The gentle breeze that is swaying away conservatism in Saudi Arabia
It was only last year that Royal Brunei Airlines dared touching down plane with first all-female pilot crew on a stretch of land where women are (it has surprisingly become a story of the past!) not allowed to drive. Although the incident was more of a milestone for Brunei itself, as stated by the flight’s Captain Sharifah Czarena, “Being a pilot, people normally see it as being a male dominant occupation… As a woman, a Bruneian woman, it is such a great achievement”, the airline’s cusp voyage was particularly significant in highlighting the restrictions faced by women at its precise destination.
It has been over 17 years that the world stepped into the 21st century, but Saudi Arabia, a country that is eyed as the most conservative and, therefore, the most behind-hand kingdom in terms of embracing the emerging trends and cultural diversity among the others in the Middle East, seems to have only recently taken its first steps. Surprisingly, it has by-passed the stages of crawling and detouring on its way of keeping abreast with the whole world and has successfully managed to bash its decades-long image of being hidebound Islamist traditionalist by providing the much-needed space to women in a series of steps that are being held nothing less than ‘revolutionary’.
What seemed to be a historical decision has turned out to be a long list of incidents that will definitely be described in history as “overturning a cornerstone of Saudi conservatism”. Many assumptions and predictions made by honourable pundits from all over the globe were debated back in June of this year when King Salman of Saudi Arabia ousted his nephew and named his son, Prince Mohammed, as next in line to throne. The ambitious leader, as deputy crown prince, was not entirely off-screen previously, thanks to his pioneering policy for the kingdom regarding securing its economic future after oil and running the air war in Yemen.
As Ben Hubbard aptly states in his article published in The New York Times on June 21, 2017, “If Prince Mohammed bin Salman does succeed his father, he could give Saudi Arabia what it has not seen in more than a half-century: a young king with the potential to rule for decades”. The deal has additionally unfolded another dimension, and that is the idea of the people of Saudi Arabia being gifted with such royal decrees that could: a) prove to be as refreshing for the masses as a cool gentle zephyr; b) help the kingdom in battening its future both externally (by gaining dependence on industries other than oil, for example) and internally (defusing the threat of any possible revolution, the Arab Spring to quote in particular).
Granting women the right to drive without seeking permission from a legal guardian to get a license and be physically present in the vehicle while they drive received appreciation from various quarters of the world. The US state department lauded the move as “a great step in the right direction”. What seems to be a mere cultural revolution is, in actuality, more of an economic reform that would eventually lead to a recognisable breakdown of gender roles and a significant increase in female participation in the workforce.
The real ice-breaker, however, was when women were allowed into the national stadium in Riyadh towards the end of September to attend an operetta organised in order to celebrate the 87thanniversary of the kingdom’s founding. Stepping up national day celebrations, previously castigated by clerics, was itself a worth-mentioning measure, let alone permitting mixed audience for the first time.
Nevertheless, the crown prince and the king are much worried about moving too quickly which may result in a shock wave and, therefore, cause anger among the rigid clerical elements of Saudi society. Hence the permission conditionally stipulates the age of women being granted driver’s licence, specific hours and times when they will be allowed to take the wheel, and particular areas and locations where this mode of gender equality could be demonstrated. Nevertheless, in words of Manal Masoud al-Sharif, a woman’s rights activist from Saudi Arabia who initiated a campaign back in 2011 demanding women’s right to drive, “Today the last country on earth to allow women to drive… we did it”.
The list of the previous don’ts and the recently allowed dos does not end here. Another decision being extolled as a landmark achievement is of allowing female students in the country to carry mobile phones on university and college campuses. The ministry of education, in light of complaints filed by several parents about their daughters being searched and the delays being caused by such “needless procedures”, reached a conclusion that university-level students have, for sure, attained a high level of consciousness and awareness and, therefore, can lead their lives normally.
Speculations regarding the opening of cinemas in Saudi Arabia before the end of 2017 have also hiked up and filled the air recently. As stated in Saudi Gazette, the former chairman of the Saudi Cinema Committee Fahd al-Tamimi stressed that no formal law formulated by the ministry of culture and information averts cinema halls and the ban is merely out of cultural constraints as was in the case of women driving. The apparent reason why the kingdom’s leadership has now become more than willing to take such measures was realised and stated by the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Ahmed al Khateeb, on good authority of Reuters: “These measures take all demands, particularly the desires of the society which will benefit from these projects, into consideration.”
Yet another jaw-dropping moment was witnessed by all when the new heir to the throne announced to open an “exquisite luxury resort destination established across 50 untouched natural islands” under the Red Sea project where no Saudi law will be applicable and (wait for it!) special laws will allow women to wear bikinis. As part of making Saudi economy independent of the petroleum industry and modernising it, the crown prince realised how these resorts will be visited by foreign visitors who are not comfortable seeing, let alone wearing, burkas, hence stating that this part of the kingdom will be “governed by laws on par with international standards”. There is no denying the fact that this project will put the kingdom on the international tourism map and ensure the sustainability of its economy, but only time can tell how successful this particular plan turns out to be.
Although much has been said and written on how these edicts, along with many other that are to come, are part of Vision 2030 reforms that intend to capture the huge sum that is currently being spent overseas by Saudis in the name of tourism and recreation, it is not a secret as to how all these measures are being taken to mitigate the ostensive suffocation being experienced by the people of Saudi Arabia since ages.
In a lay man’s opinion, the faith that locals and expats in Qatar have shown in their leadership amid the prevalent Gulf diplomatic crisis is partly because of the space that has been extended to them using which they can manoeuvre their energy towards platforms that are non-violent and non-revolting.
By giving long-due attention to public service sectors, including health, education, tourism, recreation and infrastructure, the immediate threat hanging over the head of Saudi leadership seems to abate effectively, making Saudi Arabia more than an exporter of oil and the custodian of Islam’s two holiest sites in the forthcoming future.
