Rania al-Baz
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Rania al-Baz, a Saudi celebrity, is famous internationally for speaking out against violence against women. Rania is the daughter of Yahya al-Baz, a businessman who owns a large chain of hotels in Saudi Arabia. Rania al-Baz started her career in her late teens. By her early 20s, she had become one of the best known TV figures in Saudi Arabia. Her success was largely due to her appearance on the program "The Kingdom this Morning". She had a short lived marriage, from which she retained custody of her daughter.
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[edit] Marriage with Al-Fallatta
In 1998, Al-Baz met the singer Yunus Al-Fallatta, and soon, defying custom, they had a love marriage. After returning from a honeymoon in Paris, Al-Baz and Al-Fallatta had two children, both boys. Shortly after their marriage, Al-Fallatta's popularity dwindled. Al-Baz, however, only gained more fame. The decrease in media attention caused the couple's relations to deteriorate, and Al-Fallatta became "regularly violent". Al-Baz did not report this to the authorities for a multitude of reasons. First, she feared that relations would only get worse if this were taken outside the home. Second, Saudi authorities are known to serve the interests of men over women.
[edit] The "Accident"
Al-Fallatta had been unemployed for three years, when the "accident", as Rania Al-Baz calls it, happened. On the night of April 12th, after coming home, Al-Fallatta came home to find his wife on the telephone. After accusing her of cheating on him, Al-Fallatta proceeded to beat his wife. Rania's maid was present at the scene, but failed to intervene. According to her account, Al-Fallatta knocked his wife down to her knees and began to choke her, while punching her face. He also said "I am going to kill you."
He continued his bashing by banging Rania's head until she became unconscious. Upon this, he stopped, showered and changed. Then he wrapped Rania in a sheet and drove her off. His original destination is unclear, but at some point during his drive Rania suddenly gained consciousness. Al-Fallatta is said to have panicked and rushed her to Bughshan hospital at about 2:30 AM April 13th. He told the hospital that Rania had been in a car crash. He then left for the "car crash", to "save" the other victims. In reality Al-Fallatta went into hiding.
[edit] Aftermath and impact on society
Rania that night suffered 13 facial fractures and had to undergo extensive surgery. She was visited by relatives and other colleagues who encouraged her to print her pictures of abuse. Rania, once again, caught media attention in her home country after agreeing to publish her pictures. Arab News, Saudi Arabia daily English newspaper, called her story a "ground breaker". She also got the attention of the Saudi royal family, who offered to help her financially and otherwise to support her medical and emotional recovery. Her story was followed by a general criticism of Saudi culture by female Saudi journalists - a notable one being Thank You, Rania. In the month following her tragedy the first ever Saudi research on domestic violence against women was conducted by King Saud University of Riyadh. Rania also appeared on Oprah in a show that was quite controversial.
[edit] The Trial
While Al-Baz made headlines in newspapers she made unprecedented progress in Saudi courts. On April 19th, her husband came out of hiding and handed himself over to the police, and a one and a half month trial in Saudi Arabia's all-male Shariah court ensued. Although Saudi Arabia's law (in theory) gives women protection from domestic violence; in reality no woman, before Al-Baz, had ever pressed charges against her husband. In the end, the court sentenced Al-Fallatta to six months in prison and to be flogged with 300 lashes. Al-Fallatta was not found guilty of attempted murder reduced, as Al-Baz's lawyer had initially charged, but was charged for "grievous assault". Al-Baz later publicly pardoned her husband.
After the trial on the charges ended, Al-Baz sued for divorce. Al-Fallatta who had seemed "to accept" the charges, refused to give his wife divorce "for the sake of their children". After Al-Baz refused, her husband claimed that she was "an unfit mother". The judge, however, "refused to listen to him". Finally, Al-Fallatta refused to show up at court, forcing the judge to revoke the marriage contract himself. The judge also granted Al-Baz the custody of both her children.
The trial happened in four hearings and was unusually easy. Although in Islam women have the right to divorce their husband and take custody of their children, this right is seldom exercised in Saudi Arabia. Divorced men and women are generally looked down upon.
[edit] Recent Events
Al-Baz, after receiving many plastic surgeries in Paris, has decided to make it her home. Al-Baz was smuggled out of Saudi Arabia in a food lorry bound for Bahrain[1]. She then continued to Paris. She had been prevented from traveling prior to her "escape." According to The Guardian, Al-Baz said that she won't be returning. In a recent interview she has stated that the original reports that she was smuggled out of Saudi Arabia were false and that she was allowed to travel freely. Al-Baz left her two sons, the children she fought custody for, and her daughter from another marriage behind with her mother in Saudi Arabia.
