Voices of Media: The Modern Political Satire
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Like the ancient Greeks of Athens, political satire is becoming an up and coming outlet for government and religious issues in the country of Saudi Arabia. Young people in Saudi Arabia, such as Lama Sabri, Mujtahidd (screen-name), and Hamza Kashgiri, are using new media, like Youtube, twitter, and blogs, to express their opinions on controversial issues in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They are addressing issues that have before been red taped as too dangerous. These young satirists are sweeping the nation of Saudi Arabia and gaining much support and popularity from the younger generation.

Youtube had ignited the process of bringing issues forward through social media in Saudi Arabia. From comedians to political debates, Youtube has provided the perfect outlet for the younger generation to be creative and not only to indicate what they want changed but to also suggest how it should be changed. As any Youtube user would know, it does not only provide an expressive outlet but it allows them to digest the publics opinion on the matter as well as reach a wider audience. Youtube sensations Bader Saleh, and Omar Hussein have gone viral, infecting the young minds to support opinions for change, which will positively adjust the way certain issues are viewed. One of the writers from a show, Lama Sabri stated:

 "(Our) team is very careful not to cross the red lines and instead reflects all the issues that have caused controversy or debate that have been discussed in the media," 

These media outlets also open doors for discussions and healthy debates rather than fights and sweeping issues under the rug. It is important for the teenagers of Saudi Arabia take advantage of social media which helps them engage in a dialogue and to express their opinions. In the end it will further educate them in various outlooks and allow them to take into consideration the other sides view point. 70% of the Saudi population is under 30, and they deserve a say in the change of their country, and with different online sources they are able to come up with their own identity instead of blindly following the ghosts of the past.

The article discusses how the Saudi youth have lead the way by directing there followers  and redefining the norms of their Society, and by bringing the country up to speed with new schools of thoughts. There has been a huge adjustment in Saudi Arabia through the merging of culture and new ways of thinking, by using light humor to address serious issues that affects the country. In turn it brought diversity to the Arab world and has attracted a wide range of viewers with in the country and media from around the world .

In conclusion, these tools have given a voice to the younger generation and is making great changes to a new era one tweet at a time.

Tea time with the Princess

The women of the royal family in Saudi Arabia have recently been gaining quite a lot of the media’s attention. One of the more prominent women in the royal family, Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdulaziz has recently written an article for BBC about the issue on women driving in Saudi Arabia. For most women it would be an obvious response of allowing women to drive as soon as possible; However, Princess Basma had informed BBC that allowing women to drive at this point in time would not be in their best interest.

“Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdulaziz tells the BBC there are many changes she would like to see in Saudi Arabia - but that now is not the time for women to be allowed to drive.”

She also states that eventually it would be a priority for women to drive for it is essential to the well being of Saudi Arabia.

She states that “In particular, the constitution should protect every citizen's basic human rights regardless of their sex, status or sect. Everyone should be equal before the law”

The issues she talks about that need to be changed before women should be allowed to drive are: the constitution, divorce laws, the educational system, reform of social services, and the role of a mahram (a women‘s  chaperone). Most people have accepted her ideas with peace, stating that she addresses very good points.

Her first concern was that the constitution needs to have a background that holds certain guidelines in regards to precedence in court, because at this point in time the courts are run based off of each judge’s personal opinion on the matter.

A very good point that has been negatively effected Saudi women is the divorce laws. She points out that these laws have been preying on Saudi women since the foundation of Saudi Arabia, giving them no leeway, in some parts of Saudi Arabia,  to divorce unless they obtain an “eye witness” of her husband abusing their marriage. And since Saudis regard marriage as a private matter and all the houses are extra private with gates around them, it is hard for women to be able to prove the issue in court. In spite of that, many commentators have discussed that she is basing her article off of her own personal views as opposed to the ultimate good of Saudi Arabia. She is a divorced woman, and although the divorce laws are strict in some areas of Saudi Arabia, other areas are generally fair, and it might not be an issue that needs to take priority over driving in Saudi Arabia.

