November 5, 2004

PRINCESS SARA AL-FAYSAL IS AN EXAMPLE TO BE FOLLOWED OF THE ENLIGHTENED SAUDI WOMAN: WOMEN ARE HALF THE SOCIETY AND NO SOCIETY CAN PROGRESS WITHOUT THE PARTICIPATION OF ALL ITS MEMBERS. Princess Sara represents the Saudi Arab Muslim in her personality, humanity and pride. She is the person who lets you feel immediately that she embodies all the qualities that distinguish the mature intelligent woman who is deeply rooted, broadminded, very religious and highly concerned with her environment and society. She is always interested in keeping up with the modern age developments in education, science and technology, without forgetting her heritage with its traditions, history and principles. The more one approaches Princess Sara Al-Faysal, the more one feels that he discovers what she has of wisdom, knowledge and intelligence. I was fortunate to meet with her several times and to plunge more deeply into her world and thought, and every time I leave with the impression that I have a clearer view of this world and a strong desire to meet other women of her caliber so that I may acquire from them what I have acquired from her. Princess Sara has a distinguished and effective role in the process of development and growth in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For example, she has established the women's charitable Nahda Society. Over the last forty years, under her management, this society has continued to contribute its services and donations to the Saudi people. I started my conversation with her with the following question: "The Nahda Society has existed for over forty years during which it had contributed magnificent services which had a great impact on the life of Saudi women and Saudi families in the Riyadh Emirate. Do you have any plans to establish branches of this society in other Saudi emirates and regions?". The princess answered that she had no future plans to establish branches of the Nahda Society in other Saudi regions because it currently serves the following seven centers in Riyadh: The General Administration The Nahda center for rehabilitation The Nahda center for training and development The Nahda center for the heritage The Nahda center for employment The Nahda center of public health education The Nahda center for social services and I may state that the most important future projects and plans involve the developmental approach and the expansion of the rehabilitation and employment services. The interviewer: In your opinion, what are the obstacles to charitable work in the Kingdom and how satisfied are you with the women's participation in volunteer work? The princess: The Saudi woman has succeeded in starting work in a variety of areas where she succeeded in demonstrating her worthiness and capacity. As for her volunteer work, a woman can choose to participate when she can develop her skills and abilities but there are some obstacles which prevent women from participation, some of which are: The Saudi woman is not well informed about the nature of volunteer work and the means of participating in it, in addition to the deficiency in scientific cadres which are qualified to train the female volunteers. Lack of interest of the Saudi public in volunteer work and in the charitable activities of female societies. Lack of local funding for charitable work. Deficiencies in qualified women capable of supervising the charitable projects. Weak support by both male and female journalists and information specialists. The interviewer: What is the extent of coordination between your society and other Saudi societies and similar societies in the Gulf states and other Arab countries? The princess: There is continuous coordination between all of these societies aiming at exchanging experiences and getting information about the various services and projects offered to the needy sectors of society, and about many of the issues related to social charitable work in general. For example a conference was held recently at the center of the Nahda Society which was attended by the presidents of the charitable women's societies all over the Kingdom in order to discuss the important economic, social and cultural issues related to women through reviewing the most important problems requiring solutions and determining the priorities and means of their treatment. Consequently the following issues were discussed: The poverty problem and its impact on families. The theoretical and practical training of women regarding their rights and duties. Discussion of the solutions related to the problem of the increasing incidents of divorce. Discussion of the regulations regarding alimony and custody and the ways of dealing with the courts. In addition, the society is currently planning to organize the fourth conference of the Gulf Society for the handicapped with the cooperation of the Gulf Cooperation Council Society for the Handicapped under the sponsorship of the charitable institute of Prince Sultan Bin Abdul-Aziz. The purpose of this conference is to explore the achievements and the practical applications related to persons having special needs in order to expand our knowledge in this field and to improve the effectiveness of these applications, and to achieve coordination in this area locally, regionally and internationally. The interviewer: We observe a high degree of cooperation between the Nahda Society over which you preside and various commercial firms and some Saudi factories. How do you evaluate this cooperation and what is its