Job Discussion Forums

[007]

�Spain's justice minister has refused to deliver a lecture at a university in Saudi Arabia after authorities banned visiting female journalists from attending.

Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar was to deliver a lecture on the globalisation of terrorism at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, the academic heart of Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi Islam.�

The Spanish reporters were prevented from entering despite the fact they were all wearing the traditional black abaya and veil, according to one of the journalists, Esther Bazan, of Spain's SER radio.
Saudi authorities said the university was an all-male institution and women were not allowed.
The Spanish delegation and reporters travelling with them were not informed about the ban until Sunday night, but tried to enter the university anyway on Monday.

A justice ministry spokeswoman in Madrid said: "Yesterday, at the last minute, we were told women couldn't enter the university.�
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/346FB09D-BD84-47F4-99F7-B3B9696C2CFB.htm

[Cleopatra]

[scot47]

I would be happy to offer my services as a consultant. There would be a modest fee of course.

[007]

[Cleopatra]

Hablas espanol?

[veiledsentiments]

Si... pero solomente uno poquito...

VS

[007]

Bienvenidos to Spana!

[veiledsentiments]

Espana... 007... Espana

VS

[007]

Yes, Mama Rica.

[Stephen Jones]

And of course it would never occur to the University authorities arranging the course to inform the speaker that they had rules that were different from those of the rest of the world, and indeed of much of Saudi Arabia.

After all they are male and Saudi.

[Cleopatra]

[Stephen Jones]

It is quite common for the mothers of children in boys schools to come in to speak to the teacher. The teacher is obviously not left alone with the mother, and she will wear an abaya, but it's hardly uncommon.

And when a speaker iform the same university in a conference at Riyadh this year refused to sp-eak until the women were cleared from the room it was considered exceptional and hit the news.

[Cleopatra]

[Stephen Jones]

The incident was a medical conference.

I think, like many other posters here, you have been in Saudi so long you have forgotten how unusual some of its customs are. Female journalists practice everywhere in the world, including Saudi, and in the event of an international symposium, or the visit of a foreign dignatary, it is to be expected that there will be some, and that although they are aware they need to dress and behave in a culturally appropriate fashion, they will expect to be able to do the job for which they were granted a visa in the first place.

The problem could be simply over zealous security guards. When people turned up for interviews at Jubail they would sometimes bring their wives, and on at least one occasion the women were left to stay in the car outside and be stared at by all and sundry. This was however because we didn't know until after; on other occasions we arranged for them to come in.

I think the reason for the difference between schools and tertiary institutions is simply need. It is almost unknown for any relative of a univerisity or college student to come in to enquire about progress, let alone a female one. There are probably occasions of a relative trying to pull wasta but that would be obviously be a male relative.

[Cleopatra]