Nine months ago something very important happened and I would bet that very few Americans noticed it. Saudi Arabia announced in September 2017 that women in that country would be allowed to drive, starting in June 2018. It was reported in the New York Times and by the BBC.
According to the NYT:
"Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, is an absolute monarchy ruled according to Shariah law. Saudi officials and clerics have provided numerous explanations for the ban over the years. Some said that it was inappropriate in Saudi culture for women to drive, or that male drivers would not know how to handle having women in cars next to them. Others argued that allowing women to drive would lead to promiscuity and the collapse of the Saudi family. One cleric claimed — with no evidence — that driving harmed women’s ovaries."
I am very happy that women in Saudi Arabia are now allowed to drive. However, the news story I watched last night ended by pointing out that even today, women are not allowed to vote, travel, or marry without the permission of a male guardian. The Times article pointed out "Under these laws, women cannot travel abroad, work or undergo some medical procedures without the consent of their male “guardian,” often a father, a husband or even a son."
What is astonishing to me is not so much that this sort of thing exists in the 21st century, but the fact that men in America are oblivious to it. They honestly don't understand why a woman in America would be not just horrified but fearful of this kind of law.
I am also concerned that America is becoming more like Saudi Arabia. That's truly scary.
Years ago when I was on dating sites and I met a man who liked to travel, and he wanted me to travel the world with him. He he was astonished when I said there were certain countries I would never visit because of the way women in those countries are treated. He kept saying "But I would be with you." I pointed out that if anything were to happen to him I would feel in great danger. I also pointed out that I wouldn't have fun visiting a country where women were treated as inferior to men. He truly couldn't understand my feelings. We argued for a while, but nothing I said to him got through. He even called me narrow-minded, at one point. (Needless to say, that relationship was over with that one phone call.)
That inability to put himself in my shoes is endemic in our society and leads to so much conflict. In essence, it's the root of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Occupy Wall Street Movement, and others. If you have never faced discrimination or mistreatment because of your gender or your race, you will find it impossible to really understand why those movements exist.
The news story I watched last night about women driving in Saudi Arabia was sobering.
In the article Six Things women in Saudi Arabia still can't do, the author points out that women who are abused by their male guardians cannot file a complaint against that person.
Further, "The dress code for women is governed by a strict interpretation of Islamic law and is enforced to varying degrees across the country. The majority of women wear an abaya – a long cloak – and a head scarf. The face does not necessarily need to be covered, “much to the chagrin of some hardliners”, says The Economist. But this does not stop the religious police from harassing women for exposing what they consider to be too much flesh or wearing too much make-up."
Imagine a society in which women walk around covered from head to toe in black cloth because otherwise they are viewed as indecent. Seeing women in hijab or abaya bothers me. I always wonder if the woman underneath would, if given the chance, leave that place and come to America and live in freedom if offered that opportunity?
A woman was recently arrested in Saudi Arabia for wearing a miniskirt. Women still cannot swim in public. Their interactions with men are very limited, with most places having separate entrances for men and women. They also cannot try on clothes while shopping. They can't compete freely in sports.
So I think it would be fair to say that religion is having a great influence on the laws in that country. Is that a good thing? What if that were to be true here?
We're heading that way.
The Supreme Court recently ruled that a bakery in Colorado could refuse to do business with a gay couple. Now, if you read the fine print, the case had a lot to do with how the Colorado Civil Rights Commission treated the baker. The baker also stated he would refuse to bake a Halloween cake because it violated his religious beliefs.
Arguing the fine points is fine and I am not saying we shouldn't. However, the overarching message that has been broadcast far and wide has nothing to do with subtlety or nuance. The message is: it's okay for a business to discriminate against gay people. The door has opened a crack, but it is open. Bullies will force it to swing wide in the near future, I fear.
Religion should have nothing to do with law, because religion is entirely subjective.
So if the Supreme Court says it's okay to discriminate against gay people, who's to say that they won't defend a business that says they won't do business with a female? What about the couple in California facing charges for horrific child abuse -- if they say their religion told them to starve or beat their children, should the children be returned to them?
Let that sink in. We are on a slippery slope now.
The question we need to be asking ourselves, as Americans, is really simple. Are gay people HUMAN? Are women HUMAN? Is someone black or Asian or mixed race HUMAN? Should all HUMANS be treated equally under the law? Equal pay? Equal access to public buildings, to jobs, etc.?
That's the one thing that ties us all together, our humanity.
Saying someone should be treated differently because they are gay, or female, or a child, or black or anything else is just not okay, in my view. That will never be okay.
