Women in the Middle East: A case study of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Israel 

Wednesday Forum – 25 Nov 2020

Many people hold a stereotypical understanding of the lives of women in the Middle East. While it is true that women struggle in certain countries against inequality, they are not passive agents of misogyny. This presentation will look at three countries in order to examine gender roles and how women are fighting for their own rights. We will discuss women in Saudi Arabia, the influence of Wahhabism, and the leadership of Mohammed bin-Salman. What rights did Iranian women have under the secular Pahlavi regime and the what changes occurred with the Islamic Revolution? Finally, what is the role of Israeli women politics, the military, the workplace, and the influence of religion in matters dealing with marriage and divorce?

Dr. Saba Soomekh is the Associate Director at AJC-LA and a lecturer at The Academy for Jewish Religion-CA, where she teaches religious studies, women and religion, and Middle Eastern History courses.  Professor Soomekh is the editor of the book Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews in America and the author of the book From the Shahs to Los Angeles: Three Generations of Iranian Jewish Women between Religion and Culture. Her book was awarded the Gold Medal in the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Award in the Religion category.

The full version of the poster is here.