Wajeha al-Huwaider
Leadership in Saudi Arabia is one of the most sensitive issues. It is mostly dominated by male personalities. There are very few feminine leaders. Majority of the organizations, let alone the government have few feminine leaders. The role of women in the country is mostly seen as a dominant role in domestic world. Religion is the key hindrance to women leadership and domination in the world of politics as well as any other organizations’ leadership. The Quran has one hadith that implies that if any organization that places its leadership in the woman’s hands, the nations is doomed to fail. This hadith is one of the key reasons why women have never been awarded a leadership role by the citizens.
Besides this, women have awoken and began taking leadership roles. There are various women in Saudi Arabia who have taken a feminist role and have thus assumed leadership role in businesses, organizations as well as politics. Women leadership is openly opposed by many and thus has several challenges. Islam is the key role why the women have not been identified and recognized as leaders. Islam has often opposed women leadership implying that women leaders have for long been meant to submit to the men but not to lead them. Regardless, there is the insignificant percentage of women population that has emerged to be the greatest leaders. These women are some of the most inspirational women the world has ever seen.
Wajeha al-Huwaider is one of the most celebrated Saudi feminist. Wajeha is one of the most prominent feminist in Saudi Arabian women. Being a writer and an activist, she is seen as one of Saudi’s most influential women. She is also an activist, a poet and an outspoken feminine leader. Her most remarkable qualities are her courage and outspoken nature. To some extent, she is also a rebel. Through her inspirational defiance, he has managed to encourage several people, women to be specific. Her rebel nature has also been effected the consideration of feminine rights review. Through her writing she has also managed to encourage women to vie for their rights (Muravchik, 2009).
An inborn feminist
Women in Saudi Arabia do not enjoy their rights fully. This is not only as a result of the religious teachings of the Quran but through the laws, provisions and specifications set aside by the constitution. Women in Arabia are prohibited from voting. Voting rights are only given to the men and none of the women has the ability neither to vote nor to vie for a political post in the countries government elections. Besides this, some of the little pleasures that the women in the country do not enjoy include the right to drive. It sounds oppressing, right? Believe it or not, women in the country are not allowed to drive any kind of vehicle (Human Rights Watch, 2008).
Wajeha Al-Huwaider, a women rights activist is one of the women in the country who have openly opposed these laws and provisions. Currently, she is the only known woman in the country to ever drive a car. Through the help of a female friend, she filmed herself driving her vehicle and she encouraged fellow women to fight for their reasons. Through her writing, Wajeha addresses the current Saudi male guardianship leadership scheme. The system provides that prior to a woman taking any initiative; she should seek consent from a male counterpart. She once wrote a letter to the president Obama hoping that he would advice the king in addressing the situation (Muravchik, 2009). This is one of the bravest moves any woman had ever taken. Through her writing too, she managed to get global attention after posting an article titled Saudi women can drive too, let them.
Challenges Wajeha Al-Huwaider had to overcome
As an open and outspoken feminist, Wajeha was faced with various challenges as well as opposition from male chauvinists. Besides that, since she openly attacked the government official as well as compromised their leadership skills she was faced with various challenges. As a writer for the Saudi Arabia’s Al Watan Newspaper, Wajeha openly opposed to the government and the mode of leadership as well as she advocated for women’s rights in her articles and her other modes of writing such as books. As a result, in 2003 she was proscribed from writing in any public newspaper by the Saudi Interior Ministry. In a certain convention where the Saudi king was addressing the people, Wajeha started a protest, holding up a placard written “give women their rights” on it. She was arrested and questioned by the Arabian police. It was also a major challenge having to deal with all the anti activism leaders and rules that did all their level best to have her quit her activism (Human Rights Watch, 2008).
Wajeha Al-Huwaider achievements
Wajeha Al-Huwaider is one of the most prominent protestors and women’s rights activists the world has ever seen. Her actions have seen many women change their perspective, thinking and behavior towards getting equal treatment as the men. Through her motivational and inspirational writing she has managed to inform majority o the Saudi women of their rights and how the men and the leadership have managed to deprive them off these rights. She has also managed to persuade them to join her in the feminist sides so that they work together for the final good of the people.
Through her driving video, she has encouraged majority of the women to fight for their rights. Since this video was viewed at an international level, Al-Huwaider has managed acquire an international recognition level. Majority of the Saudi women have also joined her blog where they are enlightened on the most basic rights that their culture deprives from them. Besides managing to encourage inspire and at times inflict fear in fellow people that look up upon her, Wajeha Al-Huwaider received a PEN/NOVIB Free Expression Award for activist role in the world of journalism. She is also recognized by many activist organizations such as the Al Waref Institute (Young, 2009).
Wajeha Al-Huwaider as a leader
I believe that Wajeha Al-Huwaider is a leader since she is the only woman who is brave enough to go against the laws that deprive women off their rights. Secondly, she assumes a leadership role in that she influences majority of the women in the country. As an activist she also assumes a leadership role in guiding women and other personalities towards achieving equity in the treatment of women. She has also led various protest teams and women in demonstrations demanding for their rights. As a leader, her way of leadership is more of an incitement manner. She is always there to incite women to fight for their rights. She also demonstrates ultimate leadership skills in that she leads her followers in protest. Her courage is one of the most efficient traits when it comes to leadership.
It is mostly suggested that Wajeha absorbed her feminism traits in the U.S. while pursuing her university degree. However, even as a child, her mother was also against female oppression and she might have taken the trait from her mother. Her actions and way of life suggested that she was always opposed to inequity of the sexes. Her university degree and mingling with people from a different culture was only a motivator to fuel her feminist ideology and made her go public (Muravchik, 2009).
References
Human Rights Watch (2008, March). Precarious justice. Washington D.C: Human Rights Watch publishers.
Muravchik, J. (2009). The Next Founders: Voices of Democracy in the Middle East. New York: Encounter Books.
Pollitt, K. The Nation. (2010 June, 28) Saudi Feminist Wajeha Al-Huwaider: An Open Letter to President Obama. Retrieved on 29th March, 2011, from http://www.thenation.com/blog/36758/saudi-feminist-wajeha-al-huwaider-open-letter- president-obama
Young J. (2009, November 27). Al-Waref Institute. Wajeha Al-Huwaider: A Brave Heart! Retrieved on 29th March, 2011, from http://www.alwaref.org/en/figure-of-the-month/191- wajeha-al-huwaider-a-brave-heart
