Media and Coverage on Women Issues
Despite Saudi Arabia’s enormous economic growth and various reforms, media coverage on women issues still requires more effort in ensuring intensive coverage. Saudi Arabia exists as the first commercial power in the Middle East as well as one of the largest producers of oil in the world. Equally, Saudi persists as the most powerful Islamic monarchy worldwide (Al-Khamri 257). However, Saudi also occurs as one of the countries where repression, human rights, and freedom of speech receive the least respect more so women who exist as the primary victims. Therefore, the paper intends to explore how media in Saudi Arabia get controlled and dictated by the influential leaders of the country, to understand that the press and media opinion on the subject and many others faces biases and not reliable since they tend to praise this new reform and neglect all the absurd and contradictive laws behind it.
Women and Driving Issues in Saudi Arabia
The ban on women to drive in Saudi Arabia started in 1957 after the pronouncement by Riyadh. Since then, women in Saudi possessed highly constrained rights as compared to the rest of the world standards. In the 1990 protest, in which women took to the streets driving their cars, the demonstration resulted in the confiscation of their passports as well as their arrest and detention. In late 2007, Fawzia al-Uyyouni and Wajehaal-Huwaider, through their movement of Association for the Protection and Defense of Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia, presented the signature petition to King Abdulla in which they required for allowing the women to drive (Al-Rasheed 248). From 2011, various movements such as “Women2Drive” took center stage through social media campaigns (Al-Khamri 258). The women rights activist such as al-Huwaider filmed multiple women driving and posting them on social media platforms such as Facebook as well as YouTube as part of campaigns leading to her arrest (Al-Rasheed 248). However, upon her release, she faced various restrictions from authorities not to drive and participate in multiple social media activities. Such actions made international media outlets such New York Times, BBC, and CNN as well as Associated Press to perform in-depth investigation and analyses of the situation.
In June 2011, the government allowed driving of a car in most of the Saudi cities with a ticket for driving but without the Saudi driving license. Moreover, in December same year, Kamal Subhi, one of the Consultative Assemblymember, presented the report to the Assembly in which he expressed concern about lifting the ban on driving (Al-Rasheed 247). As a result, Subhi claimed that such lifting would result in high divorce, pornography, prostitution as well as the “end of virginity” among the Saudi women. As per Al-Khamri, most of the leaders in Saudi oppose the driving among the women based on various assumptions such as health complications (258). For instance, sheikh Saleh al-Lohaidan claimed that driving among women results in high risks of ovary damages, which could consequently result in giving birth to children with some clinical challenges such as deformities. In September 2017, King Salman recognized the rights to drive Saudi women aligning with Sharia laws. The authorities scheduled issues of the driving license for women to begin in June 2018 (Al-Rasheed 250). Such decisions came after involving various parties, such as leaders of the women’s rights movements (Al-Khamri 258). However, some of the media outlets, more so from the western world and in the Middle East, questioned the announcing of such women privileges while their activists faced various detentions. As promised by the Saudi authorities on 15th June 2018, many women received driving licenses and started driving their cars.
Denial of women’s rights to drive in Saudi occurs as gender dynamics. Many of the campaigns aimed at gaining the monotony to drive and possess valid Saudi licenses in which most of the male counterpart opposes explaining various assumptions (Al-Rasheed 2449). On the same note, the ban on driving only aimed at preventing women from such activities while males drive without restrictions.
Media Outlet on Listing Ban on Women Driving
Such freedom to the Saudi women attracted various media outlets, both internal and external, to report to the world. As a result, each media published on the same topic but in different versions based on analysis of the issue. For instance, The Guardian, through its author Arwa Mahdawi reported on the 26th June 2018 that lifting the ban and allowing the women to drive tries to hoodwink the West (Mahdawi). She explained that allowing Saudi women to drive occur as public relations created by Saudi authorities aiming to render the repressive era of the kingdom more palatable but not as a means of modernization. Mahdawi claims that despite giving the women privileges to drive their cars, most of women’s rights activists and complainers stay behind bars. As she explains, the irony of jailing women’s rights activities and lifting the ban got acknowledged by different media outlets (Mahdawi). Based on her analysis and the previous report, she argues that lifting the ban target at setting up global public relations, which could result in developing its international image. Based on “The Guardian,” the lifting on the ban only focuses on creating an excellent image of Saudi Arabia to the world but not focused on improving the rights women (Mahdawi). Arguing on this note, if the kingdom cares about the rights of women, the authorities would have released the women’s rights campaigner as well as lifting the ban.
