By Saudi women took Twitter by storm using Arabic and English hashtags that call for ending the Saudi male guardianship system. The social media campaign started after the Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on July 16, 2016, titled “Boxed In: Women and Saudi Arabia’s Male Guardianship System.”
HRW interviewed 54 saudi women and seven Saudi men concluding that the system is “the most significant impediment to realizing women’s rights in the country.”
#StopEnslavingSaudiWomen became a trending topic that women are using simultaneously with #TogetherToEndMaleGuardianship to campaign against the system and demand its dismantling. CNN reported that by September, the Arabic version of the hashtag had taken on a life of its own, “with women across the country risking the wrath of their guardians, or even persecution.”
Here are nine abusive Tweets Saudi men wrote in Arabic in response to the campaign:
This anti-Semitic chauvinist who says Jews started the hashtag and that the Saudi women supporting it are whores:
https://twitter.com/abdullh44882/status/776706321081049088
This economically, verbally, and emotionally abusive psycho who says: “Saudi women can go anywhere they want and Tweet using the cell phones their fathers bought them as gifts. May you all drop dead.”
تروح للمكان ألي تبغاه
وتغرد بالجوال ألي جايها هدية من أبوها
"أين الحقوق…تسقط الولاية"
جعلك تسقطين وما تقومين#سعوديات_نطالب_باسقاط_الولاية— عبدالعزيز الصقري (@ksarizwan1) September 9, 2016
This misogynist who is misusing patriarchal interpretation of one of the most controversial verses of the Qur’an (4:34) to justify that men are the “maintainers” of women. “Be smart girls. You will only benefit from your fathers and brothers.”
https://twitter.com/Abodii_9/status/773466848448880640
This racist who is insulting women, but claiming that he is treating his women just like queens. “If you are ignored and humiliated as a woman and everyone despises you and spits in your face and you’re cheap, don’t think that all women are like you. Our women are respected and they are our head crowns.”
https://twitter.com/omar5_alali/status/774045969629470720
Another sexist bigot claiming Islamic supremacy and using scripture to prove that women “are insane.”
#سعوديات_نطالب_بإسقاط_الولاية
( ولا تؤتوا السفهاء أموالكم)
قال الطبري : عامة أهل التأويل: هم النساء والصبيان، لضعف آرائهم …)— جاسم الجاسم (@gzaly505) September 7, 2016
And this not very smart analyst who is accusing liberalism and atheists for the calls to end the Saudi male guardianship system.
#سعوديات_نطالب_باسقاط_الولايه سقطت عقولكم في فخ #الليبراليه و إعداء الدين
— عبدالله الراشد (@alrashed1397) September 5, 2016
This bipolar misogynist who categorized the women using the hashtag into feminists (classy) and feminazis (savage), saying that “99.99% of the women demanding the cancelation of the male guardianship system fall under the second category while the search is still going for the first type.”
الفئة الي في هاشتاق #سعوديات_نطالب_باسقاط_الولاية رقم 2 . pic.twitter.com/Z0Phq5Voow
— اللانهائية (@i_empty25) September 5, 2016
The ignorant, racist conspiracy theorist: “This hashtag is controlled by people in the West and the majority of participants are not Saudis… Yemenis, Syrians, Egyptians… and some atheists.”
https://twitter.com/3ziz_goom/status/772749640177508352
The following Tweet requires no further comments. A new hashtag was created in Arabic that translates to: whores call for ending the guardianship.
يجب تغيير الهاشتاق الى #عاهرات_يطالبن_بإسقاط_الولايه
— Thamer Rajhi (@Thamer_rajhi) September 16, 2016
This violence and abuse has no excuse.
#StopEnslavingSaudiWomen and #TogetherToEndMaleGuardianship.
Okay. I have followed and loved this blog, but the translations, no, interpretations of these tweets are way off. Some may be derogatory, but you did not translate others correctly. Not all of your readers speak Arabic, so please translate them word by word and let people make up their own minds instead of putting thoughts into their head. Most Saudi men are very good God fearing men. MANY Saudi women are treated very respectfully and with reverence. I agree that Saudi Women who go through injustices should obtain justice. However, this is not Saudi Arabia, and having such deragatory statements in your articles about Saudi men is not the way.
-A Muslim American woman engaged to a Saudi man.
It seems like you have been lucky. But it’s not a good argument to say that “most” Saudi men are good, i would rather think it’s a very select few. The fact is still that this barbarous system is in place and there is no way it can be defended in any way, it’s not ok because “some” men are good. Since the system is in place, it just confirms that the majority of the male population think that this is the natural order of things. Unfortunately the Arab world is so conservative that it’s unable to help itself.
And even if some women, maybe even 50% would be treated good, it’s still not nearly good enough.
That’s pretty derogatory to suggest that most Saudi men aren’t good. How are you different from the men commenting about the women on Twitter ? And most Saudi men don’t play any role in creating the law. And basis for guardianship law can be found in Sharia. You’re suggesting these people are “bad” for conforming to the Islamic law.
Hasnaa could you please translate it, I’m unfortunately neither speak or read Arabic. Thank you ! 🙂