Saif al-Arab
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Don't be so negative. It is a woman and that kick is better than what most women are capable of. Also have in mind that she is 40 years old.
Why women are taking to YouTube in Saudi Arabia
By Bianca Britton, CNN
Updated 1352 GMT (2152 HKT) April 5, 2017
With nearly half a million subscribers on YouTube, Sajer (pictured below) is part of a media revolution that has seen the Kingdom achieve the highest YouTube watch time per capita of any country in the world, according to analytics agency Tubular Labs.
In a country where movie theaters are illegal and music concerts are seldom permitted, young Saudis are increasingly relying on social media for entertainment.
More women, in particular, are using YouTube to express their views -- their videos have become so popular that consumption of female-related content in the Kingdom increased by 75% since last year, according to Google.
As a result of this surge in Arabic content on YouTube, watch time has increased not only within the Kingdom but throughout the entire Middle East and North Africa region.
Peter Salisbury, associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Chatham House think tank, tells CNN that Saudi Arabia is at a unique juncture where citizens -- particularly the elite -- are pushing the boundaries of socially conservative norms.
And YouTube, it seems, is providing them with the perfect platform.
Saudis on YouTube
Most of the female vloggers CNN spoke to admitted to initially being hesitant about appearing on camera -- some still won't reveal their face.
"At the beginning I was afraid to appear on screen ... it was rare for a Saudi girl to appear on social media platforms and talk about things, (but) with time the fear disappeared, thanks to my family's support," Hessa Al Awad, another influential Saudi vlogger, tells CNN.
In the make-up tutorials Al Awad (above) posts, she sticks to Saudi convention by wearing the niqab. Despite the fact she's never revealed her face, her subscribers continue to grow.
Cooking vlogger, Amal Elmziryahi, who was born in Morocco but is based in Saudi Arabia, also generally refrains from revealing her face.
Hessa Al Awad is a 24-year old Saudi beauty creator based in Damam and an avid fan of Japanese pop culture.
"(I) decided to stick to recording my voice while filming my hands as they did the work," she tells CNN. "I thank god that people liked my channel despite my face not appearing in my videos."
Hatoon Kadi, on the other hand, has become the face of female comedy in the Kingdom with more than 313,000 subscribers.
"I just seized the opportunity, (because) female perspective is lacking," she tells CNN, adding that it was important to her that her video content never offended anyone.
"I will never insult anyone (and) I will never talk about sensitive issues like religion or politics, it's not me. So we just keep to the social issues," she says.
Lifestyle and comedy vlogger Njoud al Shammari, 21, (pictured right) reveals her full identity, and in doing so has exposed herself to criticism for being a woman on YouTube, she says.
"I was attacked by those around me to the degree that my brothers lost some of their friends," she tells CNN.
But clearly there are others who support her posts.
In one year on YouTube, she's attracted more than 890,000 subscribers and Tubular Labs recently listed both her and Sajer among the top five most influential Saudi female YouTubers.
"(YouTube) gives me the power to have a voice, not only to express myself but also express what (other women) need and what they feel (needs) challenging ... in our society," she says.
Saudi Arabia is a 'dynamic society'
The rise of Saudi women on YouTube coincides with the nation's ambitious "Vision 2030" program, which promises a wave of cultural reforms to diversify the kingdom's oil-dependent economy.
With more than half of the Saudi population below the age of 25, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been at the forefront of efforts to radically transform the Kingdom, particularly as chairman of Saudi Arabia's Council for Economic and Development Affairs.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has risen to among Saudi Arabia's most influential figures since being named second-in-line to the throne in 2015.
Bin Salman says he envisions Saudi Arabia to be a "tolerant country with Islam as its constitution and moderation as its method."
Under "Vision 2030", there will be more than 450 registered amateur clubs for cultural activities by 2020 -- earlier this year the kingdom allowed its first major concert in almost seven years -- and female participation in the workforce should increase from 22% to 30%.
Salisbury, of Chatham House, tells CNN: "We tend to see Saudi Arabia as incredibly conservative and incredibly static, but as long as there has been a Saudi Arabia it's quite a dynamic society."
He adds that the workings of Saudi society that have long been kept behind closed doors are finally leaking out into the public sphere, thanks to platforms such as YouTube and Twitter.
"That's confusing for us because in an external perspective it seems like a country lost in time, but when in fact you chip away below the surface -- and we're talking about an urban elite level -- there is change happening.
