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Arab Spring, Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia, and Women in the Arab Spring
I am participating in a course that teaches how to edit on Wikipedia. I also really love chocolate chip cookies.

An accreditation to the Arab Spring's effect on women is the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to an Islamic woman, who was an active protestor against the government in the Arab Spring.

As of September 26th, 2017, the Saudi Arabian government is allowing women to drive, effective June 2018.

Sources for Article
"Across the Arab world, a 'Woman's Spring' comes into view"

"Tunisia's Fragile Post-Revolutionary Order"

"Women's Rights Movement during Political Transitions: Activism against Public Sexual Violence in Egypt"

"Bahrain's Arrested Revolution"

"Fears of the Arab Spring becoming an 'Islamist Spring'"

"Women's Rights Movements in the 'Arab Spring': Major Victories or Failures for Human Rights?"

"Women in the Second Egyptian Parliament Post the Arab Spring: Do they think they stand a chance?"

"Tunisia: In the New Tunisia, Are There Women's Rights?"

"Women reshape the political landscape; Keeping the revolution alive, female activists play an invaluable role in effecting change in the country that gave rise to Arab Spring"

"We Cannot Fail The Women Of Arab Spring"

"The Next Arab Spring? Women’s Rights"

"Bahraini Women in the 21st Century: Disputed Legacy of the Unfinished Revolution"

"Arab Spring: Uprisings, Powers, Interventions. Critical Interventions"

"Saudi Arabia: Rolling Back the Arab Spring"

"Bahrain: Why Arab Springs Falter - Bahrain"

"Beyond the Arab Spring"

"Saudi Arabia: Post-Arab Spring, Survey Shows Arab Youth Still Want Change"

"Women from all nations expected at Olympics: 3 Muslim countries set to field female athletes, including Saudi Arabia"

"Saudi Monarch Grants Women Right to Vote"

"Gendering the Arab Spring? Rights and (in)security Tunisian, Egyptian, and Libyan women"

Annotated Bibliography for work on "Women in the Arab Spring"
'''Armstrong, Sally. “A Year Later, Still Dreaming of Change.” Maclean’s, vol. 125, no. 7, 2 Feb. 2012, pp. 30-31'''

In Sally Armstrong’s, “A Year Later, Still Dreaming of Change”, the author describes the Egyptian protest as one that achieved the impossible and led to the overthrowing of the Egyptian president. However, she goes on to say that the peace accomplished by this act will not last for much longer, due to the uneasiness the people have towards the military-led government. She describes the new movement that is taking place, called, “No to Military Trials”, which is hoping to arrest the men in the military who sexually harassed and arrested women illegally during the protests. One woman pressed charges against the army and won her case in public court, and is now looking to pursue the case in military court. Armstrong describes the country as torn about what is to happen next, whether or not the election for a new government should be moved up, or whether or not the military will actually leave. Sally Armstrong is a journalist, human-rights activist, and a filmmaker. She was the UNICEF ambassador to Afghanistan and has won several awards for her articles over women and girl’s rights in the Middle East. In this article, she uses interviews and personal analysis of what was happening in Egypt at this crucial point after the revolution. This article will help me to understand the way women in Egypt were treated both during the revolution, and in the time period directly following. This is crucial to my research, as it shows the advancements that women are making in getting equal rights.

''' Eltahawy, Mona. “Why Do They Hate Us?” Foreign Policy, no. 193, 2012, pp. 1–9.'''

In Mona Eltahawy’s, “Why Do They Hate Us?”, she states that the problem with women’s rights in the Middle East is the men in government hate women, and until that problem is addressed, women will not get the treatment they deserve. She goes on to say that problems such as genital mutilation, virginity tests, and legalized rape and abuse are proof that the Middle East patriarchy hates women. Eltahawy uses proof such as all of the countries in the Middle East ranking in the very bottom of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, which has Saudi Arabia and Yemen ranking as the absolute worst, where young girls are still being forced into child marriages, and Saudi Arabian women are “permanent minors”. She uses other examples, such as in Egypt and Morocco, where women are sexually harassed in public, and in Saudi Arabia, where many girls died in a fire at school, because public officials wouldn’t let them leave without dressing properly first. Mona Eltahawy is an award-winning columnist and international public speaker. The evidence that she uses in the article is based off of personal experience and statistics that she has analyzed to come up with this conclusion. This article will help further my research, as it discusses a theory of why women’s rights in the Middle East have been slow to change, even after the Arab Spring.

