WikiWomenCamp/FAQ/Perspectives/Saudi Arabia

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The official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic, this includes both the literary language (Modern Standard Arabic or Literary Arabic, used in most written documents as well as in formal spoken occasions, such as lectures and radio broadcasts). The written language is distinct from and more conservative than all of the spoken varieties, and the two exist in a state known as diglossia, used side-by-side for different societal functions.

Wikipedia

The Arabic language Wikipedia rank 15 out of 280 languages Wikipedia with 67,6 million page view per month page. There are 70 very active users (more than 100 edits per month) and 576 active users (five edits per month) in Arabic Wikipedia in December 2011.[1] In December 2011, there were 8,020 people and 3,840 women of all ages from Saudi Arabia who were interested in Wikipedia on Facebook.[2].

Saudi Arabian women perspective to free knowledge

• Unknown

Women in Saudi Arabia

• As an Islamic state, women's rights in Saudi Arabia are defined by Islam and tribal customs. The Arabian peninsula is the ancestral home of patriarchal, nomadic tribes, in which purdah (separation of women and men) and namus (honor) are considered central. All women, regardless of age, are required to have a male guardian. Women cannot vote or be elected to high political positions. However, King Abdullah has declared that women will be able to vote and run in the 2015 local elections, and be appointed to the Consultative Assembly. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that prohibits women from driving. The World Economic Forum 2009 Global Gender Gap Report ranked Saudi Arabia 130th out of 134 countries for gender parity. It was the only country to score a zero in the category of political empowerment. 21% of Saudi women are in the workforce. There is evidence that many women in Saudi Arabia do not want radical change. Even many advocates of reform reject Western critics, for "failing to understand the uniqueness of Saudi society. In Saudia Arabia, only 31% of social media users are women.[3]

The Foundation

In late 2011 Project MENA is initiated by the Foundation. It includes location such as Qatar Computing Research Institute pilot, Qatar Creative Commons, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Doha. WMF hired one staff to handle this as part of Global Development Team. Financial report shows that the Global Development Team spent $ 2,154,912 including for their project in Saudi Arabia. During the December 2011 fundraising appeal, no Saudi Arabian, men or women, were featured as part of the appeal. For 2011 Summer of Research, the WMF hired eight research fellows. Of these, only one was female, and she was from the United States. There were four males from American universities, The other researchers included men from a Japanese university, a Swiss university and a Canadian university. There were no research fellows, male or female, from this country.