Thread by @monaeltahawy

The bodies of 2 sisters from #Saudi Arabia were found in Hudson river, bound together by duct tape at their waists & ankles. Rotana Farea, 22, & Tala Farea, 16 “had recently requested asylum in the United States.” nytimes.com/2018/10/29/nyr… h/t @rerutled

👆🏽reminded me of #Saudi woman Dina Lasloom,who tried to escape forced marriage by going to #Australia for asylum but was detained at Manila airport until uncles came,beat her,tied mouth,arms,legs w/duct tape & dragged her onto plane home google.com/amp/s/www.nyti… #GenderApartheid

Death of 2 #Saudi sisters is highly suspicious. I hope coroner’s report is issued soon. I lived in Saudi Arabia as a teenager & for past 16yrs have been writing about #genderaprtheid in Saudi Arabia. Treatment of women is outrageous. And too often ignored or diminished.

The world has consistently sold out #Saudi women. Remember that Trump’s 1st overseas trip as President was to Saudi Arabia where he and daughter Ivanka had reason to be happy. #GenderApartheid

I lived in #Saudi Arabia for six years. I became a feminist there - I say I was traumatized into feminism because to be a woman there is to either lose your mind (I was deeply depressed) or to become a feminist. I was both. I have spent last 16yrs writing about it.

I have long called the way they repress women via guardianship system a form of gender apartheid and wished the world would boycott it for that. As a feminist I understand how women and girls are first to victimized by repressive regimes and last to be remembered. #Saudi

To understand importance of gender apartheid to #Saudi regime’s power: Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman launched unprecedented crackdown on women’s rights activists in May. Activists had fought to dismantle guardianship system: foundation of patriarchy google.com/amp/s/www.nyti…

The repression of women in #Saudi Arabia is gender apartheid but is rarely mentioned as reasons the world should long ago have been boycotting #Saudi regime. That Saudi gender apartheid has lent credence to patriarchy and misogyny in Muslim countries around the world.

I’ve been writing about #Saudi gender apartheid for 16yrs. I spent teens there & I was a columnist for #Saudi-owned paper for 2yrs before I was banned. My 1st oped on Saudi Arabia for US paper was in 2002 for Washington Post. Here are my columns on women

https://twitter.com/monaeltahawy/status/1026991842301227008?s=21

To be clear: everything I say about #Saudi regime is about the absolute monarchy,not the people of that country who are oppressed by that regime which fills its jails with anyone who dares criticize or speak out. As a feminist my love & solidarity w/all who fight gender apartheid