Blasphemy Rights Day.

"Female candidates have had to speak behind a partition while campaigning or be represented by a man.
...
The election is segregated, like everything else in this deeply conservative society."  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35075702

It doesn't much matter whether there is an actual law against women speaking to men in public.  "There is no official law that bans women from driving but deeply held religious beliefs prohibit it, with Saudi clerics arguing that female drivers 'undermine social values'."http://www.theweek.co.uk/60339/eleven-things-women-in-saudi-arabia-cant-do

Also worth noting (from an article ten years ago, so perhaps things have improved somewhat since then): "Men and women do almost nothing together in Saudi Arabia -- at least not in public. For instance, events like a soccer match are strictly for men. It's a country where culture and religion make women live mostly restricted segregated lives. In public, there are separate sections where they eat, where they work, and where they pray. There is also segregation inside their own homes.

One woman took 60 Minutes on a tour of her house, and showed a separate entrance and living room for men. The woman said the men's living room is separated by a closed door from the living room for women. She also said that unless guests are close relatives, men and women don't sit together in the same room. It's not a custom she would consider violating.

'The society force it. And if you do something against the society, you will feel, you will have a problem,' she says. 'So it's better to go within the mainstream of the society, fit in, be conformist in a way, and be innovative in another way.'

According to the rules of Saudi society, a woman needs written permission from a man to do almost anything: to get an education, to get a job, and even to buy a plane ticket. " http://www.cbsnews.com/news/women-speak-out-in-saudi-arabia/

abuayisha wrote: If you're looking for a semantic word game kindly look elsewhere. What I object to is a preponderance of nasty and disrespectful behavior targeting Islam from yourself and others.

I'm not looking for word games either. I'm trying to understand what behaviour (originally Matt's, but now apparently mine as well) you find "nasty and disrespectful". We are expressing our views, in as respectful a manner as we are able. Which is quite a challenge, given the nastiness and disrespect with which we are confronted time after time in the Quran.

Matt said that "Literalism poses a serious threat. We have to speak out against it." If that is nasty and disrespectful, then what of the Quran (9:123), which urges believers to "fight ... the disbelievers and let them find in you harshness"? Do you not see how that statement (among many others), when taken literally, is a direct threat to us? Should we be "respectful" about such threats?

I understand that you don't like our views, just as there are aspects of Islam that we don't like. IMHO that is all the more reason why we need to talk about them -- as respectfully as possible, but as frankly as necessary.

Tim the plumber wrote: Female candidates were also not allowed to address male voters directly

This only means that it wasn't a political campaign as we here in the west understand campaigning for votes. There is no official law which forbids a women from address a man as you originally asserted. Saudi has their own customs and practices which should be respected by outsiders as such.    

Edited by abuayisha - 18 December 2015 at 7:29am

abuayisha wrote: Tim the plumber wrote: What is civil and what is not is different to all of us. Civility in Saudi Arabia demands that female politicians cannot directly talk to male citizens. Civility in the rest of the world demands that we explain to the Saudis that this is very wrong. Totally uncivil. They don't like people telling them that and demand civility. I'll let the moderators decide what is civil on this discussion board. I can only suggest that when it comes to religious observances that the other have respect. What you have said about Saudi is not only incorrect, but even if it were, one would think "the rest of the world" would have far greater priorities for their demands. Further, I think one of the problems with secularism is that one only needs to consult ones own mind for what civility is or isn't. Those who have a set of morals and values stemming from theology have a path (sharia) to walk upon, or reference.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35086357

Female candidates were also not allowed to address male voters directly during campaigning. Turnout was high, state media reported.

Given that you claim that this sharia gives good guidance as to how to behave it is strange that it is interpeerated so differently in so many places. And how little the Islamic world is aware of the differences.