Posted by Ayesha Saldanha to Global Voices Online
It is well known that segregation of the sexes in Saudi Arabia exists in everyday life – but what about online? Can the names of male and female bloggers exist together on a blogroll? One Saudi blogger is amused at the thought.
Entropy.MAX, a female blogger, paints the picture:
ÙÙŠØصل ما لا ÙŠØمد عقباه من المنكرات. عليه Ùقد قام بعض الإخوة مشكورين بÙصل الروابط ووضعها ÙÙŠ موقعين منÙصلين لا يوصل بينهما نهر ولا بØرين، Øماية لأخلاق المدونين Ùˆ صيانة لشر٠بنات المسلمين. إلا أنه لايزال بعض المدونين واللذين نشك ÙÙŠ إصابة قلوبهم والعياذ بالله بمرض الليبرالية اللعين، لا يزالون يخلطون المواقع ÙÙŠ قائمة واØدة غير آبهين بما قد يجره هذا الÙعل من الويلات على مجتمع المدونين والمدونات، غير مبالين بخصوصية السعوديين ولا بطبيعة مجتمع المتنطعين، Ùˆ بعد ذلك يطلعون علينا مستغربين من رغبتنا ÙÙŠ وضع ضوابط للتدوين!!
"Some of the clergymen and women of the Saudi blogosphere are calling for segregating the blogrolls on blogs for the links of female and male Saudi bloggers. They are calling for a barrier between them to thwart any misdeeds and harms. Satan exists online and could make virgins, spinsters and even married women fall for the names of male bloggers, especially the rigtheous ones. This may result in unexpected consequences. This is why a number of bloggers have separated the blogrolls and posted them in separate blogs, with no connections between them, in a bid to protect the morals of bloggers and maintain the chastity of Muslim girls. However, there are a few bloggers, who have been infected with the wretched liberal streak, who still mix up the sexes and have one blogroll. Those are inconsiderate to the dire side effects on the societies of male and female bloggers and have no consideration for the special characteristics of the Saudi blogopshere. And after all this, the are surprised that we need a code of conduct for blogging!!"