The fragrant smell of oud, a view of the beautiful doors of the Prophet's Mosque from her window, and a book on her lap are some of the early memories of Suhaila Zain Al-Abidin. It is these abiding memories that have served as a spur for her later work. Today she is a member of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) and serves on the board and is vice-president of the studies and consultations committee and the scientific committee. The NSHR is an independent body, with no affiliation to any government agency. Its work is governed by declarations and covenants of the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the United Nations and its agencies, as long as it does not violate Islamic law. Growing up in Madina, Zain Al-Abidin was home schooled with her two sisters from elementary level until she was ready to enter university. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Art History from King Saud University in Riyadh and started master's studies in Islamic History at the College of Humanities at Al-Azhar University in Egypt in 1995. “My father created a private school at our house where I studied up to the high school level. My two sisters and I were the only students and we were all at the same level,” she said. “My father was a well-educated sheikh and imam in the Prophet's Mosque. He educated us in the best way possible by giving us lessons in the Qur'an, the Prophet's biography, history and literature.” Zain Al-Abidin resigned from her first job as a public schoolteacher in Madina to take care of her sick, elderly parents, and took on a number of voluntary positions in charitable societies. She contributed to the establishment of schools for a women's charitable group to memorize the Holy Qur'an. She worked there voluntarily for a period of seven years as head of the secretariat. The schools were established by a women's union, a member of the International Union for Muslim Scholars and a member of the Union of Arab Historians in Cairo. “I had to take care of my father which took all of my time which is why I resigned from the Ministry of Education. Unfortunately, my resignation was accepted on the very day my father died. However, I did not ask to have my job back but preferred to be free to write my books,” Zain Al-Abidin said. She has written 20 books on social, intellectual, literary, media, political and historical issues. Some of these texts are being taught at universities today. One of her first books was a two-part study of the progress that women have made in Saudi Arabia. “My book on the role of women in Saudi Arabia is being taught at universities and colleges in the Kingdom, such as the King Abdulaziz University and was printed in three editions because the first two editions sold out,” she said. Zain Al-Abidin has participated in more than 47 conferences and events including the Tunisian AIDS Conference in 2005, the Arab Child Conference in 2005 and the National Dialogue Conference in Makkah in 2003. Zain Al-Abidin has strong views on gender equality. She argues that there is a clear difference between the roles of men in the family and their role in the workplace. In her “personal opinion”, men should be able to accept a situation where they work under the leadership of a woman. In this scenario, there is no conflict or contradiction with them being a husband in a family, Zain Al-Abidin argued. On the same issue, Zain Al-Abidin said that it's a God-given right for qualified women to participate in decision-making as they used to do in the days of the Prophet (peace be upon him) when women used to participate in wars and offer their opinion on a variety of issues. She said that the Shoura Council should have an equal number of male and female members. Zain Al-Abidin has never restricted herself to talking only about women's rights. She has covered different topics in her writing including politics, the challenges of globalization, media in the Muslim World, and world events after 9/11. “I covered many areas in my writing because as a woman writer I feel that many of the issues and problems in the world affect women more than men.” Women often have to suffer the consequences of losing their husbands, sons and brothers in conflict situations around the world. So women have a unique ability to comment and write about these situations, she said. “My book on 9/11 was included in the Arab League's public library by Dr. Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the Arab League, because it discusses aspects of the event that many people should be made aware of,” she said. Zain Al-Abidin's dream is to help straighten out the mistakes about religious discourse which have distorted the image of Islam based on misconceptions of some verses of the Qur'an and the Hadith. She feels that this is a responsibility of the entire Muslim World. According to her, the Qura'nic verse taken by some to justify the beating of women is understood in the wrong way. In Islam, men are not allowed to beat their wives, sisters and daughters. The husband only has the right to abandon his wife in bed, or not to give her attention, if he is angry with her. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated: “Do not beat the slaves of God”. Zain Al-Abidin thinks that there is some progress taking place in Saudi Arabia on human rights. “We are moving on the right path as a result of the acceptance and understanding of human rights, where every member of the family has a right to a good life based on Islamic values,” she said.
