Women under Perpetual Guardianship of Males in Saudi Arabia

The government of Saudi Arabia gives women very few rights that are taken for granted in the West.

This treatment is not a feature of Islam itself, but is a feature of the particular way Islam has been interpreted by the ruling elite.  It is important not to paint Islam with a broad brush, when so much of the practices are local interpretations that vary widely with country and region.

According to Wikipedia, on Women in Islam "
William Montgomery Watt states that Muhammad, in the historical context of his time, can be seen as a figure who promoted women’s rights and improved things considerably. Watt explains: "At the time Islam began, the conditions of women were terrible - they had no right to own property, were supposed to be the property of the man, and if the man died everything went to his sons." Muhammad, however, by "instituting rights of property ownership, inheritance, education and divorce, gave women certain basic safeguards."^[13]"

The Wikipedia article also quotes an opinion that  Islam is neither more nor less patriarchal than other world religions especially Hinduism, Christianity and Judaism.^[7][8]
It is interesting how so many aspects unrelated to Islam are ascribed to it in an effort to tar and feather it.
The headscarf is a source of massive dispute in various countries, including the US and France. Yet, every picture in a Christian bible shows Mary, mother of Jesus, with a headscarf. Interesting.

The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women ("CEDAW") committee on Saudi Arabia "noted with concern that the concept of male guardianship over women seemed to be widely accepted and severely limits their rights under the Convention", according to The Circular from the National Council of Women of New Zealand (The Circular, No 537, October 2010, p8).

The news item continues "The consequences of the system of male guardianship include:"

• A girl of any age can be forced into marriage by her male guardian.
• A woman can be forcibly divorced from her husband by her male guardian.
• A girl cannot be educated without the consent of her male guardian.
• A woman cannot get a passport without the permission of her husband or male guardian.
• A woman cannot travel or take her children anywhere without the permission of her husband or male guardian.
• A woman cannot be admitted to or discharged from, a government hospital without the permission of her husband or male guardian.
• A woman cannot make decisions regarding medical care, including family planning, without permission of her husband or male guardian.
• She cannot be employed without the approval of her husband or male guardian.
• She cannot run a business unless it is in the name of her husband or male guardian and she has his permission to manage it.
• A woman cannot enter a police station to file a complaint unless she is accompanied by her husband or male guardian.
• A woman cannot file a court case or appear before a judge without the presence of her husband or male guardian.

The CEDAW committee urged the government of Saudi Arabia to take immediate steps to end the practice of male guardianship over women.

(quoted Source: Equality Now Women's Action 31.2 Update May 2010).