By Ali Alyami
Notwithstanding the Olympics' explicit rules against all forms of discrimination, the Saudi government decided to ban its women from participating in the Olympic games that began today in Beijing. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules are unequivocally clear: "Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympics Movement."1 Based on this anti-discrimination rule, it is morally and professionally incumbent on the IOC and all participating teams, especially women who represent democratic societies, to declare their unequivocal support for the inclusion of women on the all-male Saudi team. If this civilized protest fails to convince the Saudi government and society that their marginalization of women is repulsive and will not be tolerated by civilized peoples, the IOC should disqualify Saudi Arabia from participating in future games.
The international community should have the moral courage to declare Saudi monarchy a pariah system not only because of its decision to deny Saudi women the right to participate in the Olympic Games, but because of its discriminatory policies against non-Muslims, Muslim minorities, and those who promote humane and participatory governing institutions in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is among the very few remaining states in the world that ignore and defy international declarations of human rights and the Kingdom gets away with it. It's no secret that Saudi women are among the most oppressed people in the world. Saudi women can not drive legally, are barred from voting, cannot initiate a phone service, buy property, travel or even deliver their babies without male approval. By failing to hold the Saudi government accountable for its obligations as a member of the civilized world, the IOC and the international community are de facto condoning and validating an exclusionary and chauvinistic system that continues to deny its citizens their basic human rights. Furthermore, the Kingdom sets an unspeakable example for other Arabs and Muslims to emulate because other Muslims look to Saudi Arabia for religious guidance. These examples perpetuate discrimination against other Muslim women and non-Muslims who live in Arab and Muslim societies. Read more ...
Notwithstanding the Olympics' explicit rules against all forms of discrimination, the Saudi government decided to ban its women from participating in the Olympic games that began today in Beijing. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules are unequivocally clear: "Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympics Movement."1 Based on this anti-discrimination rule, it is morally and professionally incumbent on the IOC and all participating teams, especially women who represent democratic societies, to declare their unequivocal support for the inclusion of women on the all-male Saudi team. If this civilized protest fails to convince the Saudi government and society that their marginalization of women is repulsive and will not be tolerated by civilized peoples, the IOC should disqualify Saudi Arabia from participating in future games.
The international community should have the moral courage to declare Saudi monarchy a pariah system not only because of its decision to deny Saudi women the right to participate in the Olympic Games, but because of its discriminatory policies against non-Muslims, Muslim minorities, and those who promote humane and participatory governing institutions in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is among the very few remaining states in the world that ignore and defy international declarations of human rights and the Kingdom gets away with it. It's no secret that Saudi women are among the most oppressed people in the world. Saudi women can not drive legally, are barred from voting, cannot initiate a phone service, buy property, travel or even deliver their babies without male approval. By failing to hold the Saudi government accountable for its obligations as a member of the civilized world, the IOC and the international community are de facto condoning and validating an exclusionary and chauvinistic system that continues to deny its citizens their basic human rights. Furthermore, the Kingdom sets an unspeakable example for other Arabs and Muslims to emulate because other Muslims look to Saudi Arabia for religious guidance. These examples perpetuate discrimination against other Muslim women and non-Muslims who live in Arab and Muslim societies. Read more ...
Source: IPT News
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