Saudi Arabia severly discriminates against women. When South Africa had aprtheid, everyone boycotted it. Wny not boycott Saudi Arabia when its' treatment and disrpespect of women is 10 times worse then Saudi Arabia's is of women?

PS- My typing was bad but you can read it.

oil

regards - tom

Have to agree with Tom! Unfortunately, the West needs KSA far more than KSA needs the West!

There are few, if any, organized tours for Westerners to Saudia Arabia, so unless the West no longer needs oil, "boycott what?" Chadors!

ok, I won't go there.

Seriously, I agree with what you say, but it is not well thought out. As Sandi says, how many people are traveling there? Isn't there a better, more effective way to register your disagreement/displeasure with the regime?

And, these boycott Exxon/Shell/whatever campaigns are ridiculous. OK, so you boycott them on Tuesday. What are you going to do on Wednesday, but fill up. A waste of emotional energy that accomplishes nothing.

Last month, I was one of the Americans who traveled to Saudi Arabia and spent a day there. It was a fascinating day, and we learned a great deal about the culture. Obviously, we do not agree with the way women are treated in Saudi Arabia. But if we only traveled to countries where we agreed with all of their policies, we certainly would learn a lot less about how people live all over the world.

I don't remember anyone saying about South Africa "we don't agree with the way they treat blacks, however if we only went where we agree with all their policies we wouldn't learn much about the rest of the world".

The treatment of women in KSA is on the same level of fundamental wrong as was the treatment of blacks in SA. You may be justified in holding your nose visiting a place where the government is a dictatorship, they serve whale, or some other practice you disagree with, but I think in the case of the legally supported subjugation and suppression of women, it's a terribly weak argument.

If you go as a tourist I think you are saying it's not so bad that you can't look at and be around it. For me this crosses a line I don't care to cross.

Very well said Favor. Many people can't seem to differentiate (or don't want to) between misdemeanors and felonies.

regards - tom

I agree Favor. Every once in a while...DH gets the idea wild idea that he should go work in Saudi. And I veto it every time. No way, no how.

Most Saudi women don't think of themselves as oppressed - far from it! They get very annoyed that anyone would want to impose "western values" upon them!

For the reasons mentioned by the OP I have no desire to ever visit SA. Maybe the Saudi women do not feel oppressed. But as an American woman I would feel very oppressed by thier rules for women, therefore it's best that I stay out of that country. However I cannot boycott their products because I need to drive my car. As mentioned above, we need them more than they need us, sadly.

Phinn - You are raising a straw man (western values) and ignoring the real wrong.

Nobody is trying to force any values on Saudi women. The real issue is that Saudi women aren't allowed the basic human right to choose their own vlaues. As an example, whether or not to drive their own car.

You sound like the old Boer who insisted that the majority of blacks in SA did not want to complicate their world by having all that responsibility for governing thrust upon them.

Maybe they don't feel oppressed because they don't know any other way of life. If they ever did live in a place where they were respected and treated as equal human beings, I bet they would see things differently.

I was a "stay-at-home" parent for years. When folks threw the women's lib thing in my face, why aren't you out there working, I replied that it was MY CHOICE to stay at home with my kids. And, that choice is what Saudi women don't have.

KSA is a place where you need a visa to LEAVE.

i boycott such places on principal.

and for all the reasons above.

regards, ann

My take on this is to invest more money on research into developing alternative sources of energy that will not impact the environment. A more efficient way to extract and store solar energy comes to mind.

We cannot rely on imported petroleum forever.

KSA is not on my wish list for obvious reasons as is Dubai for the same reasons despite Dubai's marketing machines makes "westerners" believe in its "democracy".

OP - it's sad but true: We need its oil.

SV

We don't NEED its oil.

We WANT its oil and don't want to make the sacrifices necessary to not use it.

"So what if their women are subjugated, if it requires me to pay more for alternative fuel transportation, then so be it."

Sad, but true.

If the treatment of women is the issue, don't you have to boycott almost every Muslim country?