AS a country that is the face of Islam to the rest of the world, it is sad to see some ignorant, uncivilized and embarrassing incidents taking place in Saudi Arabia. It is impossible to deny that women are being harassed in the Kingdom. For instance, an event that went viral on social media occurred at a Dhahran mall in the Eastern Province. A group of men harassed three women in the mall to such an extent that the women got into a fight with them. How could this happen in a public place and why did the authorities not stop the young men who were involved? Instead, it appeared that officials joined the entourage and followed the women. This is not the only incident of its kind that has taken place; there are many others. I am unable to understand why there are such ugly occurrences, and why women are continuously blamed by conservative elements while men are allowed to go scot-free.
It is annoying when such things happen and when women are immediately blamed. It is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an: "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them, and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do." (24:30)
I am not taking sides here. I actually understand that the responsibility for such incidents falls on both men and women. Women should keep their hijabs on and men should respect women and not stare at them or try to annoy them. I know some people who say that it is the women's fault for not covering their hair or their faces. However, some women who wear the niqab and are covered from head to toe are also harassed. I have personally heard from women who wear the niqab that they have been harassed. The same applies to women who wear the hijab and just cover their hair. Who is at fault in these cases?
I would also like to emphasize that I understand that the opposite can happen and that some women actually flirt with or annoy men. I would like to point out that doing so is shameful and I support punishing the perpetrators regardless of whether they are men or women.
All things considered, I realize that living in an Islamic society does not mean we have to be perfect because it is impossible for us as human beings to be perfect. Nonetheless, it is our duty as a united society to follow our Islamic instructions and have tolerance as well as respect for each other wherever we are.
