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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

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Original poster

I'm worried about the female Saudi Olympians

29 replies

msrisotto · 09/08/2012 19:22

Should I be?

Do you think they'll return to SA? Do you think they'd be safe? So many disagreed with them competing....

OP posts:
LRDtheFeministDragon · 09/08/2012 20:52

Well, one of them (Sarah Attar) doesn't live in SA, she's at university in the US, but has dual citizenship.

The other is a 16-year-old, and I worry for her too. She is very brave. I hope she's safe - but her dad is her coach so at least she certainly has strong male support within the family, and obviously that matters a lot.

AxlRosesLeatherTrousers · 09/08/2012 20:52

I was thinking about this actually after reading the other thread in this topic about them being branded prostitutes. Angry I think they should be offered asylum by the government so they have a choice as to whether they return or not.

StewieGriffinsMom · 09/08/2012 21:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
msrisotto · 09/08/2012 21:15

A few Cambodian (I think?) athletes have gone missing, presumably to avoid returning to their home country, I thought they could do the same. I don't know, she could have returned already.

OP posts:
namechangeguy · 09/08/2012 21:50

They were from Cameroon, not Cambodia.

MNsFavouriteManHater · 09/08/2012 21:53

I have them in my spare room, they are eating me out of house and home

not to worry

on a serious note...I admire them immensely and I hope the backlash they receive is manageable for them, with the undoubtable support they must have

LRDtheFeministDragon · 09/08/2012 21:55

Aw, wouldn't it be nice if that were true. Especially the teenage lass.

I also hope all the other women, who want to play sport and can't, are ok ... it feels pretty awful to think that even if these two women never go back to SA, they're such a tiny (influential) tip of the iceberg.

MNsFavouriteManHater · 09/08/2012 21:57

next time there will be more

and more after that

LRDtheFeministDragon · 09/08/2012 21:59

I hope so.

Good luck to them.

EyeoftheStorm · 09/08/2012 22:00

I stood and cheered Sarah Attar around the track. I made DS and DD stand up with me by asking them to imagine what it would be like to be the first woman from your country to run in the Olympics.

They're 8 and 6 and did it like this Hmm.

But they understood that I thought it was important so that's a start.

zippey · 09/08/2012 22:09

They shouldnt defect, they should go back and promote womens health and exersise and sport in their country. Saudi Arabias policies regarding women are a disgrace.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 09/08/2012 22:16

But do we know if that's possible?

I know Attar isn't in question as she doesn't live there ... and actually, it might be more possible for her given that - but surely neither of them would be allowed to promote sport, would they?

It is horribly sad. Sorry, I am being a pessimist.

MNsFavouriteManHater · 09/08/2012 22:25

that is rather naive, zippey

promote how ?

they wouldn't be given air time

grimbletart · 10/08/2012 18:50

It is right that everyone should cheer women like Attar but I really think we have to be aware of the sole reason that she was allowed to compete. Don't for one moment believe that this is any progressive move on the part of Saudi Arabia.

sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--saudi-arabia-media-ignore-historic-olympic-games-of-women-athletes-sarah-attar-and-wojdan-shaherkani.html

Extract:"They allowed them to compete for only one reason," Al-Maeena said. "If you don't send women then in the future your country will not be allowed to participate [in the Olympics]. It was a wonderful thing to see the girls participate and it made many people proud, but there was also a motive for it."

And there we have it.

HandMadeTail · 10/08/2012 18:55

Eye that has made me cry!

Hooray for the Saudi women!

NapaCab · 10/08/2012 19:03

It's such a sick society to take a hateful approach like that when these women are trying to represent their country. And the fact that they had to walk behind the male athletes in the opening ceremony! It's obscene.

I do think the IOC should just ban Saudi Arabia from competing until they treat their female athletes with more respect and allow them to compete on an level playing field, so to speak.

Every country has its cultural norms but South Africa was boycotted worldwide for its apartheid policy. Saudi Arabia basically has gender-based apartheid and the international community does nothing because it's 'cultural' and 'religious'. This is why it's so hard for feminism to advance when rank misogyny is excused for cultural reasons.

rosabud · 11/08/2012 01:56

Can you imagine if there was a country in the world where men were not allowed to drive? Or play sport? Or leave their houses without being accompanied by a female relative? It's inconceivable. Imagine the outcry, the daily news reports, the pressure from other nations until the situation was resolved. The fact that this happens somehere in the world, without such an outcry, highlights the real attitudes to women throughout the whole world - that equality for women is something "allowed" to happen in some countries to varying degrees by men, which is very nice of them, but is certainly not the normal state of affairs. But try and explain this to the vast majority of people and you are, of course, an over-the-top idiot from the chattering classes.

TheDoctrineOfEnnis · 11/08/2012 08:58

Well put, rosa

zippey · 11/08/2012 21:18

Great post Rosa.

Its great that the IOC threatened to ban Saudi Arabia if didnt change their policies.

MNsFavouriteManHater - If the women athletes were to defect, it would set back other women atheletes who may compete in the future. The Saudi government would think twice about allowing women to enter competition in the future.

If everyone was to think like you then we would never have had the Suffragettes or the Black Power movement!

LastMangoInParis · 11/08/2012 22:04

How many SA women Olympians do actually live there, though?
I don't ask this to belittle the OP - far from it. I have the impression that SA Olympians are able to compete because they have lived elsewhere and won't have to go back there. (I hope I'm wrong about this, though.)

LRDtheFeministDragon · 11/08/2012 22:11

One - Sarah Attar doesn't; the other woman does (or did).

There are only two of them, though the whole team is not large.

meditrina · 11/08/2012 22:15

The high profile Olympians will be OK.

It's those who might otherwise have achieved sporting success, but cannot get the opportunity who are in the hard position. And we shall never know who they are.

LastMangoInParis · 11/08/2012 22:16

Thanks LRD. And OMG. The showjumper who never made it there was only in the running because she was able to train elsewhere ('enlightened father', apparently).
Just hoping that a 'positive' of this will be the highlighting of the surreally dreadful injustice and waste caused by absence of basic women's rights in SA. (And the British press have chosen to focus on volleyball players arses - WTF?)

LRDtheFeministDragon · 11/08/2012 22:17

Yes, exactly med. Sad

Mind you, I think it's probably 'ok' for a very specific, limited value of 'ok'.

If that sixteen-year-old goes back to SA, she is going back to a country that explicitly believes she has prostituted herself and her father has encouraged her to do this. Even if she doesn't go back, she knows that's what people think. That's a huge thing. I think she is immensely brave.

LastMangoInParis · 11/08/2012 22:17

Exactly, meditrina. It's so fucking sad and anger provoking.