JEDDAH — Despite the emergence of several videos, in quick succession, showing harassment of girls in Dammam, Jeddah and Taif recently, the Saudi public are still entrenched in opposing views about charting a new anti-harassment law in the Kingdom.
One group, following the latest outrage in Taif that led the Makkah Police to form a task force to authenticate the clip and search the youth in the clip, believes that the Shoura Council should take swift action.
The group believes that the Shoura should, with alacrity, look again to approve the proposal of the anti-harassment law, which was dropped last year. Those calling for the law have compared the Kingdom to other countries and called for protection of women through this law.
The opposing group argues against the law as it “indicates a clear approval” for a mingling between men and women — something that is forbidden in Islam.
Rokayya Al-Muharib, assistant professor at Princess Noura University, stressed that the law needs to be “comprehensive.” She added that she was against a law that explicitly protects women but in reality it is just there to allow mingling of opposite sexes.
Saeed Matouq, editor in chief of Al-Arab Channel, called for punishing the harassers and hoped that no member of the public opposes the law claiming it to be against the religion.
There were other voices in support of the law. “Where is the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice?” asked 31-year-old Abdulaziz, a Saudi IT project manager. “Isn't harassment a vice that must be prevented? Why aren't they denouncing it and targeting the culprits?”
“My mother, wife, sisters and daughters deserve to be safe on our streets,” said Abu Faisal, a Saudi businessman. “Every woman in Saudi Arabia is entitled to feeling and being safe.”
Concurring with this sentiment was Muneera, a 50-year-old mother of five girls aged between 15 to 26. “My daughters and I walk daily along the public walk-ways for exercise,” she said.
She added: “Since these harassment cases my husband has been against our continuing our walks arguing that the streets aren't safe.”
Women in general condemned the harassment and called for stiff action. “Just when we started feeling some more freedom on our streets, this happens,” said Abeer, a 27-year old Saudi woman.
“This behavior reflects and sums up the attitude of degraded-thinking men have toward women: it's as if they are saying if you women are visible, then you deserve to be disrespected, mistreated, abused and harassed,” said Maha, a Saudi university student in her 20s. “If such men aren't strongly punished then we are encouraging this attitude.”
Fahd, a Saudi retiree and father of 4 sons and 3 daughters, said naming and shaming a harasser would be a strong penalty.
“Respecting women starts in the family, at home. And when the family knows that it will consequently bear the brunt of their son's, brother's misdemeanor and will be exposed to everyone...trust me society will do anything and everything to save face and avoid such a public embarrassment.”
Among reactions on Twitter, Ali Al-Munsalikh said that it was impossible for a man to harass a decent girl who is putting on hijab. “Young men will never stop harassing women unless the girls stop egging them on. The men should be punished for harassing girls. And the girls should be punished if they are the ones luring men.”
Talal Sabban, who expressed his disappointment at men's actions in these videos, called for punishing the harassers at the same location where they targeted their victims and called on naming them in the media.
Lama Al-Osail wrote on her Twitter account that she was angry at the people taking those clips. “Instead of helping out the girls they preferred to document the incident,” she said.