future? The princess: The Nahda society has achieved valuable results in getting some of the factories to participate in the charitable human activities. Ever since its establishment, the society has succeeded in initiating original solutions for the new and changing social needs. For example, the society has succeeded in rehabilitating, training and getting employment for women with special needs who were willing to work partly in order to improve their economic situation and partly to boast their confidence in their capacity to have a stable income. Thus, the Society has originated various prospects aiming at establishing contacts between women desiring to work and the firms or factories which support this cooperation. An example is Laziwardi company for gold and jewelry which has established the first women's factory for gold and jewelry to train willing women to work in this field. The Society has also cooperated with the Saudi Electric company to provide employment in industrial sectors in areas that agree with the nature of women and that are in accord with the laws regarding women's work; we already have thirty women working in the lighting industry (a 100 percent Saudized project). Because of this success, we plan to expand this activity in the future. The Society also cooperated with the Arab company for producing medical supplies to provide employment for qualified seamstresses to work in knitting medical cloth fabrics. Twenty five women are already working in this area (100% Saudization). Also we have cooperated with a factory that makes blankets and pillows. This led to the training of women in this field and to the opening of a special branch for women. The interviewer: Your represent in the Kingdom in particular, and in the Gulf in general, the image of the woman who participates in playing an effective role that dignifies the Arab woman. How do your look at the future role of women in the Kingdom and in the Arab region? The princess: The woman plays and important role in both the Kingdom and in the Arab region. She is half the society and no society can succeed in achieving its goals, social, economic or national without the participation of all its members. In the Kingdom, women have been successfully participating in the process of social, economic and cultural development. The interviewer: There is good deal of a controversy regarding the nature of the change in the way of life of the Saudi woman. Some maintain that this is strictly due to internal causes, while others maintain that these changes are imposed by external sources. What do you think? The princess: There is a difference between the issue of change in the way of life of women and the issue of development: Positive change should conform to the teachings of our true religion and to the precise legal restraints in any area of woman's work. Development, on the other hand, is achieved through education and a positive attitude that helps in rendering women's participation more effective an more efficient, and thereby significantly contributing to the growth in the pace of progress in all fields, and particularly in the economic, social, and cultural areas. This positive change has not been imposed from the outside; it is rather due to the policy of our judicious government aiming at keeping up with modern developments in ways that will safeguard the woman's human dignity and her moral character so that she may effectively contribute to the objectives of the state's developmental plans. The interviewer: Very little is known about the actual role of the Saudi woman in the Saudi process of development. Who is to blame for this situation? She or the Arab media of communication? The princess: I believe that the Saudi woman plays an effective and positive role in the development process. Over the years, she has demonstrated her success in many areas, but she is still ignored by the Arab media of communication which should have an important role in publicizing the achievements of women in the developmental process. The interviewer: Do you expect a day to come when the Saudi woman will have for example a place in the municipal councils and in the Shura Council not merely as an observer but as an active member, and an effective role in the political life in general? The princess: The recent changes that have taken place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia my lead to the woman playing new roles if the need arises. For example, the Ministry of Commerce has recently decided to open commercial registers for women in various regions of the Kingdom, a decision that goes along with the government's decision to give women the opportunity to participate effectively in the process of development and growth. The interviewer: What do you think are women's most important priorities at the present? The princess: Women have several aspiration at the present the most important of which, form our point of view as a charitable society, are: Bringing into being bodies that will help women in understanding their rights and taking over their defense before the courts. The establishment consultative offices that deal with all aspects of the women's situation. The study of the rights of women, especially with regard to her rights in divorce, alimony and custody of the children. Establishing women's offices in various public agencies that would facilitate for her processing the legal procedures related to her work. In fact many government agencies have already established offices for women.