Masculinity and Femininity: the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

by Ebraheem S. Mofti University of Kentucky

General goal: I want to inform my audience
Specific goal: I would like the audience to understand that what has been said in the media about
the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia is not correct.
Artifact: American Dad Stan of Arabia.
Thesis statement: Too many journalists have addressed these problems as if they apply all over
the country, but most of them do not. Thus, I want to clarify what has been misunderstood about
the womens rights in the Eastern Province by some journalists, and addressed these aspects to
the western people of Saudi Arabia or people all around the world.
Introduction
I.

Attention getter: As known women in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia they do not
have the right to work, drive or make any decision. Their lives are awful and they never get
to enjoy it because they are always controlled by their men. Sometimes they do not even get
to go out from the house if there is no man to go with them.

II. Listener relevance: There is noway for people, who come from western culture, to accept or
consider living in such a culture as an option specially after the revolution about women
rights all over the western countries. Can you imagine how terrible that is?, Can you imagine
living in such a place?.There is noway for people how come from western culture to accept
that or consider living in such a culture as an option specially after the revolution about
women rights all over the western countries but in the same time can you believe that is
true?.
III. Speaker credibility: These assumptions are not totally wrong, but after researching in the
Eastern Province culture, I found out that these are made of some mistranslating of some
cultural aspects. I have heard a lot about how bad it is for women to live in this place until I
had to move there, and see how hard it is for them to be in this place. I was raised in a
culture where women are the ones in control of everything in the house or among the family,
and I could not imagine who different it is going to be living in a place where women do not
have any rights. Soon I realized that all of these are wrong interpretations of the rules for this
specific culture.
IV. Thesis statement: Too many journalists have addressed these problems as if they apply all
over the country, but most of them do not. Thus, I want to clarify what has been
misunderstood about the womens rights in the Eastern Province by some orientalist, people
who have studied eastern countries cultures, and addressed these aspects to the western
people of Saudi Arabia or people around the world.

Body
V.

How media has illustrated that women can not do what they want unless they have a
permission from their husband or fathers and that they totally controlled by men.
Listener relevance link: understanding that women are free to do whatever they want, and
what applies for men it applies for women too.
A. Media has given a picture of women there as if they were totally controlled by men.
Some media sources has illustrated that women can not even go from there houses unless
they are accompanied by a man. Some media source has accused that men have tracking
system for their women. Also, the man is the one who has the final say for everything is
unfair, and it should not be like this. Everyone is responsible for his or her tasks. Even
though this is the case there is no problem that the man or the women can help the other.
1. Men do not have the right to tell women what to do or not to do, and if a man does
that to his wife or one office daughters the government will stop him.
2. If the man has the final say that means if there is a problem in the house the family
should refer to the father, and that does not mean the mother is not allowed to make a
decision.
3. One of the most sources many people misunderstand is the Islamic rules which
always motivates the role of women in the society.
B. Women get to do what they want to do and whenever they want to do.
1. Women chose what to wear, and not everyone wear Abaya because not every woman
want to, and it is not part of the religion.
2. Women have the right to work if they want unlike what has been said in the media
that men can refuse to reject women when they want to work.
3. Any woman has the right to go to school or to stay in the house and her father or
husband is responsible for taking care of her.

VI. There has been a lot of claims and argues that women there do no have their rights as
women, and some media usually accuse that women do not weir what they want, women do
not have equal jobs opportunities.
Listener relevance link: As we receive some information about womens rights in the
kingdom and with all of the evidences they have shown most of these information are wrong.
A. Women can not drive this is a fact; however, it is not because men want women to be out
of the house or because men are in control as the media has said, but It is because of
some traditions.

1. Even if women can not drive that means they can not get what they want or go
wherever they want to go because all the males in the family are responsible for
taking care of the women.
2. If no one of the males in the family is able to take care of the laddies the father or the
husband is responsible for getting a driver for her, which usually is the case in the
eastern province most families have drivers.
B. Some people says that women in the Eastern province do not work and they do not have
any chances because they are not educated. Also, some other journalists say it is because
of the islamic rules.
1. Schools in general are separated, so there is as many chances for males as for
females, and sometimes more because the number of female students.
2. Government departments also have the same case in addition to hospitals which is
knowing to be full of female workers.
Conclusion
I.

Restatement of the thesis: All in all, the media has related some old traditions and cases and
assumed that womens right are not important in the Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia.

II. Main point review: Women are not controlled by men in the Eastern Province of Saudi
Arabia, and the get to chose and do what they want. Also, Womens rights are so important
for the Eastern Province people and the government of the Eastern Province
III. Clincher: When we hear any information we should be aware of where it came from, and we
should question and know more about the information before we say it, I hope I gave you a
better understanding of the women situation in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

References
American Dad! [Motion picture]. (2005). Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.