Sutherlin, John W. “Middle East Turmoil and Human Rights: How Will the ‘New’ Regimes Expand Civil Liberties.” Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, vol. 11, no. 1, Jan. 2012, pp. 75–87., doi:10.1163/156914912x620743

In John Sutherlin’s “Middle East Turmoil and Human Rights: How Will the ‘New’ Regimes Expand Civil Liberties”, Sutherlin analyzes the reasons and explanations the new governments in the Middle East are using in order to restrict women’s rights. He says that one of the obstacles facing women is the requirement of a hijab, which most women don’t want to wear, even if they have “the right to wear it”. The opposition to women’s rights are even claiming that there are questions about whether or not women even want these rights in the first place. Sutherlin then goes on to say the none of the MENA countries have women’s rights in their top five important issues to work on, and that the need for a legitimate government is dire. He believes that religious reform would be able to help push along other reforms, and that the leaders of these countries need to stop relying on personal intuitions, and start following the institutions that are put into place. John Sutherlin is a PhD in Middle East politics and a speaker on topics such as International Politics and Middle East politics. The evidence he uses in this article is based on information found through analysis and observation. This article will help me expand my research by exposing new questions and showing different perspectives on the aftermath of the Arab Spring.

'''Francois-Cerrah, Myriam, and Noreen Sadik. “Has the Arab Spring Failed?” New Internationlist, no. 466, Oct. 2013, pp. 30–32'''

In the article, “Has the Arab Spring Failed”, Myriam Francois-Cerrah and Noreen Sadik debate over whether or not the Arab Spring has accomplished what it was intended for. Francois-Cerrah claims that no, the Arab Spring did not achieve its goals, saying that it didn’t even accomplish the goal of turning all of the states of MENA into democratic institutions. Sadik counters by saying that she defines the Arab Spring by what is going to happen, and the “eventual outcome”. She goes on to say that lots of small victories have been won, and that people are still fighting and protesting for success. Francois-Cerrah disputes this claim by saying that history is full of events where oppressed groups took one step forward and then were pushed two steps back. Most of the countries that went through revolutions are still very unstable, with several countries regressing to where they were before. Francois-Cerrah says is the reason change is far off is due to the problem being systemic and a culture change would need to occur in order to see true results. Myriam Francois-Cerrah is a writer and academic with a focus in the Middle East. She is a post-graduate researcher, focusing in Islamic movement. Noreen Sadik is a freelance journalist and writer. This article will help me with my research as it shows the debate behind whether or not any true progress has arrived.

'''Johansson-Nogues, Elisabeth (October 2013). "Gendering the Arab Spring? Rights and (in)security of Tunisian, Egyptian and Libyan women". Security Dialogue. 44: 393–409 – via EBSCO'''.

In Elisabeth Johansson-Nogues, “Gendering the Arab Spring? Rights and (in)security of Tunisian, Egyptian and Libyan Women”, the author talks about how during the Arab Spring, women contributed their time, resources, and abilities to help start the revolution, yet they are not seeing the benefits of the changes in the area. Johansson-Nogues describes the trials that these women went through in the post-revolution era as “systemic targeting by security forces who attempted to break the women’s spirit through attacks on their honor and bodily integrity”. Although women were very active in the protests, they haven’t been able to have much input in the new governments. She goes on to say that women in these countries are having trouble holding on to their rights and are seeing increased attacks against them. Elisabeth Johansson-Nogues is an Associate Professor at the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals and holds a PhD in International Relations. The evidence used in this article includes statistics and analysis of news and events that have occurred. This article is going to be used to further support my research and show evidence of what has happened in this post-revolution era.

Farouk, Menna A. “Egypt's Women Find Their Voice against Sexual Harassment.” Deutsche Welle, 28 Dec. 2016.

In this article, Farouk reports that women in Egypt are standing up for themselves against the sexual harassment that they are encountering, and are battling their attackers ever since sexual harassment became a crime in 2014. Human rights groups are reporting that they are seeing more cases reported and more harassers jailed. Farouk also reports that groups are trying to raise awareness over sexual harassment, and says that some women are looking into alternative ways to protect themselves. These ways include electrical rods and pepper spray. Social media is also becoming a popular way to report the harassing. The author interviewed a woman who took legal action, and she disclosed that while it didn’t take long to get a lawyer for her case, the legal proceedings were could take over a year to get through. Menna Farouk is an Egyptian journalist who has been reporting the social, political, and cultural issues in Egypt. She has covered multiple stories over the revolution and different types of reform in Egypt. This article will help me with my research by showing how the revolution has helped reform Egypt.

