2006年VOA标准英语-Saudi Women Seek Greater Rights

By Sonja Pace
Jeddah
31 May 2006

In public, they are clad in black from head to toe, they cannot vote and they cannot drive - that is the state of Saudi Arabia's women. But, on a visit to the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Jeddah, VOA's Sonja Pace found many are becoming more vocal¹ in seeking greater rights and equality.

---------------------------------------------

Football is immensely popular in Saudi Arabia. And sports fan Rezan Baker² often reports on local matches for the English language Arab News - but not from up-close.

"The majority of what I cover is men's sports." said Rezan Baker. "It's a bit difficult here because I don't get to attend matches, I just attend by watching it on TV or interviewing them [the players] by phone."

The reason is that as a woman, Baker cannot attend a match and cannot interview the players in person. But, she likes sports and says she will not let these restrictions³ stand in the way.

Saudi women wait for their driver to pick them up outside a shopping mall in Riyadh  
  
Saudi women face many hurdles⁴. They must wear ankle-length black robes and a headscarf in public, they cannot drive, they are limited in what they can study at the university and they are not allowed to mingle⁵ with men to whom they are not related.

Sociologist⁶ Munira Nahedh of King Saud University in Riyadh says one must not be fooled by the public image of Saudi women.

"We see women clad in black and they don't seem like full human beings when you see them outside in the street because you don't see the face, you don't see expression, you don't see the dignity of the human being," said Munira Nahedh. "But, that is totally a false impression because Saudi women, because of the restrictions and because of this unequal kind of opportunity that they are facing in this society, have become great fighters and they have become great achievers."

"Achiever," is definitely a word that comes to mind when talking with Nahed Taher. She is the CEO and founder⁷ of Gulf⁸ One investment bank. She was among a group of businessmen and women at a recent banking⁹ and investment forum¹⁰ in Jeddah.

Behind her flowing abaya and loosely wrapped headscarf, Taher exudes¹¹ a no-nonsense attitude. She says even in oil-rich Saudi Arabia there is an increasing need for women to contribute to the family income and that she says is a great opportunity for women.

"There is a huge support for women to participate in the economy, but in order to make it a success, it needs to be based on capabilities¹² - not for show-off as a woman, or whatever," said Nahed Taher. "Here we can succeed and achieve, not only for women, but for the whole community. When I hire in Gulf One [Bank], for example, I don't see gender¹³, I don't see nationality, what I see is a brain."

Taher says her message to Saudi women is: study hard, work hard and make change happen.

But, change does not happen easily in this traditional desert kingdom. Sociologist Munira Nahedh would know. She was among a group of Saudi women who in 1990 tried the direct approach - by getting behind the wheel of their cars and driving in public - against strict Saudi custom.

"To us it was a symbolic¹⁴ issue - actually symbolizing¹⁵ a lot of our needs and demands as Saudi women - our needs to change and our demands for a more open and a more equal situation in the society," she said.

The inspiration came from American women soldiers, stationed in the kingdom during the Gulf War, who were allowed by Saudi authorities to drive jeeps and trucks as part of their duties. And, so says Nahedh, she and other Saudi women thought - why not us.

They did not get far - the women drivers were quickly stopped by police. Some lost their jobs, at least for a while, and pressure was put on their families to not let this happen again.

But, says Nahedh, driving is more than a symbolic issue.

"It's a real need," said Nahedh. "There are women in the villages, in the cities, who are having problems because they cannot drive."

Nahedh cites as one example, working women who must spend a good portion of their salaries on hiring a driver.

Among those most opposed to women driving has been the conservative clerical establishment. But Khalil al Khalil, a member of the Consultative Council, says the government is discussing the issue.

"Female driving - it's coming," said Khalil al Khalil. "Whether the mufti, whether the mullahs, whether the imams of mosques¹⁶ like to or not - it is coming and it's coming soon."

There is widespread agreement that Islam does not forbid women to drive, that, instead, it is tradition that stands in the way.

Sociologist Munira Nahedh says change needs to come soon.

"For me personally, I'm talking about a woman who is middle aged¹⁷, who needs to see the change before she dies," she said. "This is too slow for me. I cannot wait another 30 years for things to happen. It cannot happen this way."

Nahedh says the changes needed are not just about women driving, but are fundamental - to give women equal opportunities and an equal stake in the society. She cautions that if Saudi Arabia does not change, its men and women risk being left behind in today's world.

1 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

2 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

5 mingle   

vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往

参考例句：

• If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
• Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。

6 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

7 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

8 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

9 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

10 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

11 exudes   

v.缓慢流出，渗出，分泌出( exude的第三人称单数 )；流露出对（某物）的神态或感情

参考例句：

• The plant exudes a sticky fluid. 这种植物分泌出一种黏液。
• She exudes sexual magnetism. 她洋溢着女性的魅力。

12 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

13 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

14 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

15 symbolizing   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This symbol later evolved into a common hieroglyphic symbolizing victory. 这幕场景后来逐渐演化为象征胜利的普通象形文字。 来自时文部分
• Mooncakes reunion, is symbolizing the Mid-Autumn festival will feed. 月饼象征着团圆，是中秋佳节必食之品。 来自互联网

16 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

17 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。