Magazine
18 April 2012 Last updated at 10:58 GMT
Last week, Princess Basma bint Saud bin Abdulaziz set out five ways she thought Saudi Arabia could change for the better.
She focused on the constitution, divorce laws, education system, social services and the custom of women having a chaperone.There was a huge response from readers to the princess's article. Many cheered her on, but some opposed her ideas. Here are some emails from those who disagree with her.
Don't dilute our values
Basma has raised a few good points which need attention by the local authorities, namely, the constitution and divorce laws.However, some of her remarks are incendiary to the masses living here.
For example, the masses of people love the Prophet Muhammad and take his words and deeds seriously. For us, Islam is a way of life, a way prescribed to us by the divine which is better than all human systems. For somebody to mock the words of the Prophet as "wasting time on learning quotations" is obnoxious. I agree that there should be educational reforms to keep at par with the world; however, that should not be at the expense of watering down our own values and beliefs. We will not allow that to happen. Islam believes in separation of responsibilities of men and women and that ensures a healthy society. When this institution is broken, we see broken families, incoherent societies, old age homes etc as evident in many countries.
With regards to a woman travelling with a chaperone, it is a universal law applicable even today. It is for her safety and protection.
One piece of advice for Basma. Please read and analyse the divine texts without any preconceived biases to be able to come to a right conclusion. You are trying to superimpose Western secular liberalism on Islam and trying to push that as a system here which, in my opinion, is unreasonable.
Hassan Mahfooz, Jeddah
What the princess asked for:
- Constitution that enshrines gender equality
- Make it easier for women to file for divorce
- An overhaul of the education system
- Reform of social services, such as introducing independent women's refuges
- Increase women's freedom of movement by removing necessity for male chaperone
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