"And change has been happening for a long time."
CNN's Samya Ayish, Alma Alturkumani, Balsate Ibrahim, Sarah Hassan and Nada AlTaher contributed to this report.
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/04/middleeast/saudi-arabia-youtube/index.html
The Success of Saudi Women in Numbers
120 billion Riyals of investment in property
18 seats on municipal councils held by women
30 seats on the Shura Council occupied by women
50,000 commercial registrations in KSA
40% of jobs in the medical field
86% of jobs in government education
http://ksamissioneu.net/wp-content/...SIONEUNEWSLETTER-2017-Special-Women-Final.pdf
AGREEMENT SIGNED TO ENGAGE SAUDI WOMEN IN THE REAL ESTATE SECTOR
World renowned property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle Pte Ltd (JLL) has signed a memorandum of understanding agreement with Effat University, a private non-profit institution of higher education for women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the aim of encouraging female students to enter into the property sector. The move is another step forward for Vision 2030’s goal of encouraging Saudi women to enter into the work place, and in increasing employment opportunities for women in fields that have traditionally been relegated to men.
The memorandum was signed by Jamil Ghaznawi, Head of JLL KSA, and Dr. Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, President of Effat University. Under the agreement, JLL will educate students at Effat University via seminars, lectures, forums, meetings, training and conferences on the real estate sector in Saudi Arabia. The consultants will also offer female students internships at JLL in Saudi Arabia to provide them with practical experience in the real estate field.
BY ELIZABETH FIANO
http://www.abouther.com/node/3031/p...-signed-engage-saudi-women-real-estate-sector
NUMBER OF WOMEN IN THE SAUDI WORKFORCE RISES BY A DRAMATIC 130%
A report released by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development in March of this year, shows a 130 percent increase over the last four years of the number of women working in the private sector, and women now represent 30 percent of the total private sector workforce.
The Saudi government has introduced several programs designed to empower women economically and to increase the presence of Saudi females in the workforce. The government’s goal under the National Transformation Program 2020 is to increase the percentage of women in the Saudi total workforce to 28 percent by 2020. These initiatives have included strong support for an increased female presence in the retail sector, and the development of and support for home based employment opportunities.
The greatest increase in Saudi female workforce presence has been seen in major cities such as Riyadh, Mecca, and Jeddah where cultural attitudes towards women working are less stringent and opportunities for employment and demand for labor are greater; however, the government is currently working on several initiatives to provide similar opportunities for women in rural areas, where cultural attitudes and transportation issues are an even greater impediment to women being able to enter the workforce.
BY ELIZABETH FIANO
http://www.abouther.com/node/3531/people/features/number-women-saudi-workforce-rises-dramatic-130
Extraordinary Eastern Women: Muna AbuSulayman
July 16, 2016 | 7:36 PM
By Shruthi Nair
Know all about the most influential Muslim in the world
#Extraordinary #EasternWomen: #MunaAbuSulayman
You have been named as one of the most influential Muslims in the world, which projects earned you this recognition?
There are a lot of reasons, but to name a few, I was running one of the largest foundations and the grants that we were giving affected a lot of people. We were very strategic in the way we gave money and we wanted to ensure there was long-term change. So there were a lot of endowments and sustainable income centres. We took on one of the biggest issues that we were facing back then (10 years ago), which was Islamophobia. We looked at ways of combating it by setting up Islamic centres in the best universities like Harvard, Georgetown, and Cambridge, to help the West overcome these fears. We also wanted to create some understanding of the US in the Middle East so people would know what they were dealing with. I was also the first person who wore Hijab on a non-religious TV show and that was a pioneering step.
How have your travels influenced your unique perspective on the world?
I’ve lived in the US, Middle East and Far East. Therefore I got to see how different people think about things and perceive the same things differently. Being exposed to different cultures at an early age allowed me to see things in a pluralistic way rather than going for the “my way or the high way” approach.
But of course, you need to adapt very quickly to different systems, different ways of expressions, and presentations to survive. Thus, I have become extremely flexible. So now, I can live anywhere.
You “wear many hats” as a philanthropist, entrepreneur, thought leader, and TV personality, but which title do you most identify with?