The changes that she feels need to take place in the educational system is probably the most controversial over the rest. She might have been brought up in a system that restricted women due to “religious” concerns,  most of Saudi Arabia has enhanced their educational guidelines to eradicate the majority of inequalities between men and women. Some schools may be seen as completely conservative and limiting, be that as it may, her opinions are viewed as extremely liberal. She even goes as far as to say that there is a need to limit the teaching of religion in schools. People are unhappy with her opinions on the matter because the country is brought up on the basis of Islam so why would they limit the teaching of the core of their country. That being said, there is a need for change in the hiring process for better qualifications in religion teachers, but eliminating religion completely might cause an uproar. She does, however,  state:

“I would like to see religious teaching limited to the Koran and the Sunna (the way the Prophet lived).”

Another controversial issue that she discusses is the one for reform of social services. She writes about the cruelty towards women and their fear of standing up for themselves. Contrary to popular belief this abusive relationship is not prominent in Saudi Arabia and is found in every country in the world - it does seem to be in the news more often than any other country. In saying that, there is never an excuse to be abusive in any relationship and there is a need to change is worldwide- not just in Saudi Arabia.

The last issue she addresses is the role of a woman’s chaperone. This needs to change and is currently a hot topic in Saudi Arabia, nevertheless in order for this to change, the mindset of the citizens need to change first. The reason this was instated is for the safety of women in Saudi Arabia, and it should not be nullified until Saudi Arabia has a better system to ensure a woman’s safety.

Although there is a group of people that agree with her article there was also a lot of anger geared towards the article, the princess does bring up many points that should be undertaken and considered. On the other hand, when someone gives an opinion on a matter and that does not affect them directly, people tend not to take them seriously. And the princess does not nor plans to ever live in Saudi Arabia.

Voting behind the veil
There is huge distinction between how women are treated in Saudi Arabia and how the west views their treatment. The west continuously views the conduct towards women as oppression on the basis of Islam; however the equality between male and female could not be more clear in the Quran. On that statement, whether it is practiced properly in Saudi Arabia is another concern. In order to fix a problem, it must be adjusted from the roots of the issue, and that is the confusion between what is tradition and what is religion. Once this distinction is made, then and only then will Saudi Arabia be able to move forward. One of the affects from not being able to make this distinction, is the treatment of women. Saudi Arabia, like many new nations,  was brought up in a very paternal society, everything being dependent on the males of the household, not placing women and men at an equal footing and all these issues stem from tradition. Since Saudi Arabia follows Sharia Law which should be solely based on the Quran, women and men should have the same value, but it is ignored and the citizens of the country stood quiet.

The people of Saudi Arabia tend to be passive in this concern instead of standing up for their rights.  However, King Abdullah is recently taking huge steps towards helping women, nation-wide, in various concerns, one of them being their right to vote. According to the BBC Article, Women in Saudi Arabia to vote and run in elections, women should be able to vote and run in the next municipal elections. The King had stated:

“Because we refuse to marginalize women in society in all roles that comply with Sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior clerics and others... to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from next term," 

This provides a huge opportunity for all Saudi Arabian women; not only to be heard but to feel heard. By allowing them to vote, it will a permit their concerns to be heard as valuable constituents.

Although, people are very skeptical on whether a woman would actually get voted for in the elections, there is a possibility- the mind set of the citizens need to change first. It will definitely open doors in the future elections for women to have more powerful jobs that affect outcome of several political decisions. A BBC correspondent, Emily Buchanan discusses the long heated debate over the issue:

“Although not everyone will welcome the decision, such a reform will ease some of the tension that has been growing over the issue.”

