I would like to speak up in defense of KuteNurse. She shared her honest, and occasionally naive, reaction to the videos. I would like to thank her for her candor. She is here to learn, just as I am. And she began her initial post with a statement that she was trying not to offend anyone. I am sure that was a true statement...the original offense was unintentional.
I don't agree with her choice to report gypsy for "cow doodoo". I am pretty certain she regrets that decision, and will not repeat it.
But women (and men) do suffer persecution for actual and suspected transgressions of the moral code in Saudi Arabia. Here are some accounts:
"
suddenly a man, who introduced himself as a member of the religious police, asked me accusingly whether my companion was my wife."
"
we hear of many cases where they detain suspects and beat them up."
BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Religious police: Saudi readers' views
"
The unnamed woman...and her daughter were allegedly wrongfully arrested in a shopping centre car park in 2004 for "not wearing decent clothing"...the religious policeman in question arrested the pair, commandeered the car from their driver and drove them to his headquarters where the already sick mother suffered "health complications"."
Al Jazeera English - News - Saudi Woman Sues Moral Police
Individual women may not be bothered by the restrictions, but we should not pretend that is exactly what they are - restrictions that apply to everyone, whether the woman consents or not.
If I went to a police station in France or the USA, and wanted to file a report that my husband had beaten me, they would take the report, and possibly arrest my husband. I could at least get a court date and/or a restraining order. In most first world countries, that is the case. I honestly do not know if I could get the same results in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, or Dubai, and it is not because of lack of money to run government services! In fact, I rather doubt it...and I hope you will pardon my ignorance, and gently educate me if I am wrong.
I often shop at the Mall of America, where I see many women wearing the distinctive Muslim head scarves. Many are tourists, many are locals, and some of them work there. But I have heard stories of women removing their hijab while abroad, and donning it again when they return to their home country...I believe those stories are true. And if so, those women are conforming to their country's restrictions, not their religious convictions, when they cover at home.
And let's not pretend that temporary solitary confinement is just as barbaric as beheading...
As for "your most distant relative taking you in"...this is not always true. Many children in Afghan orphanages are there because their relatives "cannot afford to keep them". They will turn up and object if an ungodly American tries to adopt the child, however! And a local restaurant owner (I forget which Middle-Eastern country he was from) was turned out onto the street by his family at a very young age, because of poverty. He became a falafel street vendor, eventually gained the nickname of the Falafel King, and eventually emigrated to the USA, where he opened a Middle Eastern restaurant in Minneapolis, also called Falafel King.
Everyone knows that poverty does horrible things to society. But the common culture in Muslim societies around the world (which is not strictly supported by the Koran), does devalue the women, and restrict them in ways that are quite significant, even damaging.
There are many things wrong with American society, Central African societies, Korean society...Middle Eastern societies also have their share of injustice. I am sure that many Middle Eastern women would gladly adopt the headscarf for life, if it was in exchange for the right to unrestricted travel within their own countries, the right to leave their country without their families' permission, the right to drive themselves, the right to free association, the right to have their testimony count the same as a man's, and the ability to live and work independently of their families without being branded a whore.
I don't think it's a mistake that the mandated hijab accompanies all these other legal restrictions. I think that they go hand in hand.
In conclusion, while I don't agree with all of KuteNurse's reactions, I understand what she was reacting to in the original videos. I feel the society shown is well deserving of a reaction.