History inspires her to work for a change ASSISTANT Professor in women's history and historian at King Saud University, Dr. Hatoon Al-Fasi is motivated by the contribution of women in history and thinks that their example can help inspire a change in the status of women in Saudi society. This is what has encouraged her to dress in a very traditional manner. The mother of a boy Ajwaad, 5, and a girl Zein Al-Sharaf, 3, Al-Fasi was born in Jeddah in 1964. She now dresses in traditional Hijazi outfits, to remind her of the past and she feels privileged to be part of this history. “Over time my outfit has become part of my personality and I am proud to wear it as a formal outfit everyday at King Saud University and on official occasions. I started to wear it about 27 years ago,” said Al-Fasi. She is interested in ancient and Islamic women, modern women's issues, Islamic rights, gender studies, women's religious rights, history of the Arabian Peninsula and human rights. Al-Fasi spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon. Eventually her family moved to Riyadh, where she studied at King Saud University for both a bachelor's degree and master's degree. “My family lays great emphasis on education and this was the reason for sending me to Lebanon and Egypt.” She said that her father also used to teach his children at home, by having discussions about things that they had learnt at school, saw on television and read in books. “We had a different education at home that made us very proud of our family and of our capabilities,” said Al-Fasi. Al-Fasi completed her PhD in the United Kingdom. But she has not been able to teach since 2001. “I am employed at King Saud University but can't teach. I don't know the reason behind the delay. In the meantime, I am working on historical research, on the status of women before Islam,” she said. “I had several offers from universities including Qatar University to specialize in gender studies. I would be delighted to be part of that university, but I cannot take up the offer until I get approval from King Saud University because I am a faculty member,” she said. Al-Fasi said she never wanted to gain success outside of Saudi Arabia: “I believe that if people want to succeed, they should do so in their own society.” In November 2008, Al-Fasi received a French award and was decorated a Knight in the Order of Academic Palms ‘Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques' that dates back to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808. The award was for her work in academic and cultural institutions for the Center for Middle Eastern Studies in Lyon, France in 2005. According to Al-Fasi, women in Saudi Arabia are facing issues over their status, and these issues are based on local tradition, not Islamic, practices. “Over time we adapted Roman laws that were applied in the period before Islam and inserted into our tradition. What I am focusing on in my research is to encourage a further look at Islamic scripts because Allah honored females in Islam.” Al-Fasi has three published books and written many other articles in Arabic and English. Her last publication was titled: “Women in Pre-Islamic Arabia: Nabatea” and was published in English in 2007. Al-Fasi said that Saudi women have not been appointed to senior government positions, such as ministers, ambassadors and Shoura Council members. “Having Noura Al-Fayez as the first female to take a leading position in the Ministry of Education is a positive step but we need to have greater change by having a number of women take up higher positions.” Al-Fasi was invited during 2005 to the US Congress to provide testimony on the status of Saudi women during a session on reforms taking place in the Arab World. “Saudi Arabia was part of a session organized by the foreign affairs committee in the Congress to talk about the status of women in different countries. The invitation was unofficial and I presented a positive image of the Kingdom because I knew that whatever I said would be added to the Library of Congress,” she said. Writing three books has not prevented Al-Fasi from raising her two children in her own way. “Having a career should not stop women from being good mothers. They should focus on their health by breastfeeding and educating their children properly. One of the obstacles that we face is the shortage of public services that can help every working mother, such as eight-hour daycare facilities in every organization. This will create jobs for unemployed Saudi graduates,” she said. Al-Fasi said that she has only achieved half of what she has set out to do. “My success is represented in my house and my work and I hope to achieve more in the future,” she said.