What articles always dismiss when addressing issues in Saudi Arabia is the age of the newly blooming country. Saudi Arabia was founded under a hundred years ago, in 1932. The US had been founded in 1776, and it was not until the 1920s did women’s suffrage occur. In the stance of timelines, Saudi Arabia is advanced for their age. Additionally, what certain Saudi Arabian citizens need to realize is that it is not against Sharia Law for women to vote and run in elections, as discussed earlier this is just an affect of typically practiced traditions of Saudi Arabia. Women are finally reaching their goals in Saudi Arabia, and with the right campaigning they might be able to achieve what was previously unattainable.

You live and you learn: Saudi Arabia
The Article


Saudi Arabia has a strong learning system, advanced in both mathematics and science subjects. However, half the world views their educational system as backwards. Their history, and political science subjects are very biased and sometimes blatantly untrue. To produce a future nation that is productive and not just tolerant of other religions and cultures but accepting of them, there are quite a few changes that need to be addressed and modified.

The number of universities in Saudi Arabia has increased dramatically within the last couple of years as well as the number of admitted students, and they are starting to adapt more online programs and learning tools for students that do not have the opportunity to physically attend schools. According to Afifa Jabeen Quraishi, a writer for Arab News, there are already two online universities that are fully up and running nation-wide. The students and instructors, however, are not quite content with them. Ms. Afifa addresses the instructors concerns that the students feel like they are not getting enough personal attention through online learning programs as opposed to in classroom.

“ What is not understood is that technology has advanced to such a degree that if conducted properly, the students get even more individual attention by the instructor through audio visual channels now available on the market. Studies have shown that student performance and retention tend to exceed face-to-face meetings held in brick and mortar facilities.”

Similar to the Native American heritage, Saudi Arabia is built on oral communication rather than written communication, and they are very skeptical about e-learning programs. There needs to be an actual tutorial on how to use these online programs in order to spark the interests of future applicants and allow them to see the benefits of it. Additionally, they need a student board or council in order to advocate the students’ needs and concerns. There are positive aspects of the e-learning programs, the article acknowledges the review of one student that had stated:

“ ‘I enrolled because the availability of study material is such that the students can sit and study the lessons at any time appropriate for them. Navigation of the online student portal is easy and intuitive. Once you login on the website, you get access to all relevant videos and reading material as well as links to the live sessions and online forums,’ said Huda B., 23, a working woman in Jeddah. She said she particularly finds live sessions useful for learning Qur’anic Tajweed where the teacher, often separated by miles and time zones, listens to her recitation in the virtual classroom and corrects it.”

Although this article dominantly discusses full on e-learning programs there are certain online aspects that could be added to regular universities.

“ ‘Some of the issues that we face include: technology phobia, user training, technology support, right technology selection, and technology integration,’ said Hamzeh M.I. Al-Rjoub, ICT and Educational Technology senior consultant at King Saud University, Riyadh. “

Blackboard and other online tools to help students access documents and grades from their teachers have recently been implemented in one university in Saudi Arabia, however they are far behind to having the same utensils that students in America take for granted. In order for all the students to adapt to that kind of luxury, universities across Saudi Arabia needs to apply it or similar programs. To register for classes, make appointments with teachers, view available classes, and receive grades or transcripts; students in the universities need to fill out a form and be at that university in the flesh. Although it seems trivial to address issues that seem small, they are actually very time consuming. Even if they put these systems into play, students and teachers need to have tutorials on how to utilize them, because it is vital to create a productive and useful system. 

These e-learning advancements have so much potential with allowing students to obtain an “American degree”, which have in the past seemed far-fetched for most of them. This American degree will allow them to pursue opportunities or practice their skills worldwide. However, in order for it all to be successful the students and teachers need to become more tech savvy. Being able to implant a thriving system might help the younger generation not only earn their degree, but also be able to use online tools for their own benefit. It will allow them to become more aware of the world around them; accessing them to articles and blogs with different political views and standpoints, giving them the opportunity to develop their own opinions about taboo subjects in their country and help them form their own opinions about their stances on subjects that were once unthinkable. Although Saudi Arabia seems to be moving backwards to most, they are taking small steps forward and online programs is a jump in the right direction.