'''Hubbard, Ben (2017-09-26). "Saudi Arabia Agrees to Let Women Drive". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-19.'''

In this New York Times article, Ben Hubbard, a journalist who is also a Middle East correspondent who has covered over a dozen countries, relays in this article how Saudi Arabian women receive the right to drive. This change will go into effect in June of 2018. He reports that Saudi leaders hope the new policy will help increase the number of women in the workforce, which in turn should help the economy. Hubbard goes on to include an interview from a woman who was arrested while driving, who says that Saudi women have been waiting a long time for this right. Different laws throughout Saudi Arabia that prevented women from driving were based on Sharia law and several officials have given different explanations, with one explanation claiming that driving hurt women’s ovaries (no evidence of this was found). Western countries are calling it a “step in the right direction”, and praising the decision. Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi ambassador, said that women wouldn’t have to ask for permission from their male guardians in order obtain driver’s licenses. Hubbard reports that this is a change in direction from the guardian laws. He also reports that there is concern over whether the conservative Saudis will take this change well, but when the decree was announced there was very little protest. This article will help with my research as it is a good example of something positive that is happening in the Middle East after the Arab Spring.

'''Hubbard, Ben (2015-12-13). "In Milestone, Saudis Elect First Women to Councils". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-19.'''

In this article, Ben Hubbard reports on the elections that allowed Saudi women to vote and run for office for the first time, and saw the election of over a dozen women to different councils. Although these women will account for less than 1 percent of the total council members, the participation for women to vote was seen as a social shift in a country that does not give women very many rights. Hubbard reports that attitudes are shifting due to the youth’s connection with the outside world due to the use of social media. He also states that the monarchy has also appointed women to councils within the king’s advisory council, but that the country has never had a female minister. This article will help further my research in showing a result of the Arab Spring, and how a country worked to give women more rights.

'''Stancati, Margherita (September 26, 2016). "Saudi Women Ask King to Bring an End to Male Guardianship". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 18, 2017'''

In this article, Stancati reports on event that saw hundreds of people in Saudi Arabia send telegrams to the king, asking for an end to the male-guardianship system. This issue is still prevalent in agenda of the United Nations, even though Saudi Arabia has said that it would abolish the system on two different occasions. Stancati also describes that the reasoning behind the system not being abolished can be summed up by on of Saudi Arabia’s most senior clerics who said that repealing the system is “a crime against the religion of Islam…and would pose a threat to Saudi society…” Many activists are hoping that the inclusion of more women working, that Saudi society will be open to this change. Margherita Stancati is reporter at the Wall Street Journal, who specialized in Modern Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford. This article will help me with my research by detailing reforms and demonstrations that are occurring after the Arab Spring.

Plan for "Women in the Arab Spring" article
I plan to add several new pieces of information to the "After the protests" section, and wish to provide rights that women have received in relation to the protests. I am linking a copy of my plan here. If there are any suggestions for things I can add or changes to make, feel free to let me know.

Overview:

This article highlights the role of women during the period of the “Arab Spring”, which was a time of revolution and protests in the Middle East, where change was brought about politically in most countries. It also relates the role of religion and governmental policies which helped to bring about the protests in the first place. This article mentions the countries that were revolutionized in part to the women that came from those areas.

Objectives:

Ø Add to the “After the protests” section of “Women in the Arab Spring” Wikipedia article.

Ø This contribution will add onto a section that is need of an update due to current events.

Plan:

v Separate the article section into the different countries that have seen the most significant change.

v Mention the different legislations passed

v Add in information that has been written within the past 4 years or so

v Expound on the previous facts that are already in this section.

v Sources I plan on using include news articles and academic journals, as there aren’t enough academic journals that are current enough for the changes that are happening. I will try to be careful and stay away from biased news reports.

·     Gendering the Arab Spring? Rights and (in)security Tunisian, Egyptian, and Libyan women”

·     “Beyond the Arab Spring”

·     “The Next Arab Spring? Women’s Rights”

v I will be using an assortment of different sources, as I have to find information on four different countries, all of which had different outcomes.

