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Walking While Covered

April 16, 2012 By Contributor

Via Jeddah Mind Trick Blog

This is cross-posted with permission from the blog Jeddah Mind Trick. The author is an American Muslim from Detroit, Michigan, who currently lives with her family in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

I heard the car creeping slowly behind me. I moved out of the way to let the driver pass on the road.  My neighborhood has no sidewalks so I had become used to yielding the right of way to cars, bikes, and the occasional mobile French Fry vendor. I was on my daily walk to the grocery to pick up items for dinner. This was before I landed a job, when visiting the produce section of the local market was the highlight of my day.

When I moved out of the car’s way, I continued walking at a leisurely pace. I was sick that morning and my head was swimming with fever. I had insisted on going for a walk against my husband’s wishes because I felt like the fresh air would make me feel better.

Even though I was no longer an obstacle on the road, the car kept up its slow creep. I turned around to look at the driver; I sensed that something was wrong. When I turned, I saw an older man with salt and pepper hair staring back at me.  He didn’t look menacing but there was something about the look in his eyes that made me feel uneasy. I turned around and proceeded to walk quickly toward my building around the corner. But the faster I walked, the faster he drove. I did not want to break out into an all-out run so I stopped cold and pretended to fiddle with something in my bag. He then drove past me and when he was completely out of sight, I walked as quickly as I could toward the end of the block.

After I turned the corner and had walked few yards, I noticed a car driving the opposite way down the street. It was the same man; he had merely driven around the corner and was now driving straight toward me. He turned around and began following closely behind me.  As he approached, he rolled his window down and whispered something to me in Arabic.  He winked.  I turned my head and kept walking into my building. I heard his car stop and he went for the door, as if to get out. I hurried to close the iron gate of the apartment complex. I heard him mutter something loudly and spin off. My heart was beating furiously as I opened the door to my apartment. My husband asked what was wrong and I told him.  He was upset and tried to rush downstairs until I told him the guy left. “That’s it, that’s the last time you are walking to the store,” he said.  “How? Am I supposed to just stay inside for the rest of my life?” I said.

As in much of the modern world, street harassment is an epidemic in Saudi Arabia. Despite strict laws governing gender based social interaction, there are men here who make a regular habit of preying upon women.  Some people will say that a woman can “invite” harassment by dressing provocatively. That morning, I was wearing a niqab, the face covering worn by Muslim women. I was new in the Kingdom and figured that dressing like the majority of the women around me would provide a level of anonymity that would help me in navigating my new city. I wasn’t wearing gloves, but everything else, except my feet, was covered in black.  I wore slippers, simple white rubber flip-flops, on my feet. Though I was wearing niqab, my eyes were still seen, and they were red and puffy from a night spent coughing and sneezing. I had no makeup or perfume on. My abaya was loose, 2 sizes too large, and it made me look like a walking black cloud.  There was nothing provocative about the way I was dressed that day, or any other day on which I have been harassed.

To the contrary, when I venture out in my school uniform, a pink lab coat, no one says a word to me. For many men in this society, wearing an abaya and niqab is seen as more desirable.  Men prefer to have a woman who is covered but there are some who take it to the extreme and fetishize women’s hijab to the point of extreme sexual desire. One of my husband’s best friends, a Saudi, sadly lamented that some men actively seek out women in niqab because they are “sexy.”  For this reason, some men request that their wives not cover their faces because the niqab can cause unwanted attention.  I find this mind-boggling.  It is incomprehensible when you consider that the abaya and niqab are used for exactly the opposite effect.  Predators have taken something that women use as a screen for modesty and turned it on its head.  Being a woman who covers is not a safeguard against sexual harassment.

Over the past year, I have been followed at least a dozen times, harassed in stores, and was even chased by a young man riding a bicycle while I was out with my son.  Weekend mornings are the worst. Saudi culture is generally nocturnal, with many people sleeping after the dawn prayer, awaking after the late afternoon prayer when they start their day.   As such, the streets are usually deserted in the morning and this is when the vultures come out. I have learned to stay inside or travel with my husband when I have to do anything on a weekend morning. I once had to pick up a discarded 2×4 on a hot Thursday morning and threaten a man who followed me for three blocks as I went to pick up bread for breakfast.

It is sad that in a place where there are already few recreational outlets for anyone, but especially women, the mere act of leaving one’s house can be cause for harassment, or worse. There are tales of women who left for bread and never returned, women who took a taxi to a friend’s house and never returned. True, according to Islamic law, a woman should always be escorted by a mahram, or male guardian. That’s perfectly fine, but what about the women with working husbands, elderly mates, or sons that are too young (like mine) to serve as any form of human shield when out in public?

