I must say, I am happy to hear that the Saudi authorities are finally admitting that nowhere in Islam is there a requirement for this custom! I am sure it will take a while to change the cultural attitudes, but I hope that they begin to take real steps towards abolishing this archaic practice!

"The Saudi authorities say that male guardianship is not a requirement of Islam, and they have said they will work towards ending it. But Human Rights Watch says it has seen little progress so far. It has called on the Saudi government to stop the practice rather than pretending to stop it."

Apparently they still have a LONG way to go.

Obviously, they have a LONG, LONG way to go! I hope that their ability to admit that there is no religious basis for this will lead to them taking some ACTION! I could not even imagine living such a restricted life...

First, it's not entirely true that there is nothing in Islam which dictates male protection (dominance) of women. It is true that there is nothing in the Qur'an, but that's not where the problem lies.
When I was there, I couldn't even drive a car and I was very tired of listening to my male counterparts joke about how maybe I should wear a veil. I heard it a lot and I had to smile because there was no alternative. On several occasions, I had to give decisions to people in my own group to deliver because the Saudi men wouldn't accept the decisions from a woman. if it becomes political, they very quickly change and apologize, but I can assure you that the underlying male domination psyche is intact and flourishing.

The real issue is that female indoctrination begins very early and girls are treated somewhat harshly if they don't follow the rules. If you have a will of your own, it is pretty much extinguished early in life. Unfortunately what this means is that if you make a change now, it will take at least a generation until you see the results and sadly there will be tremendous resistance in certain sectors even if the law changes. Laws in Muslim countries aren't exactly the same as they are over here and enforcement is incredibly selective. We had to get two people out of jail there and the accomodations are not remotely pleasant.

They need to take action ASAP, doing something that will show that they are serious about ending all that. I mean come on, a woman can't drive to where she needs at all. And she can't leave her home to go someplace without a mans permission is insane. They do know what year it is don't they? Woman have places to go especially when they are they main ones over there that are taking care of their many children. They do NOT need a male by there side 24/7, that is annoying.

Again, the government needs to make a serious statement by showing that they are truly against this type of behavior. I believe they are moving to slow for a reason.

I cannot imagine anything so backward. It is astounding and sad.

Well they did take a step in the lingerie stores. They had men selling them their undergarments since women working is frowned upon. Victoria's Secret trained several Saudi women in the art of fitting a bra and they are now selling to women. Might not seem like much but for the first time Saudi women are actually getting the correct size bras. Can you imagine having to goto a store and describe what you want to a man who does not even know you in a society where associating with the same man on the street can bring trouble.
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"I will marshal all the forces of darkness to hound you to an assisted suicide." - In the Loop

Sam, the entire process makes me shudder. I recall a woman telling me that the oldest woman in the family would go purchase all their undergarments. The principle was that it maintained modesty because the male vendor would be unaware of which women were involved.
I remember hearing this and wanting to laugh, but of course I could only nod sagely. In truth, how difficult would it be to determine just by the sizes? Of course everyone knew a local family, especially if there were an attractive young girl. I never verified it, but I believe that the size and choice information thereof would have been dispursed throughout the male community constantly.

When i read the brief article it amazed me that when the VS heard of the issue they volunteered to teach several women (i believe at VS' expense) so that they could do the job right and gain employment. So kudos to VS. To me, it is still backward to treat women as if they are nothing more then a possession and if you grow up with that its all you know. The Internet is definitely changing it.

When i first met someone from the region I asked why she wore so much gold jewelry (this is a couple of decades ago) and her reply to me was in case of divorce. She then sat and explained it to me. And here I thought all you needed was a good divorce lawyer.
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"I will marshal all the forces of darkness to hound you to an assisted suicide." - In the Loop

One thing which I believe that Islam has correct is their means of marriage and divorce. It is very difficult to get married but easy to divorce.
You might be interested in how we used to buy jewelry. We would go to the souks and look for someone who was making exceptionally fine work. When we would find what we wanted, he merely looked up the morning's gold price and weighed the item according to its gold purity: the handiwork was free! Needless to say, I brought home some beautiful things at a more than reasonable cost.

Divorce should never be as easy as walking around someone 3 times saying I divorce you. The women loose everything including the kids.
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"I will marshal all the forces of darkness to hound you to an assisted suicide." - In the Loop

WOW Samantha...some of us would get dizzy if that were the case.

I can't imagine walking away from my children as they are priceless. Having never known freedom I can see how it is easy to force them into this way of thinking...I guess if that is all you have ever known there would be no questioning of it.

Then...I can't imagine a woman from there moving out of the country and then moving back having once glimpsed at freedom and perhaps actually tasting it. At least divorce in most other countries requires a bit more work and offers women more rights.

Wow what an article. I certainly hope that women's rights conditions improve in S A. http://www.mindreign.com/en/mindshare/World-Politics-and-Current-Events/... has some interesting views on the subject too... particurally on one astounding case study...

I hope that to *Johan*. These women are treated so wrong by they men and government.