An extraordinary event transpired amidst the 19th and 20th centuries which altered the course of the history and transformed the world into life as we know it today. This century-long struggle has come to be known as the period of women’s suffrage movement. Prior to that time, long before any of us were born, women were once considered as a mere commodity just like a property. In fact, the United States in the early 1800s marked the era of white male dominance. It was a time when women were not permitted the same rights that men did, such as the right to vote as well as the right to own property.
Nonetheless, many women in countries all over the world are still considered inferior for the most part. Some examples of these places are Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the most infamous of all, Egypt. The society within these countries has an ostensibly innate gender-biased predisposition towards women that still subsists today. Frequent cases of domestic violence and the little to zero number of women in business and politics can be seen as the supporting evidence for the statement above, which is why an event hosted by Saudi Arabia recently has received worldwide attention.
With the rest of the world progressing so rapidly in terms of gender equality, it should come as no surprise that the women who are residing in Saudi Arabia, one of the countries in the Middle East are making an effort to improve women’s rights. The recent event is a clear illustration of this endeavor; Their first and foremost women marathon that lasts for nearly two miles. Fifteen hundred women participated in the run, ranging from professionals such as Mizna al-Nassar to other laypersons, who are there to show their support to the cause – all age groups included. Mizna al-Nassar, a twenty-eight years old prospective Olympian who, since then, has announced her plans to enter the 2020 Olympics that will be located in Tokyo, as a representative on Saudi Arabia. She is currently pursuing a career in the line of graphic design.
She successfully crossed the finish line of the al-Ahsa run within fifteen minutes, an impressive achievement that is backed by her,
“regimented food program and training schedule supervised by professional trainer,” in addition to past experience, “I have participated in the Islamic Sport Games in Baku Azerbaijan in 2017 and in the Ladies Sport Games in Sharjah in 2018,”
– she informed Al Arabiya, a news outlet that is based in Saudi.
The “al-Ahsa Runs” took place in the Eastern province of al-Ahsa, as reported by the Anadolu Agency.
Nonetheless, all participants in the run were reported to have their abayas and hijabs on in accordance with the Sharia law. Needless to say, this was not an easy race for the women, but their determination is both admirable and inspiring for all female across the world. Several months prior to this run, these women had just overcome the law that inhibits them from driving on the streets in the country. All in all, the Middle Eastern countries are really making progress towards gender equality in recent months.
While we are extremely proud of them, we cannot help but wonder why we have to fight for these entities in our lives. Why are female frequently considered as the inferior counterpart, when we are able to perform miraculous tasks such as reproduction, in addition to bearing the astronomical amount of pain that follows. Even so, women’s rights are still on the brink today in the United States as we approach the subject of pregnancy.
If we are as far ahead as we are led to believe, why do we still have to fight for Pro-Choice?
Featured Image via Flickr/Hernán Piñera