Making the Unbelievable Possible – Saudi Arabian Women at the Olympics
It was one of the most amazing incidents of the Rio Olympics ever seen, Kariman Abuljudayal was taking part in the 100m race, but he looked a bit different from the rest of the runners. Ella Kariman wore a hijab on her face and her entire body was covered in black velvet, making her one in three girls in Saudi Arabia to participate in the largest gaming congregation; Olympics.
Last year, Sara Akhtar from Saudi Arabia participated in the 4x800m relay, she too had her whole body covered and even after losing her part to show off the final ticket, she did a commendable job.
It is customary in Saudi Arabia for women to dress in a burqa from head to toe, exposing their eyes and hands to perform daily household chores. There are strict rules and regulations, especially for women, where their entry is regularly supervised by the men of the family. Public dates and meetings or any form of physical and social communication with men outside the family relationship are considered liable to prosecution.
Moving to the United States in her early twenties, Sara left behind the conservative lifestyle of Arab women and had the freedom to choose her wardrobe for herself. Many women like Sarah found that the dominant male attitude of society was softening her aspirations, most of them moved abroad and have established a life of dignity and self-respect.
The Saudi Arabian government imposes strict laws against women and even deprives them of the basic right to freedom of speech and expression and restricts their life behind the steaming cauldron on the kitchen shelves.
Until 2012, no women were allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, and as of now, only a few sports have received the due concession perceived by the Arab government as “preservation of dignity”, which makes women stay out of sports, which involves wearing edgy outfits like gymnastics and wrestling.
One such incident occurred when Kariman’s shirt slipped an inch and a half while she was running and it was feared that a fatwa would be thrown at her demanding her execution or that the crowd would throw stones and cause her to bleed to death.
These kinds of incidents are no longer uncommon in Saudi Arabia, it is the rape victims, who are blamed and not given any rehabilitation, instead of being given proper counseling and medical supervision, they are jailed and flogged.
So far no measures have been taken to restore the status of women in society. Saudi Arabia remains the unlucky country for women.