Countries:

Ø Tunisia:

v Women are participating more in government, but still struggle to be heard in a male-dominated field.

v Gained many rights, such as the ability to obtain a divorce, polygamy banned, and gaining custody of their children.

v Much controversy follows the inclusion of gender specific amendments to Tunisia’s new constitution.

v The status of women is still unclear due to the language that was used in this new amendment.

Ø Libya:

v Women fled Libya in order to escape the rape and murder that they were experiencing from their own people and from the rebels who controlled the region.

v Still experiencing political instability.

v Elections are in low attendance due to the violence that occurs at polling places.

v Until an official government is in place, the outlook on women’s rights looks bleak.

Ø Saudi Arabia

v Women received the right to drive

v Women are more educated than men, but still have to have permission to get a job, and men are often picked over them, despite being more educated.

v Child marriages haven’t seen much improvement, as Saudi Arabia is still ranked in the bottom 10 of countries in the Gender Gap Report

Ø Egypt

v Public sexual harassment that started in the Arab Spring hasn’t changed except for the fact that women can now take their attackers to court and win, even against military officials.

v Egypt is still under military control, waiting for an actual government to be voted in.

v Women fear that if the religious parties take control, they will lose the ground they’ve gained.

Wikipedia Standards:

Ø Facts are appropriately sourced.

Ø All facts are relevant.

Ø Article is neutral and unbiased.

Ø The information is from neutral sources.

Ø As this is an article concerning gender issues, the POV for women is represented to a greater extent than the POV for their male counterparts.

Ø The links for the sources work and connect to the appropriate articles.

Ø The information that is currently in this article is not outdated, however, there is no up-to-date information from the past four years, which is due to the article not being updated since 2013.

The substance of my contribution will be updating the current article, in order to make sure that it will be informative on the progress that is still being made in the region of the world. This topic is one that I believe to be of great importance, as the women in the Middle East are still being oppressed, regardless of the work that they put in during the Arab Spring.

Draft for Contribution
In Tunisia, there has been an increase in women who are participating in government, with women securing 61 of the 217 seats in the Tunisian Constituent Assembly in the 2012 elections. They have also gained many rights, such as the ability to obtain a divorce and gain custody of their children, and polygamy was also outlawed in the area. However, in Tunisia’s new constitution, there is much controversy about the inclusion of gender specific amendments. In relation to the ambiguity of the language, the status of women is still unclear. Women are being publicly harassed for the way they dress. In one case, "...a young woman was raped by police officers and, when she took the officers to trial, was in turn charged by the justice system for public indecency...". The government of Tunisia has yet to make a law for protecting women against this type of violence

As of 2013, Egypt had also seen some increase in the number of women who were in a seat of government, with 12 of the 498 seats in the Egyptian People's Assembly being occupied by women. This Assembly has since been disbanded and replaced with the Constituent Assembly. The new Assembly saw 6 seats out of the 100 go to women, all of whom walked out before the new constitution could be finished, which lead many Egyptian and United Nations legal experts to believe that the Constitution "did not prevent discrimination against women or safeguard the limited women's rights inherent in the PSL (Personal Status Law)". The public sexual harassment epidemic is starting to slow down, as sexual harassment became a crime punishable with jail sentences and fines in 2014. Human rights groups are reporting that more women are reporting the crime and more men are being jailed for harassing.

In 2012, the General National Congress of Libya saw women obtain 33 of the 200 seats. However, there is controversy concerning whether or not women and men can mix in a public setting. Violence against women has also seen an increase, as the number of women who are being intimidated and threatened with sexual harassment, virginity tests, and incarceration is rising. These are usually the women who are trying to be politically active, and who are also struggling to vote, as they are being chased out of polling stations to prevent the intermixing of men and women. So far, the government does not appear to by trying to help stop this violence.

Women in Saudi Arabia now have the right to vote and the right to drive. In 2015, the first year women were allowed to vote, the Saudi Arabian government had elected multiple women to different councils, with King Abdullah adding 30 women to the Shura Council, which is a group of advisors. The issue of the male guardianship system is still prevalent, even though Saudi Arabia has told the UN twice that it would abolish the system. One of Saudi Arabia's most senior clerics has said that repealing the system would "pose an existential threat to Saudi society... and is a crime against the religion of Islam". Many activists hope that with the inclusion of more women in the workforce, Saudi society will be more open to this change.