passengers at high speeds posing a risk to fellow motorists and pedestrians.Taxi drivers and women passengers regularly complain about this nuisance.
“I was taking a taxi to my workplace when suddenly a young man driving a Jeep began ramming the car from behind and ordered the taxi driver to pull over. I advised the taxi driver to change his route but it did not help and the man continued to follow and harass us,” said Farah Zaman.
She added that he finally swerved in front of the taxi blocking their path. “He began shouting at us to scare us and said that he would call the police, but before he could do so, I dialed 999 and called them myself. The police officer was very cooperative and asked me to look around to see if there was a police officer available,” said Zaman.
She explained that she was lucky to find a police officer after 10 minutes. The police officer told the young man to leave or risk arrest, she said.
Another victim, Sameera Zahrani, said that these unruly young men not only harass women on the streets, follow taxis and cars and terrify expatriate drivers but they also harass women pedestrians. Motorist Faroq Ali said: “These youth drive recklessly creating havoc on the roads which could result in terrible accidents or even death. However, as an expatriate, I am afraid to interfere.”
Tariq Abbasi, a visitor from the UK, told Arab News that he was shocked at seeing the way the youth chase women. He said: “We don’t expect this to happen in an Islamic country hosting the two holy cities. In fact, we haven’t seen such things happening on the streets of London.”
Vice president of the Social Science Forum organization and a social scientist, I. Hasan, said that the solution to the problem is to have the traffic police exercise more vigilance on Jeddah’s streets. "They should also be authorized to arrest anyone doing this obnoxious activity and there should be strict laws.”
He added that the "wasta system" should be eliminated as the guilty party takes advantage of its contacts with high officials to obtain a release without punishment.
He said that the guilty youth should stand trial and have the sentence read out to them in the presence of their parents, who should also be warned to reign in their sons or risk facing punishment themselves.
“Just as the traffic department is introducing a points system for reckless drivers, there should be one for youth who harass women where they stand to lose their driving license if they continue with the behavior,” he said. “Introducing stricter laws will certainly be a deterrent and the behavior will disappear with time,” he concluded.
Female harassment also takes place in malls which has resulted in some malls barring entry of young men at weekends.
Crackdown on single men paying women to access malls in Saudi Arabia
Legal action to be taken against young women who help bachelors access venues
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
November 19, 2014
The decision to sue was taken after the security departments were alarmed by the number of contraventions booked by members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the religious police, against men who entered the malls despite the ban on the presence of single men.
“We became familiar with the sight of women selling items in front of the mall gates,” Abdul Aziz Al Brahim, the manager of a shopping mall, said. “We have also seen female beggars pleading to be allowed inside the mall. However, we are now noticing a new phenomenon — women who help men go past the security guards tasked with making sure that only families are allowed inside the mall,” he said, London-based Al Hayat daily reported.
The women who are paid by the single men to pretend they are wives, sisters or relatives and assist them go inside the mall can make up to 1,000 riyals (Dh978) a day, he added.
‘Fed up’
“They are very active during the weekend,” he said. “Several malls are fed up with the grouping of single men in front of the gates looking for women to help them get inside and we plan to take legal action.”
The malls imposed the ban on single men as a precautionary measure to prevent harassment of families and women.
Abdul Rahman Al Dossary, a security head at a mall, said that the women ask for 50 riyals or 70 riyals per head and move between gates to avoid being spotted by the security guards.
A young woman who made money by posing as a sister or wife to help young men past the security guard said that she was not breaking any rule, insisting there was no legal text that banned men from entering the mall.
“So there is nothing wrong with me receiving money for doing something that is not illegal,” she said. “I refuse to joke or exchange pleasantries with the men as I am working. I am always serious about work and I do not feel any shame doing it. The security guard is wrong by not allowing single men into the mall,” she said.
Several businessmen have called for the lifting of the ban saying that it was causing huge losses, especially in men’s clothing.
Many men said that they wanted to go inside malls to sit in cafes and enjoy their weekend.
“Whoever is in charge should think of other ways to prevent harassing women,” Rami, a single man, said.
No comments:
Post a Comment