The Saudi women afraid to go home

Every woman in Saudi Arabia, regardless of age, has a legal male guardian, often a father or brother or son. Guardians have the power to make a range of critical decisions on a woman's behalf. Women need to get their permission to travel abroad, marry and sometimes to work or access health care.

The guardianship system is "the most significant impediment to realizing women's rights in the country.

Throughout the summer Saudi women began tweeting, detailing the injustices of the guardianship system -- risking the wrath of their guardians and the government in doing so.

They got noticed. In September, the country's most senior religious authority, the Grand Mufti, described the social media campaign as a "crime targeting the Saudi and Muslim society." But they haven't stopped.

Many women simply can't get out .. They do not have the means and they need the permission of their guardian to leave their house or to leave the country."

Their exits were facilitated by having previously studied in the US, where they both have a small support network of friends, and the finances necessary to secretly put aside enough to make the move.

Wahhabism, the conservative official interpretation of Islam in Saudi Arabia, ensures Sharia Law in the country and helps protect the male guardian system.

The short newsletter post, which she said was distributed in her local area, detailed how she and two others from her town renounced Islam on social media.

I did in that post. Maybe you missed her posts about the wonderful Kingdom Some examples: The Saudi government doesn't fund the terrorists. WE are their biggest customer. Best look to INDONESIA for Islam-run-amok. Most Indonesians are Muslim and it's the largest Muslim country in the world. They are mostly ungovernable being a nation of islands. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-security-idUSKBN14C0X3 Fighting back: How Indonesia's elite police turned the tide on militants http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/01/isis-indonesia-foreign-fighters/422403/ "In recent days, rumblings of ISIS have reached the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. Security forces in Indonesia, which is home to some 200 million Muslims, launched a manhunt for the militant leader Santoso, who had publicly pledged loyalty to the Islamic State. Police arrested several suspected ISIS supporters amid chatter about terror plots, while Australia’s attorney-general warned that the Islamic State was intent on establishing a “distant caliphate” in the Southeast Asian island nation." ============================== Only 25% of ALL Muslims are Arabs. That does mean that 75% of all Muslims are "others." Check it out...it is a fact. I know how much fun it is to hate the Arabs, especially the Saudis...but there just aren't that many of them. 2 posted on ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2016‎ ‎10‎:‎00‎:‎12‎ ‎AM by cloudmountain [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse] Since the King owns all the petroleum and natural gas in his Kingdom and he made $1,000,000,000.00 (one billion) every two and a half days, 1983 money, he can afford to spend. He has sent and sends BILLION$ in foreign aid to countries in need, even to Christian countries. Charity is one of the five pillars of Islam. BTW, the Saudis have an estimated 200 more years of their natural resources. They KNOW that they will run out and are preparing for it. They educate their young to the highest degree possible. They can and do plan ahead. 9 posted on ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2016‎ ‎10‎:‎39‎:‎56‎ ‎AM by cloudmountain The Saudis ALWAYS considered Jews and Christians good people to hire because they are PEOPLE OF THE BOOK...the Bible. The big petroleum company, Saudi Aramco would NEVER hire Hindus, only Christian and Muslim employees and yes, even Jews, but AMERICAN Jews. They didn't hire Hindus because they were/are NOT "people of the Book." I can even quote you a couple of verses in the KORAN which have OUR Bible quoted. 