Saudi Gazette report Last Ramadan, a middle-aged woman stabbed her husband to death, a crime that sent shockwaves throughout her native Jazan. In a more gruesome incident, a woman burned her husband to death and, most recently, a woman was beheaded for killing her stepdaughter. Stories about women committing murder have become regular fixtures on the front pages of Saudi newspapers. Once almost unheard of, the number of women killers is on the rise. Al-Riyadh daily spoke to several experts to find out what is causing an increasing number of women to commit such gruesome acts. Social factors Dr. Nasser Al-Zahrani, assistant professor of sociology at Makkah's Umm Al-Qura University, believes that the social factors have to be taken into consideration when analyzing the motives of someone who commits murder. “The percentage of crimes committed by men continues to be higher but the fact that women's crimes are increasing is alarming. Perhaps openness to other societies can explain the reason behind the frequent crimes perpetrated by women. In the past, these crimes rarely happened,” Al-Zahrani said. According to Al-Zahrani, Saudi society treats women as if they have to obey men and never revolt against their hegemony. The idea that women should bear ill-treatment by men under all circumstances has been instilled in the minds of many people. “As women become more aware of their rights and are exposed to other cultures where women rise and challenge patriarchal rules, they have started to demand their due rights. When they fail, however, many turn to violence. It is their way of saying ‘we no longer want to succumb to the wishes of men',” he added. Badar Al-Dubian, a criminal law researcher, took a different stance and said illicit relationships were to blame for the increase in female killers. “Studies have shown that most women commit crimes without an outwardly violent approach. So, they will poison food, set a home on fire and make it look like an accident or conspire with another man to commit the crime. Very often the motives are traced back to revenge,” he said. He, however, said the Islamic law does not differentiate between men and women when it comes to punishment for murder. Ahmad Al-Malki, a legal consultant and lawyer, said the courts in the country protect women's identity and treat women's cases with high confidentiality. Only the parties involved in a dispute or crime and those who are related to the women involved are allowed to be present in the courtroom when the hearings take place. Psychological pressure Dr. Hatim Al-Ghamdi, a consultant psychologist, said women usually kill when they are under immense psychological pressure. “If we study the cases of women who committed crimes this year and the one before, we will find that most experienced immense psychological pressure. Killers, male and female, need to be rehabilitated,” he said.
