Kvinnors rättigheter i Saudiarabien

Can women`s rights be realized in a religiously conservative, non-liberal country such as Saudi Arabia? Viewed by many as THE leading Muslim nation in the Arab world, this oil rich kingdom is also well known to be friendly with the United States as well as other western countries. And also for creating and upholding some of the most conservative Sharia-based laws against its people, and especially against its women. Nevertheless, in the past few years women in Saudi Arabia have taken careful but courageous steps into public space, and an increasing number of Saudi women are now graduating and taking jobs abroad. How can women in Saudi Arabia strengthen their rights, and what are the most significant challenges they face in this process? How can the world community and especially western-liberal actors, states and organizations support this development instead of becoming an obstacle?All over the world women are faced with discriminatory power structures. A common contemporary view is that these power structures are at their strongest and most oppressive in Muslim countries and communities. Islam and Muslims are being demonized in the western part of the world. Violations against human rights and against women do take place in Muslim societies. Women in Saudi Arabia are in many ways being treated as lesser because of their gender. But is Islam really the main antagonist in this respect? I believe not. And I also believe it is important to challenge this much held view in order to make way for a fruitful discussion on how to empower women within the current normative frames of their societies and religion.Chandra Talpade Mohanty`s critique on “white” western-oriented feminism and Abdullahi Ahmed An Naʹim`s cross cultural perspectives on human rights and how to present these to the Muslim world in order for them to earn a permanent residence there along with Asifa Quraishi-Landes critical analysis of the way that western actors, states and organizations engage themselves in human rights violations taking place in Muslim societies will provide my theoretical background for this paper. Their perspectives will help design and present a more nuanced view on the possibilities and challenges facing the realization of women`s rights in a patriarchal society such as Saudi Arabia.Change is always possible. However, in order for a society to change its type if governance, its political power structure and its long held cultural and religious views and traditions it cannot simply be told by someone else that change is needed. Fundamental change of such vital factors has to happen from within the society itself. And the leading actors in this process will depend on its peoples support and the right kind of support from the outside world