Fun Lilliy Women-Issue News Selection " Female assesses masters thesis of male "

Female assesses masters thesis of male

Saudi Gazette Friday, 20 June 2008 Riyadh - For the first time in the history of higher education in Saudi Arabia, a female is taking part in an evaluation of a scientific thesis submitted by a male researcher.
It was the norm at Saudi universities to exclude female academics from discussions involving male students.
However, the English Department of the College of Languages at King Saud University has made this habit a thing of the past, which may usher in a new era. The step was described by academics as “historic,” giving the credit for this development to Dr. Saad Al-Baze’i and Dr. Odah Al-Jahni, both of whom have long been advocates of involving women in scientific debates.
Researcher Ibrahim Azizi earned Wednesday a Master’s degree with a rating of excellent with honors for his study on US-Arab Literature.
Dr. Marsha Qatareya, who took part in the discussion of the thesis together with Dr. Al-Jahni, said, “I am proud to be among the first to break the barrier in the area of discussion of thesis at Saudi universities and I hope this will allow for more events like this in the future.”
Qatareya said she had her reservations for taking part in such a landmark event however with the support from from Dr. Odah Al-Jahni, the department head, and Professor Saad Al-Baze’i gave her the needed push. – Al-Hayat

What can I say.. I guess I have to say " yay ".. I have to keep telling myself "baby steps baby steps"...

This is another article'
Summer camp aims to help young women plan for future
Walaa Hawari | Arab News

RIYADH: With the aim of generating a sense of social responsibility among young Saudi adults, the Summer of Luthan camp for girls has been established at Luthan, the first women-only hotel in Riyadh.

The three-week camp, which begins on July 5, is a new concept in summer camps. Among its many programs include visits to workplaces where women are taking the lead. It will also present workshops to enhance the girls’ knowledge of many aspects of life and to build their self-esteem and confidence.......

I hope that all these efforts are encouragement to do more and more..

This article in Arab News gives me minute hope.. I just hope it wont be crushed again..

I have read before about the meeting that was held in

the Khadija Bint Khuwailed Center for Businesswomen hosted a lecture by Al-Jawhara Al-Angari, vice chairman of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), on the legal, social, political and civil rights of women in Islam.

I was disappointed that I didn't know about it or I would have attended.. but I read before there was a good number of women that attended.. we need more like these kind of lectures.. because women need to understand what their rights really are not just what they have been wanted to only know.. I don't take this as just an article.. it is a call to women...

Plight of Women Gets Deserved Attention
Samar Fatany, samarfatany@hotmail.com.

Recent national initiatives increased public awareness among women and addressed misconceptions that lead to regulatory discrimination against Saudi women. The media is also keeping pressure on by exposing violations and outmoded attitudes about women. There is a genuine effort by all to keep the public informed about social concerns and government directives that are influencing change and reinforcing reforms.

The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) should be commended for its vigorous campaign to raise the level of awareness among women about their legal rights. The chamber’s Center for Law and Arbitration launched an initiative to spur research on divorce and custody laws. The initiative included research on three major categories, divorce under Shariah, the rights of divorcees in Islam and the custody rights of children in Islam.

To encourage researchers to participate, a cash award will be offered to the best, and the best nine studies will be printed in a book that will be distributed to the public free of charge. It is hoped that such studies will help bring about solutions for many unresolved divorce and custody cases and address the suffering of many women and children who are victims of injustice or misinterpretation of the Shariah law.

Meanwhile, the Khadija Bint Khuwailed Center for Businesswomen hosted a lecture by Al-Jawhara Al-Angari, vice chairman of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), on the legal, social, political and civil rights of women in Islam. Al-Angari addressed unimplemented laws and regulations that favor women and criticized the deficiencies in other regulations. The human rights advocate recommended that a civil family code be distributed with every identity card issued to a woman in order to inform her of her rights.

She then addressed the issue of business representatives imposed on women conducting business in the Kingdom. She said women should take advantage of the legal assistance provided by the Khadija Bint Khuwailed Center. The center, she said, could assist by drawing up specified powers of attorney that do not give absolute power to such representatives.

Al-Angari also urged women to be more active in promoting change. In her lecture, she noted that ignorance about their legal rights and under-appreciation by society are the reasons for the current plight of Saudi women.

The chamber publicized the event well and ensured that many women attended. Transportation was provided from every charity organization in Jeddah. Flyers were posted at colleges and universities along with SMS message and e-mail campaigns. As a result, 600 enthusiastic women showed up and used the opportunity to discuss issues that affect their lives. The lecture was an eye-opener for many women who had lost hope in government or society providing any protection or support.

The center presented Maha Fitaihi, wife of Jeddah’s mayor, lecturing on “Women in Islam.” She stressed the importance of recognizing women as a source of strength and pride, and she said that we should concentrate on building the character of our young girls and women to allow them to serve their country and religion. It is important, she said, to define the true Muslim identity of the Saudi woman so that she can take her rightful place in the international community and contribute toward global prosperity. Women left the hall inspired with a sense of pride in their identity and history.

Meanwhile, in Riyadh a group of Saudi legal and medical experts appealed to scholars at the Board of Senior Ulema and the Ministry of Justice to enact a law that bans child marriage. They highlighted many negative reports about this rural phenomenon and related many instances of abuse against child wives, in which judges citing Shariah law ruled against the victims. The experts urged the launch of an intensive awareness campaign to highlight the destructive effects of this practice. They called for an end to child marriage and stressed that those who indulge in this practice should face criminal penalties.

