Thread by @RandaAFattah

#4Corners Thread
1. Explaining Saudi Arabia’s DEPLORABLE laws against women in religious/cultural terms pathologises Muslims. Yes patriarchy, deformed and wacky interpretations of Islam, but make an effort to understand who created the problem in the first place, and why.

2. 'The West’ cries croc tears about the treatment of Saudi women. Honestly, they could care less. The Wahabi fringe sect survived because of an alliance with the Al Sa’ud family and the British, later the US (FDR’s infamous meeting w/ Saudi King in '45).

3. Kingdom of Saudi was established as an artificial state invented by colonial forces to serve the interests of Western imperialism especially when it came to oil.

4. The British: wanted a strong central government in the Mid East to serve British oil interests- grant exclusive oil-mining concessions to them + weaken Ottoman empire by taking Mecca/Medina, Islam’s nerve centre, from Ottoman control.

5. After the discovery of oil in Saudi in the 30s, the US sought to secure American sphere of influence.
West now sells arms to Saudi-arms used against the decimation of the Yemeni population (also Muslims).

6. Women’s rights have never been of concern to Western governments unless it’s to justify invasion (Afghanistan anyone?) or claim White saviour so-called feminist high ground (ask indigenous women, refugee women, WOC).

7. Saudi women have my solidarity, my activism. We WOC continue to do what we can at the grassroots. But 'White saviours' whose history starts at 9/11, or who rage against Saudi but are SILENT about Israel murdering, imprisoning, raping Palestinian women? Nah.

8. It’s a politically and historically grounded intersectional movement that has always does the heavy lifting while white saviours shed their tears. I'll believe every feminist tweeting about Saudi women when they rage against Israel's brutal regime against Palestinian women.