Make no mistake, the source of the problem is the United States.
Yes, you're quite right. There was absolutely no oppression of women in the region before the United States came on the scene, or before oil was discovered there.
The US backed militant jihadists when a movement usually known as "arab nationalism" was thriving in the region and had vast popular support. Arab nationalism was against current foreign policy of Saudi Arabia and was in fact pretty secular and very progressive for its time. The US didn't want them because "it waz teh commiez".
I thought that was a widely known fact... that was the time when the US backed the Taliban/Bin Laden, they actually made Rambo III about it.
So, actually, yes, I think there would most certainly be less oppression of woman if the US had backed out from middle east in the 70s. I think almost every serious historian/sociologist or layperson who knows about politics in that region would agree with me, I've actually spoke to many who do, even sociologists that study Islam and Middle East with CIA grants. What they definitely don't agree with me is basically how much what they call "political stability" in that region is worth.
TL, DR; Yes, I think if the US had backed out in the past there would be less oppression of woman. I think "the US" also thinks it, but they just don't care and want a stable regime so that oil prices don't fluctuate chaotically due to heavy speculation.
EDIT: Got four e-mails about this... If someone wants references, I was just compiling some but realized that Chapter 2 of Perilous Power by Chomsky/Achcar is most likely the best place to start. So sorry, no Wikipedia or newspaper article that accurately portrays what I'm trying to explain as an undisputed fact... get used to reading and debating a lot if you want to get into Middle East politics.
This is a very solid and informative post. If you're interested about this period of history, I recommend reading "Thicker than Oil" by Rachel Bronson, a book which documents the U.S. - Saudi relationship during the 20th century. It covers all of these events and more.
Edit -- to clarify further, the OP was referring to the split in the Islamic world in the 60s-70s between traditional Saudi leadership (favoring strong religious fundamentalism) and a new, mostly secular movement termed Pan-Arabism or Arab Nationalism. Since the Pan-Arabists were usually more favorable to Soviet influence, we naturally supported the Saudis and actually fostered several initiatives to increase religious fervor & fundamentalism.
Arab nationalism didn't take off as much in Saudi Arabia as it did in Jordan, Syria, and Egypt. The religious and conservative nature of Saudi's traditional nomadic tribes, the location of Mecca and Medina, these have more to do with the traditional low status of women in the region.
It's come and gone, but the region has actually has some pretty socially liberal governments on and off, at times when the West in comparison were pretty backwards. The Ottoman Empire, which ruled most of Saudi Arabia at the time, decriminalized homosexuality as part of its Tanzimat liberal reforms, in 1858. It was the first country in the world to do so.[1]
By comparison, Alan Turing was persecuted for his sexual orientation by the UK in the 1950s, almost 100 years after the Ottoman Empire had seen the light. Heck, when I went to high school in Texas (1996-2000), gay sex was still a criminal offense. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down that law in 2003 (admist much bloviating by Antonin Scalia about how we were all being overrun by the "homosexual agenda"), and the Texas Republican Party removed the plank in its platform demanding that homosexuality be recriminalized... only this year, in 2012.
[1] edit: Actually, upon some further research, it seems this claim is incorrect. The first modern country to decriminalize homosexuality, as far as I can find, was France, which did so in 1791, during the Revolution.
Turkey has been an exception. You're right. It doesn't alter the point, which was poking fun at the bizarre notion that the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia is BECAUSE of the United States.
I'm not anti-US or anti-west at all, but one could argue that it's some kind of modern slavery. US and KSA are allies (despite KSA being the #1 human rights violator), US profits from KSA's oil and because they buy billions of dollars of weapons from them, so for the US, a repressive government for KSA is much better than a democratic one.
Maybe if it wasn't for that fact, the Saudies weren't so rich and powerful, and those poor young Arabs, who for the most part like democracy as much as you do, could "rebel" against Saudies...
Evidence is what happened in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, what's happening in Syria and also, most importantly, my personal experience (I live in Iran) and what happened 3 years ago here.
Please don't be fooled by the appearances - just because Morsi is being an asshole, Egypt parliament has banned porn websites or some cleric in Egypt says men can do XXX (some crazy thing), doesn't mean it was the will and wish of the Egyptian people. Do American people agree with everything US congress and president do?
But there's a big difference: in the US, you can disagree with them, argue about it, protest, hold a demonstration, and do anything you want to make your voice heard. Remember PIPA and SOPA? How many do you think were in favor of it? And it took the combined effort of Google/Facebook/Reddit/..., a 1-day internet blackout and millions of people mailing their senators to kill them.