11 posted on ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2016‎ ‎10‎:‎53‎:‎07‎ ‎AM by cloudmountain I guess you have never BEEN to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. You COULDN'T go unless you were/are invited. You are speaking about the "Wahabi" country of Saudi Arabia from 100 years ago. It certainly WAS that way. However, the petroleum and natural gas business have changed the Kingdom beyond recognition...and probably irrevocably. THOUSANDS of Americans STILL live and work there since the country doesn't produce the engineers that it needs to do the drilling and refining needed. American oil workers have been making TONS of money in the KSA since the founding of ARAMCO in the 1920's. The "28-28" American men work THERE, off/on shore for 28 days, then get to go home (usually Texas) for 28 days. The IRS gives Americans working in the Kingdom for Saudi Aramco a deal: NO FEDERAL INCOME TAX ON THE FIRST $80,000.00 made. Now THAT is a carrot! And, the Saudis DO trade with Israel. They always have. When Lebanon's civil war HALTED all trade from there, Israel was THERE to fill the vacuum and ready to trade. They ALWAYS did because business people WILL continue to work with each other across borders REGARDLESS of political realities. It's always been that way in the middle east. We COULD have traveled to and from Israel--NO PROBLEM. Both countries DEAL with each other. They always have and probably always will. THAT is the middle east way of life: LEARN TO DEAL with each other. Since the USA is MOST dependent on Saudi petroleum and natural gas, the two countries continue to work together as partners. In fact, ARAMCO used to BURN OFF the natural gas that always comes up WITH the petroleum. Then, some bright petroleum engineer decided that the natural gas COULD be collected, liquified, bottled and exported. Thus the FIRST lng (liquified natural gas) plant began in the early 1980's. More petrodollars! **TRUE STORY: We couldn't get COCA COLA there because there was a COCA COLA bottling plant in Israel. So Israel produced "Kaki-Kola." It WAS Coca Cola. EVERYONE was happy. *The Israelis sold their "Muslim" Coca Cola to the Saudis under the name of "Kaki-Kola." *The Americans in Saudi Arabia got to drink their beloved Coca Cola. *The Saudi politicians were happy because there was NO Coca Cola in the kingdom. **And the American media were DELIGHTED to bash the Kingdom yet again. Then, they all got into their gas guzzlers and drove home with refined Saudi gasoline. You really can't be blamed for your attitude. It's the only attitude you will read about or hear on our media. The five years there made me REALLY appreciate this wonderful, God-blessed country. Oh, and by the way, there ARE Christian holy men there too. I went to 9:00 A.M. Mass in Ras Tanura on Sundays, a work day. My Muslim boss had told me: "God is number one. There is always time for God. "cloudmountain" can go to pray whenever she wants to." My Catholic Indian co-worker said that I should go to Mass only on Fridays when the rest of the Christians went to their once-a-week service. Since Catholics have DAILY Mass I could go on Sundays, a work day over there. Anyway, since non-Muslim holy men are FORBIDDEN in the Kingdom, the Saudi government merely RENAMED them "special teachers." Our "special teacher" priest was a Dominican. I continue to go to daily Mass here at home. There WAS only ONE Protestant minister, a Lutheran minister and his lovely wife, and he ministered to all other Christian denominations. There was also an English vicar, but only one since there were so few Anglicans in the Kingdom. Pax tibi. 22 posted on ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2016‎ ‎4‎:‎18‎:‎03‎ ‎PM by cloudmountain

The Saudi government doesn't fund the terrorists. WE are their biggest customer. Best look to INDONESIA for Islam-run-amok. Most Indonesians are Muslim and it's the largest Muslim country in the world. They are mostly ungovernable being a nation of islands. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-security-idUSKBN14C0X3 Fighting back: How Indonesia's elite police turned the tide on militants http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/01/isis-indonesia-foreign-fighters/422403/ "In recent days, rumblings of ISIS have reached the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. Security forces in Indonesia, which is home to some 200 million Muslims, launched a manhunt for the militant leader Santoso, who had publicly pledged loyalty to the Islamic State. Police arrested several suspected ISIS supporters amid chatter about terror plots, while Australia’s attorney-general warned that the Islamic State was intent on establishing a “distant caliphate” in the Southeast Asian island nation." ============================== Only 25% of ALL Muslims are Arabs. That does mean that 75% of all Muslims are "others." Check it out...it is a fact. I know how much fun it is to hate the Arabs, especially the Saudis...but there just aren't that many of them. 2 posted on ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2016‎ ‎10‎:‎00‎:‎12‎ ‎AM by cloudmountain

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