Bakheet Al-Ghabbash Makkah Online When you talk about the rights of women, most often you end up in controversy. Some people think that such talk is not in the spirit of Islam and they claim that this may result in the spread of immorality among women in society. Interestingly, the people who criticize or oppose women's rights argue that their positions are based on the principles of Islamic Shariah. On the other hand, if we look at the fundamental principles of Islam, we can see that it is only Islamic Shariah that gives women their full rights and takes measures to protect their rights. Islam says that a woman has her rights as well as her duties and responsibilities. Even though this is a fact, some people still object to talk about the rights of women, and this triggers arguments between those who support women's rights and those who oppose them. Due to such arguments, we have made the rights of Saudi women an insoluble issue. In my personal opinion, if we had separated religion from our inherited customs and taken the time to properly understand religious values, we would have already given women their due rights in line with the instructions of Islam. It is the basic right of a woman to be able to approach any government department and process paperwork without relying on any middleman. It is her right to practice any activity and fulfill her requirements in life by herself if she cannot find anyone to do it for her. The Supreme Judicial Council has ruled that the courts should rely on the ID of a woman as proof of her identity. In light of this directive, those who support or oppose the rights of women are not in a position to object to this but only to obey it. I want to draw attention to the bitter experience that a Saudi woman had with a notary public before the issuance of this directive by the Council. The woman approached the notary seeking a power of attorney, and for this she presented her ID as proof of her identity. But the notary refused to accept it and demanded that she produce two men to verify her ID. The woman had no option but to approach two unfamiliar men – one Saudi and one expatriate - whom she found in the vicinity. They agreed to appear as witnesses to prove her identity! It is strange that a woman's ID, which is issued by the government, is not sufficient to prove her identity but the testimony of two unknown men is completely okay. Is there any logic to this from a legal standpoint?