Aljazeera, through its reporter Hana Al-Khamiri reported on lifting the ban of women to drive in Saudi Arabia under the headline, “Why did Saudi Arabia lift the driving ban on women-only now?” Aljazeera termed lifting the ban as an unexpected decision that offered women the freedom to hold driving licenses and drive freely in Saudi without restrictions. As per Al-Khamri, The royal decree on such issues resulted in praise of the Saudi authorities from different women and human rights activists throughout the world. Moreover, the question exists as “why did king Salman agree to do this, and why now?” the question relates to the long term unjust laws on gender norms that, in short, and long time hurts the women’s rights. Al-Khamiri gave an example of the harsh punishment of the 47 women who protested the ban on driving rights in 1990 when King Salman was the governor of Riyadh (Al-Khamri). Equally, as explained by Al-Jazeera, women in Saudi get treated as minors from the cradle to death, living his life entirely dependent on man. For example, women in Saudi have to see mans guardians in activities such as marry, work, study, travel, to name a few. Aljazeera also pointed out the irony of lifting the ban while those who fought for it remain in jail.
Moreover, Aljazeera, through its author, explains lifting the prohibition aimed at something else other than improving women’s welfare in Saudi (Al-Khamri). Al-Khamiri claims that Saudi authorities did so in boosting the kingdom’s economy as well as reducing the government social provision (Al-Khamri). As a result of pushing more citizens towards the private sector, women would have an easy time communicating in their daily activities.
CNN covered the topic on the lifting of the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia through its author Laura Smith-Spark in 2028 under the theme “The ban on Saudi women driving is ending: Here’s what you need to know.” Base on CNN, the move from the part of the social and economic reforms aligned with vision 2020 of the kingdom. The ban would enhance most of the women to join in various workforces through the kingdom. CNN explains that apart from driving, Saudi women can now have further rights to carry out their daily activities without the guardian of the males. Moreover, Saudi women still lack various rights as compared to other Muslim states and around the world, as explained by Smith-Spark.
Media on the Lifting the Ban
Lifting the ban on driving policies in Saudi received various views and opinions. Moreover, the issues get portrayed as a technique the Saudi use for other purposes other than improving the women’s welfare. Furthermore, the media portray the lifting the ban a millstone and achievement in ensuring the freedom of women in Saudi Arabia. On the same note, such actions represent irony since most of the women’s rights activists are still in jail despite lifting the ban.
Similarities and Differences
Most of the media outlets such as The Guardian, Aljazeera, and CNN share most of topic and views on lifting the ban on when getting behind the wheels. For instance, all the three media outlets explain the irony in the issues since, despite lifting the ban, its campaigner faces various hail and detentions. On the same note, the outlets explore multiple factors that med Saudi authorities to have such actions based on creating a gan excellent international image as well as for economic growth strategies. Equally, the three media outlets show the move aimed at other factors instead of improving the welfare of women in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the three media outlets differ based on different aspects, such as the appraisal of the move. The Guardian views the move in an unfavorable angle while Aljazeera and CNN view it in positive ways based on the economic impacts of lifting the ban.
Based on the personal analysis, the lifting of the ban on women driving in Saudi occurs as issues of concern, and it was conducted to fulfill various government strategies. As portrayed in multiple media outlets, lifting the ban possess other meanings and implications hidden from the public. For instance, the public only knows the lifting of the ban aimed at granting their women their rights but not strategies in economic development and creating an excellent international image (Smith-Spark). Personally, the media presented the issues in fair and unbiased manners while covering the topic. Moreover, some of the media outlets present more quality jobs which involved critical analysis of the problems by gathering information from various relevant people and institutions for the report ion the lifting the ban (Smith-Spark). Therefore, lifting the ban on driving policies in Saudi exists as a gender-based issue. According to Smith-Spark, various media outlets covered the matter fairly and openly to the public, in which each had different points of focus and analysis.
Works cited
Al-Khamri, Hana. “Why Did Saudi Arabia Lift The Driving Ban On Women Only Now?”. Aljazeera.Com, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/saudi-arabia-lift-driving-ban-women-180621203632446.html.
Mahdawi, Arwa. “Saudi Arabia Is Not Driving Change – It Is Trying To Hoodwink The West | Arwa Mahdawi.” The Guardian, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/26/saudi-arabia-is-not-driving-change-it-is-trying-to-hoodwink-the-west.
Smith-Spark, Laura. “The Ban On Saudi Women Driving Is Ending: Here’s What You Need To Know”. CNN, 2018, https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/22/middleeast/saudi-women-driving-ban-end-intl/index.html.
Coker, Margaret. “How Guardianship Laws Still Control Saudi Women”. Nytimes.Com, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/22/world/middleeast/saudi-women-guardianship.html.
Al-Rasheed, Madawi. “The Long Drive to Prison: The Struggle of Saudi Women Activists.” Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies 15.2 (2019): 247-250.
Al-Khamri, Hana. “The “Right” to Drive for Women in Saudi Villages.” Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies 15.2 (2019): 256-259.