It is a measure of the nature of Saudi culture that Saudi Arabia is the only nation which
was in existence in 1948 not to have ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Women of the Holy Kingdom opens up by explaining the gap which has opened between Saudi Arabia's
backward culture and their tremendous international influence as a result of their newfound oil wealth.
It is an inside look at the many challenges faced by Saudi women every day.
The Saudi Arabian government determines laws based on their interpretation of Muslim teachings.
As a result, the government regulates the clothes that the women of Saudi Arabia are
allowed to wear out in public, and all women must be accompanied by their male guardian
outside of their own homes.
Such practices violate the principle of legal equality, as well as a host of basic human
rights, including freedom of movement, thought, expression, and so on.
This has created a difficult situation for the Saudi people, and for the rest of the
world, in determining the best ways in which to interact with this country, which is in
many ways equal to some of the stronger powers in the world, and yet remains one of the few
countries whose administration still affirms executions by stoning.
But most of all, this situation has left the women of Saudi Arabia in a difficult position.
Without many of the basic rights that women enjoy across the world in the countries
that Saudi Arabia considers its equals.
Laws regarding dress prevent women from leaving their homes without the proper attire.
Laws also prevent law enforcement and emergency crews from entering a building if the man
of the house is not present.
Women can also not be admitted to a hospital without the consent of their male guardian.
These laws often create dangerous situations for women in which they cannot leave a dangerous
area or receive emergency help in their own homes.
Women of the Holy Kingdom details one occurrence where as many as 50 girls were killed or injured
because religious law enforcement would not allow them to leave a burning building because
they were not wearing the proper head covering.
"Do you think that women should be allowed to vote?"
Saudi Arabian government operates based on a strict interpretation of Sharia law, which
is the source of many of these restrictive and frequently deadly policies.
It also means that women are not granted equal treatment in Saudi courts of law, and are
frequently handed sentences of death by stoning, a slow and excruciating form of corporal punishment,
for crimes of adultery, drug smuggling, blasphemy, or many other crimes for which a male might
receive a much lesser sentence or none at all.
Although the government claims to be more open to progressive policy, religious leaders
still remain completely entrenched in their interpretation of the laws of Islam and in
their law enforcement.
These leaders have enormous influence in the devout communities of Saudi Arabia, but have
also been almost inseparably intertwined with the Saudi government for many years.
As such, overcoming the stigma that they assign to the equitable treatment of women in society
will be a long, hard, and potentially deadly task for countless women.
"I think they really need a chance to get things changed for them."
