The C.R.I.M.E. Report

ISSUE #79 CONTENTS:


SPOTLIGHT CASES:

Saudi MTV Stars Disappear

Two months have passed since three Saudi youth were rumored to be tried by Saudi religious police for the crime of "openly declaring sin" on MTV's "True Life - Resist the Power, Saudi Arabia" show. Yet despite international coverage of the post-MTV crackdown, their fate remains generally unknown. Were they taken to court? Arrested? Beaten? While sources tell The CRIME Report that the issue was quietly dismissed, it remains officially under wraps.

The MTV show followed the three young Saudis and a heavy metal band in Jeddah. Though far from scandalous for viewers accustomed to "Jersey Shore," the show proved too risqué for the muttawa religious police. "Criminal" activity included Aziz's attempt to meet his girlfriend; Ahmad’s desire for women to hold elected office; and Fatima’s new business selling abaya cloaks in colors other than the accepted black. In one episode, Aziz openly criticized Saudi restrictions saying, "We are not free to live as we like."

Although it is not the first time a Saudi has been punished for a TV appearance, the eerie silence surrounding the case inaccurately suggests a tough fate for the three youths. While Jeddah is said to be the most liberal city in the Saudi Kingdom, Aziz, Ahmad, and Fatima put themselves at risk by sharing their "true lives." Until they resurface, fans on Facebook are left wondering what happens when young Saudis "resist the power" even in their own small, personal ways.



Inside the Emirati Citizenship Dilemma

L. is a young citizen of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who prefers to remain anonymous for her own safety. But she feels compelled to speak out about the silent suffering of her fellow female citizens who face all sorts of restrictions simply because of their gender.

The suffering of the Emirati women who marry non-Emiratis is a very sensitive issue in the UAE. Take my aunt, for example, an Emirati citizen who married a man originally from Pakistan. To this day, her husband and children have not been able to receive Emirati citizenship. My aunt gets free healthcare insurance, free education, and free social subsidies from the government, but her children and husband do not receive the same benefits. By contrast, according to the UAE Law of Nationality and Passport (number 17, subject 3), foreign wives of Emirati men are entitled to receive citizenship.

In 2006, a group of Emirati women with foreign husbands demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Dubai and demanded the same rights as men in terms of marriage. Ayida al-Bosiedi, an Emirati journalist from Gulf News, explained: "Marriage is a personal choice, and should not be linked to legal or social dimensions by the government." The government’s response? Emirati women who marry non-Emiratis affect the demographic balance of the country - a challenge again only applied to females.

Despite the 2006 demonstration, no steps have been taken to reform Emirati women’s right to marry non-Emirati men and pass citizenship to their children. As a result, some Emirati families no longer find it acceptable for their daughters and sisters to marry foreigners. In the end, I believe that this law infringes on the civil rights of Emirati women, who are discriminated against by being deprived of basic rights afforded to Emirati men. Change is long overdue.



WANTED to Address Saudi Driving Ban: John Bieniek

John Bieniek won first prize in HAMSA’s fifth annual “Dream Deferred” essay contest for an imaginative depiction of a campaign to help Saudi women gain the right to drive. In “Putting Women in the Driver’s Seat,” John narrates the tale of Emily, a fictional character whose protest in her hometown to raise awareness about laws banning Saudi women from driving soon swirls into a national human rights campaign. The male 17 year-old American who dreamed up the model campaign spoke to The CRIME Report about his inspiration.

Why did you decide to address this civil rights challenge?
What hits home for me is the fact that if my mother, the only one in my family with a car, lived in Saudi Arabia, she couldn’t drive and would be unable to help support the family. I made the choice to make my protagonist female because I felt that it would be easier for a woman to identify with the cause. I believe the story would have had to have been different only in the sense that a male would have had to have had a much more specific reason to become interested in the topic, as the issue is simply going to be more apparent, and important because of the striking contrast between her and her Saudi counterpart’s life.

How realistic is Emily’s story?
Civil rights activism often begins with young adults at the grassroots level. When garnering support for such causes, the most important tool one has is education. Once Emily made her community aware of the obstacles to women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, they supported her. The main obstacle she faced was the Saudi government and the influence it holds, particularly in America. It was due to its lobbying power that the congressional bill on human rights died in committee. By the time she initiated correspondence with Saudi Arabian women, she had the support of American Muslim and women’s groups, which provided her the outlets to get in contact with the very women she was fighting for.

Do you expect see Emily’s campaign become a reality?
I believe that, at some point in the future, women will win the right to drive in Saudi Arabia. I think that what I depict in the essay is certainly optimistic, but definitely not impossible. While women in Saudi Arabia may eventually gain the right to drive by themselves, we in America can do much to speed up the process if we take the initiative and follow some of the steps that I outlined in my essay.

QUIZ: What men’s hairstyles are now illegal in Iran?

Answer: Mullets, ponytails, and eyebrow plucking are just some of styles banned by Iran’s Culture Ministry. If you think choosing a hairstyle is hard enough, try getting a haircut in Iran. The country has now issued an official list of acceptable hairstyles, hoping to dissuade young people from imitating “Western” looks. The crackdown on hairstyles comes as part of a larger crackdown on appearances, including the so-called “bad hijab.” Violators of the style catalogue (launched at the July “Modesty and Veil Festival”) face punishments ranging from highly unflattering haircuts to even the closure of barbershops. The response from Iranian activists: “Cut it out!”


BECOME A PARTNER IN CRIME:
Here are quick ways to contribute to the Middle East civil rights movement: