RIYADH,
October 27, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The first-ever woman-inclusive
play will see the light in Saudi Arabia as part of the kingdom's
celebrations of `Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting
month of Ramadan.
The
one-hour-and-half play, entitled "Finally Returned", will be
performed by actresses from both Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
The
entire cast of the play, including the producer and director, are women.
The
Saudi play will be screened during the three-day `Eid in King Fahd
Culture Center and will be open to only female audience.
Saudi
Arabia’s Third National Dialogue Forum has called for drawing a line
between traditions and the Islamic tenets regarding women’s rights.
Breaking
taboo and tumultuous women’s issues, the forum concluded that a right
balance should be struck between Shari`ah and everyday life in a
way that does not contravene society ethics or Islam’s baselines.
Saudi
women are fighting for many rights, including the right to vote in
elections and to drive cars.
Saudi
Arabia received the lowest rating on women's freedom in a survey of 17
nations in the Middle East and North Africa conducted by the American
"Freedom House" and released at the World Economic Forum in
Jordan.
Celebrations
A
plethora of woman-only celebrations are being organized by the oil-rich
kingdom during the Muslim feast.
Fashion
and beauty shows as well as competitions for handicapped children and
orphans will be held during the `Eid days.
Abdullah
Al-Omayra, a writer in the daily Al-Riyadh, praised the
government-organized activities, pressing for more.
"We
should activate the role of sporting clubs to offer much-needed social
and cultural services," he told IslamOnline.net.
He
also called for activating the role of theatre in the kingdom.
Some
20 years after public screenings of films were banned, the first cinema
will open next month in Saudi Arabia, but showing only cartoons.
The
cinema will open for women and children at a Riyadh hotel at `Eid Al-Fitr.
The
pan-Arab Saudi newspaper Al-Hayat said the 1,400-seat cinema will
hold three one-hour shows to screen foreign cartoon films dubbed in
Arabic every evening.
It
estimated that more than 50,000 people would visit the cinema during the
Muslim feast.
The
paper said the project was a prelude to the start of real cinema
screenings for all in Saudi Arabia, given that cafes in main cities
already show films, sports games and video clips on large television
sets.
Cinema
was once shown in private clubs in Saudi Arabia until all public
screenings were banned in the early 1980s.