Most people know me from TV and therefore for them I’ll always be a TV personality. But I think of myself as a teacher — somebody who likes to help people achieve their potential and somebody who likes to give information. The way I used to do it was by teaching in the universities and creating educational programmes and now I am doing it through television by using my segments on the show to communicate ideas through media.
My career path may not be as contrasting as you might think. Like I said, I like to give people information and I do it in different ways and through different media. So it basically was different tools for the same mission.
You’ve influenced and inspired a lot of people in the region. Who has your inspiration been?
My father. He is an Islamic thinker. A Ph.D graduate in international relations, he is somebody who has devoted his life in trying to help the Uma (Muslim community) achieve a better place. He wrote the book Crisis of the Muslim Mind and other books that look at education and family and creating a way of life that is modern, Islamic, productive, progressive, and dignified.
Ms Anne, who was Helen Keller’s teacher, is another person who has influenced me. Ofcourse, Helen Keller is an exceptional woman who achieved great things inspite of being handicapped, however, her handicap would not have been overcome if it wasn’t for this one teacher who got through to her. And therefore, Ms Anne, the person who helped another to tap into themselves and overcome their obstacles will always remain the person who has resonated with me the most.
What is your motto in life?
I have a lot of mottos in life. They include “With every hardship comes ease,” “Take it easy,” and “Put your faith in God and do your best”.
What do you feel is the biggest problem currently being faced by the Middle East?
There are a lot of problems that are being faced by the Middle East. I think the biggest problem is that of education. We all know that the problem exists but no one is doing anything to fix it. Selecting better teachers, giving them good salaries, and respecting them would be a good place to start if we want to address the issue and solve them. Basically, getting the best to do the most important job should be the biggest priority.
Another major problem that we are facing is that we don’t question the things that are lacking in our system. Such as asking, what do we need to lead a dignified life? How can we ensure that people have employment or access to good and affordable health care, and can they meet the basic needs of their families without having to rely on the government or wasta or other forms of corruption. I also think that we have failed in creating reliable institutions.
How is the Middle East faring when it comes to entrepreneurship and digital media?
I think the Middle East is very entrepreneurial. There are a lot of people who have interesting ideas and are ready to do stuff. But we need a better system of helping them. And the digital age is changing that and making the environment favourable.
What have been the specific challenges you faced as an Arab woman?
There is a lack of respect. There is also the “token woman” concept. We are still lacking in giving women their Islamic rights of full citizenship. When it comes to divorce and inheritance, we know that the rules exist but we don’t enforce it. And even if it is enforced there is a stigma of shame attached when the woman asks for these rights. I do realise that Islamic systems look at male-female relations in a very different way. We look at sex within marriage, clean living, creating strong families, and strong value systems. But just because a woman is going to give birth, doesn’t mean that she should be penalised on all of her other decisions.
Another challenge women face especially while working in a mixed environment is that there is a social side that has to be more conservative. Since people are not used to seeing women reaching the very top, you need to suppress your other natural traits such as your fun or inquisitive side. You have to look at how you position yourself as an authority. So when people see me on TV or watch my interviews they think my life is just about work. However, I also do other things. I travel a lot. I spend time with my kids. I like visiting art galleries. So the challenge is how you create a balance between your human and social elements and your authoritative side.
Also, since women are seen as nurturers, sometimes people tend to abuse that. So people at work ask for days off and ask for a lot of considerations and women feel obliged to give in. I feel that there needs to be some formality between the boss (female) and the subordinates as unfortunately we haven’t reached that stage at work where people wouldn’t take advantage of your nature.
What advice would you like to give to Arab women who aspire to greatness?
You need to believe in yourself and understand what you want. If you just want to be famous, there are ways to do that, but that’s never been my interest. My interest lies in trying to find out how I can be the best version of myself.
You need to look at who you are as a person, as a Muslim, as a woman. You need to understand what are the values you hold and what you’re good at. And if you don’t know what that is yet, then try to discover it and work towards developing it. Also, it is very important for a woman to choose the right person to get married to. Earlier, it was all about creating a family, but now you need someone who understands your value system and somebody you can communicate with. In every area of your life, look for solutions and don’t look for problems. Everything has a solution, even if you don’t like it.
Follow Muna
facebook.com/Muna.Abusulayman.Page/
Instagram: @muna_abusulayman
Twitter: @MunaAbuSulayman
http://timesofoman.com/article/88066/HI/This-Weekend/Extraordinary-Eastern-Women:-Muna-AbuSulayman
