Today I nominate two Saudi women, who are sisters. They are known as Donia and Wa'ad (Hanan) Bakr Yunis . Why do I nominate them? Because they are two Saudi women on the different end of the spectrum and are leading successful lives. One is a media presenter and the other is a singer.
Donia "has been working as a media reporter for more than 30 years. She is known for her TV morning show in which children love her so much they call her Mama Donia. She has also grown more successful in the recent years after her work for MBC FM, and is now developing a new show on Al-Waha, in the United Arab Emirates. She also is respected for her in-depth interviews of leading Arab women."
Wa'ad, "born Hanan Bakr Yonis, is an immensely popular pop singer with several hit singles, including her most recent, song, Ala Meen. She appeared on the wildly popular Star Academy, the Arab version of a televised talent show also called in some conservative circles as Satan's Academy. She s twice divorced from her Lebanese husbands."
I am not here to criticize what these women are doing, but rather to say that I am pleased to hear of these two women. They have had the freedom to do what they want with their lives. The two of them are making a difference in their own ways. Wa'ad, the singer, has broken the conception of what a Saudi women is supposed to be like. She must have had a harder struggle than her elder sister. Sometimes society and the world have certain perceptions of what people from a certain country should look like. Society wants to dictate what men and women should look like. I can imagine the furor from the people when they see someone like Wa'ad. I don't know these two women very well, so I cannot speak for them, but I admire them for doing what they did with their lives, moreso Wa'ad who has had to face severe criticism from people around her who have labelled her as a "rebel," "disgrace" and a "show off." Having said that, there are those who say that "she still has class and (is) great."
Mansur
7 comments:
Nice post.
I really like Wa'ad's songs, especially her last one "Ala Meen", so it was nice reading this.
I did not even realize that there was someone like Wa'ad. The last Saudi singer I had heard of was the winner from Star Academy, who was in the news here because he was detained by the mutawa in Riyadh.
Shame on you!!!!!
SHAME SHAME SHAME
Q8ibloger, Shame on whom? Are you upset by this article? Nothing wrong with it, these are facts which are openly published in the newspaper aswell. So nothing wrong with writing about it. Besides everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. I don't take a keen interest in music and singers, but I don't get upset by reading about them, to me, it's just like any other insignificant piece of news. Khalas!
If you had noticed, I had mentioned two women. Yes, I did focus a little bit more on the singer, but I also meant to say that her elder sister is also someone worth mentioning. These two sisters were mentioned in the local newspaper here. It's not something I decided to write about randomly.
I think the bigger question raised here is whether women are free to do what they want or do they have to do what society wants them to do? I was basically quoting what the newspaper was saying about them. Apparently the topic has been a hot one within the Arab forums.
I did not realize that the singer's brother was the one who abused Rania Al-Baz. Thanks for the info. I am glad you mentioned the other women who are making a difference, but to be honest with you, I have not heard about them. Maybe I need to do more research.
Mansur....
ps I hope the Shame Shame Shame was not directed at me. :)
I do agree with some of the other posters here that the real heroines in the Arab world are those whose work goes largely unnoticed: teachers, doctors, businesswomen.
It does annoy me when singers and say, women who have taken off their hijaab are held up as women who have 'progressed.'
Progressed according to whose standards?
Every time you do a survey of women in Arab/Muslim countries on what they want to be able to do, what rights they want - things like being able to sing, are like so low down the list - if even mentioned at all.
I think progress these days is measured by the standard of the dominant world-culture: the western culture.
What would be great is if we could meld together the true progress of the West(and there is a lot of it) with the traditional decent values of the East.
Thats my opinion anyway :)
I agree with you Kashif. I did not want to advertise my nomination of the singer as the ideal Arab women. As Hibbalicious pointed out, there are other heroines here in the Arab World who are not given the publicity and attention that should be showered upon them.
Like I said before, I am not very familiar with the unsung heros and heroines of the Arab World, and only get to hear about the more prominent ones.
I like your idea of the fusion of progress melding ideas from the West and the East.
Mansur
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