Many people cast Saudi Arabia in a very pious light. Some of my Muslim friends expressed jealousy that I would get to live in a place where Islam is the foundation upon which all interactions are built.  It is true that it is easier to practice certain elements of the religion in KSA. No one looks at you funny when you wash your feet in the bathroom or stop everything that you are doing to walk to the nearest masjid for prayer. But the Yemeni tailor who presses his erect penis on my hand while measuring me for an abaya does not represent Islam. The Saudi man, the one who motions for me to get into his car while I wait for the school bus, is not a representative of Islam either.   Also uncharacteristic of Islam are the free feels that men take while a woman is making tawwaf around the Ka’aba, or the ogling by security guards when buying tea outside of Masjid An-Nabawi.  Sometimes the very men who are assigned to serve and protect women are themselves guilty of harassment. My friend was called a “bitch” by a police officer who tried to touch her while she was out for an afternoon run near her villa. This is not Islam.  This is not true Saudi culture.

I grew up in the city of Detroit amongst a sizable Arab population. The treatment I experience here reminds me of my teenage years. I remember the guys at the gas station who would try to feel up the young girls buying candy and cigarettes for their fathers. I learned my first Arabic word, habibi, when one of the men who worked at the party store used it as his pet name for my 13 year old friend who carried breasts and hips that belied her age.  I am not saying that all Arab men are predators; that would be a racist assumption and untrue. I know many men of Arab descent who are upstanding, protective individuals who are the epitome of manhood. But I would be remiss if I didn’t say there are some cultural elements in the Arab world that can cause otherwise sane men lose their minds.

Being chased down the street is what happens when boys and girls are segregated in schools starting at age 6. It is what happens when all your life you are taught that you are superior, that women’s bodies are shameful, an object meant to be protected and obscured from view. Harassment happens when it is ingrained in you that the basic human desire to interact with members of the opposite sex is thwarted by false impressions of modesty and restraint. Women who walk in fear through streets surrounding the holiest sites in Islam have become victims of a warped interpretation of honor and modesty that forces people to extremes.  Deprivation of any sort can lead to desperation.  Very few people are taught the art of healthy interaction so the product of such a strict society can manifest itself in violent, hurtful, and disdainful ways.

During the first few months of my life in Jeddah, I used to try to look very unkempt and haggard when I went out; I wore old abayas and overrun shoes. I did everything possible to make myself undesirable. It went against everything that I believe to manipulate my appearance in this way, but I was desperate for security.  I know that the way one dresses has little to do with the possibility of being sexually harassed or assaulted, but I was clinging to some hope that I could just disappear. My unkempt appearance became my refuge. It didn’t stop the harassment but it made me feel comfortable, invisible.

Nowadays, however, I wear nice abayas and even add lip gloss when I go out. I walk proudly and stare down any man who tries to intimidate me.   I even shouted at one man who followed me into the local pharmacy.   My words don’t always work, but it is a start. Some of my friends tell me that I shouldn’t leave the house without my husband. I refuse to be trapped in my home and not live a semblance of a free life.  I know that I have to be careful so I keep my wits about me and use my street smarts when needed.  I cannot surrender my life to people who want me to live in fear. I will not let the predators win. I will not allow myself to live like a victim.

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Filed Under: Stories, street harassment Tagged With: saudi arabia, street harassment

Anti-sexual harassment law finalized in Saudi Arabia

March 26, 2012 By HKearl

Image via Arabian Business

The Shura Council in Saudi Arabia has finalized the draft of an anti-sexual harassment law that they started working on in December. Before the law can become legislation, it must be approved by the 150-member Shura Council within 30 days. Then it will go to ruler King Abdullah, who has the ultimate say.

Via The Saudi Gazette:

“The law classifies harassment violations and imposes penalties ranging from warnings and reprimands to fines, lashes and jail, Dr. Fadil was quoted by Al-Eqtisadiya Arabic newspaper as saying.

Dr. Fadil also said that the Council suggested that emirates of regions be responsible for enforcing the law; however, this suggestion is being revised and the Council will appoint another body to discover violations and enforce the law.

“We need such law in the light of the fact that women labor force has increased. Besides, directives allowing young men to enter malls have been issued recently. The law will fight any form of sexual harassment and put an end to it.”

The law regulates mixed environments where men and women interact whether in workplaces, malls or other places and protects freedoms safeguarded by Islam, Dr. Fadil pointed out.”

All of this sounds fine, better in some respects than what we have in the United States since public spaces are included i the law. In the United States, our sexual harassment laws are restricted to schools that receive federal funds and to workplaces.

But then, this part of the article threw me off:

“The law calls for separating men and women in workplaces including public facilities such as recreational areas, restrooms etc.”

Wait, so they are going to further gender segregate people? Is this one step forward, two steps back?

What do people who are familiar with Saudi culture and laws think about this proposed law?

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Filed Under: News stories Tagged With: gender segregation, law, saudi arabia, sexual harassment

Street harassers in Saudi Arabia will be fined, publicly defamed

December 7, 2011 By HKearl

Image from The Saudi Gazette

“Men who harass women in public will be fined and publicly defamed under a new law being drafted by the Shoura Council. The action is due to huge public demand to end the phenomenon that humiliates women and even leads to traffic jams. Shoura Council member Zain Al-Abideen Bin Barri urged ‘the council to follow the suit of countries like Kuwait and the UAE where similar laws have successfully deterred the unwelcome advances,’ Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported. ‘Besides penalties, we’re going to consider imposing fines. The penalty of public defamation will deter public harassers,’ he said.

