Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/10
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item Restricted The Role of Islamic Culture Curriculum in Saudi Universities in Promoting Women’s Rights(Saudi Digital Library, 2025-10-12) Bajabir, Salwa Saeed; Brown, KatherineDespite the legal and educational reforms under Vision 2030, this research argues that a gap remains between policy advancements and societal awareness of women's rights principles in Islam (WRPI) among Saudi University students. Through a qualitative case study at a leading Saudi University, including content analysis and semi-structured interviews, this research explores how the Islamic Cultural Curriculum (ICC) influences women students' perceptions of their rights. This study integrates Freire's Critical Pedagogy and Tibbitt's Human Rights Education models to advocate for a transformative approach incorporating gender justice and peace education in line with Islamic principles. Findings reveal that the ICC content and teaching strategies contain a blend of preaching, indoctrination, and marginalisation of women's agency as rights holders in the Islamic framework. The analysis explores how the current ICC discourages critical engagement instead of promoting discussion and reflection, reinforcing hierarchical gender norms through rigid teaching methods and structure that presents knowledge as static and unquestionable. As these findings contradict WRPI, this research suggests that applying the foundation (Al-Taʾṣīl) methodology within a critical, dialogical framework can reconcile WRPI with contemporary gender issues, needs and rights. Overall, this research provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the Islamic approach to women's rights, transformational higher education, and gender justice.10 0Item Restricted The Role of Islamic Culture Curriculum in Saudi Universities in Promoting Women’s Rights(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Bajabir, Salwa Saeed; Brown, KatherineDespite the legal and educational reforms under Vision 2030, this research argues that a gap remains between policy advancements and societal awareness of women's rights principles in Islam (WRPI) among Saudi University students. Through a qualitative case study at a leading Saudi University, including content analysis and semi-structured interviews, this research explores how the Islamic Cultural Curriculum (ICC) influences women students' perceptions of their rights. This study integrates Freire's Critical Pedagogy and Tibbitt's Human Rights Education models to advocate for a transformative approach incorporating gender justice and peace education in line with Islamic principles. Findings reveal that the ICC content and teaching strategies contain a blend of preaching, indoctrination, and marginalisation of women's agency as rights holders in the Islamic framework. The analysis explores how the current ICC discourages critical engagement instead of promoting discussion and reflection, reinforcing hierarchical gender norms through rigid teaching methods and structure that presents knowledge as static and unquestionable. As these findings contradict WRPI, this research suggests that applying the foundation (Al-Taʾṣīl) methodology within a critical, dialogical framework can reconcile WRPI with contemporary gender issues, needs and rights. Overall, this research provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the Islamic approach to women's rights, transformational higher education, and gender justice.39 0Item Restricted THE IDEA OF WOMEN’S' RIGHTS AS EQUITY VERSUS WOMEN'S RIGHTS AS EQUALITY/SAMENESS " THE CASE OF SAUDI ARABIA AND BEYOND"(University of Minnesota, 2024-04) Basalem, Badriya Omar; Carbone, JuneThis dissertation examines the concept of women’s' rights determined as equity versus women's rights as equality/sameness by considering the reservations of Saudi Arabia when ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and highlights the difficulties in reconciling the too disparate approaches whilst offering possible solutions. Essentially CEDAW and the West define equality in terms of sameness and that women and men should have equal opportunities. The Saudi Arabian and Islamic approach is that equity is the correct approach. Concepts of Equality: the dissertation examines the different definitions of equality, and also the different definitions of equity. Equality may be defined as sameness (equal access or opportunity), or as equality of outcome, also called substantive equality, although this is shown to also be problematic in some cases. There are also two views of equity, one view, presented by Islam (and some other religions, like the Roman Catholic church), says society should accord all individuals what they need, and what individuals need is determined by the roles they play in society, whilst another view of equity emerges out of the idea of structural inequalities. This is the idea that we need to focus on equal outcomes rather than equal opportunities to make up for past discrimination. Critics suggest that the first does not go far enough, but that the second goes too far, however, the second is closest to substantive equality. CEDAW in the Saudi Context: Saudi Arabia has many issues related to human rights and women’s rights, and UNDP and the CEDAW committee have analyzed some of these, acknowledging some progress and raising some questions or problems. In the dissertation a deep analysis of the current situations, laws, and policies are undertaken by a Saudi citizen, highlighting issues such as Saudi Arabia: Vision 2030 and new anti-discriminatory laws and the commitment of the government and officials. The analysis also covers all areas of Saudi Arabian life, and how the difference between equality and equity could impact society, emphasizing the view that Islamic teaching puts responsibilities ahead of rights, whilst acknowledging both. Conclusion and Recommendations: the dissertation concludes that it is, in fact, possible to reconcile the equity/equality debate, and that Saudi Arabia is making slow but steady progress towards a definition of substantive equality that meets the requirements of Islamic teaching whilst eventually providing a level of de facto equality that will be indistinguishable from the Western definition found in CEDAW. If this conclusion is accepted and the recommendations followed, the Saudi Arabian progress can be consolidated and perhaps accelerated.17 0