Arab News recently reported about women being locked up in their homes with their children when their husbands go to work. This practice is always discouraged by the police and Civil Defense officials as most Saudi homes lack fire-escape routes and almost all have iron security bars. Civil Defense officials continuously point out the dangers of such practices and urge against locking any family member or servant in the house. Police remain helpless because they cannot intervene without an official complaint. “If the wife consents willingly the law cannot interfere,” one official said. This is another example of how lack of awareness among women leads them to stay passive and accept such dangerous and demeaning situations — not only for themselves but for their children as well.

These efforts to raise awareness and the extensive campaign to enlighten women about their rights must continue in order to provide every woman with an opportunity to live in dignity. Many women remain resistant to change out of fear of the unknown or distorted views of their culture and faith. It is the duty of every sociologist, government official or employee and every educated citizen, man or woman, to improve the welfare of our sisters, mothers and daughters. We have a responsibility to help our society evolve and recognize the need to support women who may be isolated and unaware of a better way to live. Moreover, our educated and progressive women should accept a greater responsibility to lead by example to remove the suspicions of those who are against modernization and progress. We all — men and women — need to work together to devise laws and regulations that maintain respect and protect women both at home and in the workplace.

— Samar Fatany is a Saudi radio journalist based in Jeddah.

When I just heard about this on the News I couldnt say anything other than cry.....

Please dont comment on this post .. because I cant bare to read any more about it.. we all know how we feel .. but I had to say something about this Woman and I hope that she will be able to survive this... its the story of a 19 year old Qatif woman who was Gang Raped and she is punished with lashes and jail...
These are the Links:
You can watch the videos on International CNN.com/ World
Saudi rape victim punished

Read the story on Arab News:
A Slap in the Face of Justice

The story on BBC news
Saudis back rape victim sentence

" Kalam Nawaem " .. am I disappointed or am I impressed?

So finally I saw " Kalam Nawaem "
I had written the date and time down.. and when the time approached .. I prepared my salad.. to sit and watch it while I was eating.. and I came up to the main TV sitting room at the precise time only to find my sisters have settled in and placed a movie to watch... so I said " I have a show to see " then my sister said " why to watch or to criticize? " so I laughed because by now my sisters know me well and I said " to criticize.." that got me thinking.. why did I want to set my mind only to criticism?.. I guess because I have been disappointed in the arabic shows that are made for arabic women by the way they tackle the issues that concern us .. I wanted to see something that is modern, creative not imitative, intelligent with the arabic stamp on it ( the good stamp) that is nicely produced and directed.. Soo do you think I found it? and do I give it the thumbs up ? or down? ..
First I`ll say what my likes and dislikes.
The title was creative.. leaks of arabic femininity..
The presenters, I like that they come form different parts of the arab world, it gives it a good mix to appeal to many arabic women ( I didn't see the Saudi presenter Muna Abu Suleiman during this episode hopefully next time ) I myself have always been a fan of Dr. Fawziah Salamah and Rania Barghoot.
Dr. Fawziah Salamah has been an icon in the arabic magazine " Sayedaty " and I have read for her since I was a teenager, so I liked her. Even the issue that she choose to discuss on this show " The Disabled and Handicapped in The Arab World " is a good topic, but they should have been given extra time to the specialist who came on, more than the time they gave the singer Yara because the issue he was talking about was more important, and I would have liked to see the info and contact info being available to the viewers, what are the resources available ? where? during the show..
Rania Barghoot has been in MBC since it creation from the beginning, always enjoyed the way she presents and how she captures the viewers attention, that talent is still there..
The actress Farah Bseiso, she was praising more than talking. I still dont have an opinion of her.. including the other lady ( which I dont even know who she was ).
The topics and segments presented had a good mixture between entertainment and important issues to some point, but I would like to see more than this .. Sometimes the show had a slow pace especially during the interviews and the MCQ part ( what was that?) they gave to the singer Yara.. Her interview had repetitive expected questions ( boring) with expected answers.. they need to push the envelope..
The delivery and presentation of the show was nicely made.. I would have liked to see the reaction and involvement of the guests that are attending the show..
Im glad to see that its not the exact replica of "The View " but yet to see more lively discussions ... Its too soon to really judge on it as a whole.. I have heard good things about it form educated women ( also in the media but sometimes you never know when its just advertisment or just because its the first show like " The View " in Arab TV as support )..
For now overall I give it the thumbs up and I will watch it again...
Added: by the way I didn't like the makeup artist .. the trend to make the color of the lipstick exactly like the color of the purple blouses has been out for a long while now.. and even to try to exactly match the eye shadows too.. bad!

An Article in Arab News about S Women driving

This is the Link to the article:

Group to Carry On Drive for Driving Rights
Hasan Hatrash, Arab News

This is some of the paragraphs from the article:

"JEDDAH, 9 October 2007 — The Society for Protecting and Defending Women’s Rights is planning to expand their capmaign for women in the Kingdom to be allowed to drive by going out educating people and rallying support for their ongoing drive, according to a member of the society. The group has already sent a petition"
and
"Al-Oyouni called all women who are in possession of driving licenses to contact the society at yes2saudiwomendrivers@yahoo.com."