“The nuisance is widespread throughout the Kingdom particularly in blackspots such as Al-Elaya Street in Riyadh and Al-Tahliya Street in Jeddah. Many businesses are now losing customers who avoid malls out of fear of harassment.”  ~ From the The Saudi Gazette

You mean there is still street harassment in Saudi Arabia, a country where legal restrictions keep women from being in public freely and dictate that they be veiled when they are in public?

I’m shocked.

Nope, I’m not.

Street harassment is a global problem and as long as women are viewed and treated as second-class citizens and are “othered” from men, street harassment will persist.

I’m interested to see if this law will be enforced and if it will be effective. I didn’t know about the Kuwait and UAE laws, so if those laws truly have been successful at deterring harassment, maybe a law in Saudi Arabia will to.

Regardless of its effectiveness, I’m glad to see an article and a proposed law that place the blame on men (although honestly, there are already so many restrictions on women’s access to public places there, what more can they do to women?). For example, in the past I’ve blogged about clerics who wanted women to wear veils with only one eye showing to reduce harassment because two eyes were too “seductive,” and I’ve blogged about men who justify the law against women drivers by saying if they drove, it would lead to an increase in harassment. At least this article and law place the blame and the attention on the men who harass. That’s some progress.

[Thanks for the news tip, P.J. Aroon, copy chief at Foreign Policy Magazine]

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Filed Under: News stories, street harassment Tagged With: foreign policy magazine, harassers fined, p.j. aroon, saudi arabia, street harassment

Activists in 17 countries meet for street harassment conference

December 15, 2009 By HKearl

This past weekend, activists from 17 countries like Egypt, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia met in Cairo for a two-day conference to discuss the serious problem of men’s public harassment of women.

At the conference, attendees concluded that harassment was unchecked because “laws don’t punish it, women don’t report it, and the authorities ignore it. The harassment, including groping and verbal abuse, appears to be designed to drive women out of public spaces and seems to happen regardless of what they are wearing.”

Here is more information from the conference (via the AP):

  • “We are facing a phenomena that is limiting women’s right to move … and is threatening women’s participation in all walks of life,” said Nehad Abul Komsan, an Egyptian activist who organized the event.
  • Sexual harassment, including verbal and physical assault, has been specifically criminalized in only half a dozen Arab countries. Most of the 22 Arab states only outlaw overtly violent acts like rape, according to a study by Abul Komsan.
  • In Syria, men from traditional homes go shopping in the market place instead of female family members to spare them harassment, said Sherifa Zuhur, a Lebanese-American academic at the conference.
  • Amal Madbouli, who wears the conservative face veil or niqab, told The Associated Press that despite her dress, she is harassed.

I’m so happy to hear they were able to come together and discuss these issues. We need a global street harassment conference too, to discuss how we can work across all borders to make public places safe and welcoming for women!!

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Filed Under: News stories Tagged With: conference, Egypt, saudi arabia, sexual harassment, street harassment, Yemen

Weekly Round Up – July 19

July 19, 2009 By HKearl

Stories:

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.

  • On this blog, an American woman living in Tunisia talks about the harassment she faces, a woman shares a harassment experience she had in Denver, CO, and another woman talks about a creepy neighbor who keeps her and her daughters afraid to leave their house in TX.
  • On Holla Back NYC a woman took a photo of a man masturbating on the beach while staring at an unsuspecting woman
  • On Holla Back DC! a woman talks about being told to smile, another shares a story about harassment she received at a grocery store, a third discussed being grabbed on the sidewalk by a man, and lastly a fourth shares how she was called cutie by men on the street.

In the News:

  • The Chicago Sun Times had a front page (online) story about how women activists in Chicago prompted changes to the sexual harassment policies of the Chicago Transit Authority!
  • A group of women in Sudan were arrested and several were flogged for the crime of wearing pants in public.
  • An article in the Miami Herald about changing attitudes in policies in Saudi Arabia highlights the attitude that if women were allowed to drive, they would experience more sexual harassment in public, so it’s better not to let them drive.

Announcements:

  • In partnership with local activist, including the facilitators of Holla Back DC!, I am helping to organize a free, one-day summit on street harassment, to be held in October 2009 in Washington, DC. We are holding a photography contest right now for photographers who capture or depict street harassment, particularly in the DC area. Selected winners will have the chance to show/sell their work at a reception the evening before the summit.
  • RightRides in NYC recently has expanded their services of a free ride home from Saturday nights to include Friday nights too! They offer this service from 11:59 p.m. – 3 a.m. in 45 neighborhoods across four boroughs. To call for a ride, the dispatch number is (718) 964-7781 OR (888)215-SAFE (7233).

Street Harassment Resource of the Week:

Gardner, Carol Brooks. Passing By: Gender and Public Harassment (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1995).

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Filed Under: Events, News stories, Stories, street harassment Tagged With: carol brooks gardner, catcalling, colorado, creepy neighbor, demanding a smile, gender-based public harassment, holla back, rightrides, safe ride home, saudi arabia, sexual harassment, street harassment, texas, tunisia, weekly round up

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