Now, imagine the same thing happening in Egypt (before and after Mobarak) or KSA? Do you think people can freely protest?! What happened to those 99%-ers in US? (almost) nothing. What do you think will happen to people if/when they protest in KSA? Prison, torture, death.
That's why you don't hear as many complaints from Egyptians, Arabs, Chinese, Soviets (in the Cold War era, but even to some extent today in Russia), North Koreans or Cuban as you'd like. If the choice is to live in oppression, but live, or to die a gruesome death under torture, most people (understandably) choose the shitty live. But it doesn't mean they don't long for a better life.
And remember, you always (in any dispute, political or otherwise, anywhere in the world) hear the loudest, most extreme voice. Just because the loudest voice in KSA and Egypt is also the most backward, doesn't mean everyone agrees with it. Maybe they're the minority (population-wise) and can make their voice heard because they're rich/powerful!
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Edit: as an aside (and remember, I'm not at all anti-US, maybe quite the contrary), consider the "Civil Rights Act of 1964"[1]. Some Martian coming to Earth in 60's might think: "hey, those American were no different than Nazi fascist they fought in WWII. Black people couldn't use white people's bathrooms, or sit on 'White-only' seats on the bus? Couldn't even go to the same schools, or apply for the same jobs? That's fucked up." - It's fair to assume that American were/are racist based on that fact, but you and I know that it's not true. Most Americans were NOT in favor of segregation, not all of them approved of slavery, not all of them were racist... Yet, it took about 200 years after US independence for them to gain these right. Hell, 2008 was the first year that there was a possibility that the president might not be a white man (Hillary Clinton / Obama)! Does that mean American people (of today) are anti-woman or anti-black?
Thanks for your very informative comment(s) and several good points on this discussion.
As an aside: Would love to know how is it in Iran, from a guy like you and who lives there. So any great summary (like your comment above I am replying to), of situation in Iran, with references also if possible, would be great.
Edit(After thought): Please ignore my comment and do not reply, even if there is a slightest possibility of you facing any discomfort because of it...
Set aside national boundaries and what we're talking about is super-rich ultra-religious hypocrites, and Saudi Arabia sure has no monopoly on those. There are plenty of people in the US who'd happily roll back two hundred or more years of social progress for the great unwashed, and then send their daughters to Europe to get educated and Canada for abortions, and send their sons to Monte Carlo to have sex and gamble.
You do realize that the US has been intervening in Iran and
Afghanistan for decades, right? The Soviet war in Afghanistan, during the late 80s in which the US was involved in support of the
Mujahideen, widely considered to be the cause of blowback. Speaking of blowback, the Iranian revolution against the US-backed Shah in the late 70s. A few decades is hardly enough time for "continuous improvement."
"You do realize that the US has been intervening in Iran and Afghanistan for decades, right?"
Of course. That was more or less the point.
The U.S.-backed Shah of Iran (who was, let's make no mistake, an authoritarian dictator) was ejected and women's rights immediately took a profound backward step.
Thomas Friedman, in "hot flat and crowded" makes an elaborate case linking the price of crude oil to the undemocratic and oppressive nature of (middle eastern) governments.
Undemocratic and oppressive nature of mideast governments for millennia? Seriously? :)
I'm sensing a prejudicial subtext from your comment and other comments you made, that you think the governments and the people they represent, are incapable of producing prosperous and just societies.
Millennia? You do realize democracy is a less-than-four-hundreds year old concept? At least in its modern sense, which I would like to think is the one you are referring to when speaking about women rights (i.e. "democracy" that abhors slavery/serfdom... those slave athenian woman definitely had no rights).
You do realize democracy is a less-than-four-hundreds year old concept?
--Wait, WAT? In general, you confuse citizenship with democracy; and more particularly, you confuse a republic, with a democracy (the USA is the former, not the latter). Democracy is an ancient concept. Equally as old and well known are its many "problems", of which the ancients were well versed. The notion of a republic is an (historically) more sophisticated take on a democracy, and is well over two millenia old (Rome, etc).
Um most other places were pretty oppressive too as far back as recorded history goes. Democracy and human rights for all citizens are pretty recent developments.
Yes, you're quite right. There was absolutely no oppression of women in the region before the United States came on the scene, or before oil was discovered there.
(sarcasm, in case it's not clear)