Sabria Jawhar
Encyclopedia
Sabria Salama Murjan Jawhar (born August 4, year unknown) is a Saudi Arabian journalist and columnist for the Jeddah-based Saudi Gazette
and has an expertise in Arabic/English linguistics. She also writes for English-language news outlets, including The Huffington Post, and serves as an academic lecturer in the field of applied linguistics. In 2010, Jawhar was named by the Dubai-based Arabian Business
magazine as one of the "World's Most Influential Arabs" by ranking her No. 94 in its "Power 100" list. The magazine also listed her in 2011 as one of the "100 Most Powerful Arab Women."
, to Salama Jawhar and Alia Muhmmad Al-Atayyah. She is the seventh of 11 children with six brothers and four sisters. Her father retired after 40 years in the Ministry of the Interior in the prisons sector and established a furniture-making business. Her brother Asaad Jawhar is a petroleum economics analyst and lecturer at King Abdul Aziz University.
in Newcastle Upon Tyne
, United Kingdom
.
Jawhar worked briefly as an English language teacher at Al-Wastah High School in Madinah, before assuming duties as an English language teacher and language lab supervisor at Al-Abrar Private High School. In 2003, she taught English language conversation courses at Al-Sebai Medical Training Institute in Madinah. In 2006, she served as a lecturer at King Saud bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences, Nursing College, in Jeddah. In 2009, she became an associate fellow in the British Academy of Higher Education. She also served as a lecturer for the Saudi Ministry of Education.
, Lebanon-based Al-Naha Institute and the Professionals Institute in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
She joined the Saudi Gazette
, an English-language general circulation tabloid owned by the Arabic newspaper company Okaz Organization, after an extensive journalism training program. Initially assigned as supervisor to the Ladies’ Department, she was promoted as the newspaper’s first female Jeddah bureau chief.
At the Saudi Gazette she covered from Jeddah the terrorist attacks in Yanbu, Riyadh
, Al-Khobar, Jeddah and Al-Ras between 2003 and 2006. Jawhar also focused on women’s rights, health, politics and economic issues, including directing coverage of the annual Jeddah Economic Forum
.
By 2004, she was writing a weekly column that focused primarily on Saudi domestic issues and Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the international community. Her column has since expanded to such news outlets as The Huffington Post and Arabisto.com, and has evolved to addressing Western audiences rather than Saudi readers. Her columns are archived on her blog, Sabria’s Out of the Box.
, although some Saudi journalists say her views of Saudi society should be categorized more as liberal given the conservative nature of most Saudis. She is equally critical of Islamic and Western extremists and condemns all forms of terrorism. She rejects the label of Islamic Wahhabism
applied to Saudis as a Western invention. Jawhar is a strong believer in the hijab
as a religious obligation, but defends a woman’s right to choose whether to wear one. Similarly, she personally opposes wearing the burqa
, or abaya, in non-Muslim countries but asserts it’s a woman’s choice. Only in Saudi Arabia does she choose to wear the niqab
to honor her cultural background.
Jawhar often writes about women’s rights, including their right to drive an automobile in Saudi Arabia. She also argues for Saudi authorities to loosen male guardianship restrictions on women, but her position on women’s rights is framed within the context of Islam
. She strongly opposes revisions of the Qur’an. But she believes some aspects of Islam are flexible and are subject to modification based on changes in society. She also has written that dress codes, driving and some aspects of male guardianship have been left open to interpretation or not addressed in the Qur’an and should be revisited by Islamic scholars.
Saudi Gazette
Saudi Gazette is the leading English language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. and is currently available both in print and online.As of July 1, 2011, Dr Omar S. Elmershedi is the Saudi Gazette Editor-in-Chief.Managing Editor: Shams Ahsan...
and has an expertise in Arabic/English linguistics. She also writes for English-language news outlets, including The Huffington Post, and serves as an academic lecturer in the field of applied linguistics. In 2010, Jawhar was named by the Dubai-based Arabian Business
Arabian Business
Arabian Business is the Middle East's best selling weekly business magazine. The magazine focuses on the English and Arabic speaking communities and is published in both languages.-Arabian Business:Arabian Business is audited by BPA Worldwide...
magazine as one of the "World's Most Influential Arabs" by ranking her No. 94 in its "Power 100" list. The magazine also listed her in 2011 as one of the "100 Most Powerful Arab Women."
Personal life
Jawhar was born in Madinah, Saudi ArabiaMedina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
, to Salama Jawhar and Alia Muhmmad Al-Atayyah. She is the seventh of 11 children with six brothers and four sisters. Her father retired after 40 years in the Ministry of the Interior in the prisons sector and established a furniture-making business. Her brother Asaad Jawhar is a petroleum economics analyst and lecturer at King Abdul Aziz University.
Education and early career
Following her graduation from high school she attended King Abdul Aziz University in Madinah where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in English language and literature. She earned her master’s degree in Applied Linguistics at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah. In 2009, she was studying for her doctorate degree at the University of Newcastle Upon TyneUniversity of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle University is a major research-intensive university located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. It was established as a School of Medicine and Surgery in 1834 and became the University of Newcastle upon Tyne by an Act of Parliament in August 1963. Newcastle University is...
in Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Jawhar worked briefly as an English language teacher at Al-Wastah High School in Madinah, before assuming duties as an English language teacher and language lab supervisor at Al-Abrar Private High School. In 2003, she taught English language conversation courses at Al-Sebai Medical Training Institute in Madinah. In 2006, she served as a lecturer at King Saud bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences, Nursing College, in Jeddah. In 2009, she became an associate fellow in the British Academy of Higher Education. She also served as a lecturer for the Saudi Ministry of Education.
Journalism career
In 2003-2004, Jawhar turned to journalism, taking intensive courses from the BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon-based Al-Naha Institute and the Professionals Institute in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
She joined the Saudi Gazette
Saudi Gazette
Saudi Gazette is the leading English language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. and is currently available both in print and online.As of July 1, 2011, Dr Omar S. Elmershedi is the Saudi Gazette Editor-in-Chief.Managing Editor: Shams Ahsan...
, an English-language general circulation tabloid owned by the Arabic newspaper company Okaz Organization, after an extensive journalism training program. Initially assigned as supervisor to the Ladies’ Department, she was promoted as the newspaper’s first female Jeddah bureau chief.
At the Saudi Gazette she covered from Jeddah the terrorist attacks in Yanbu, Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
, Al-Khobar, Jeddah and Al-Ras between 2003 and 2006. Jawhar also focused on women’s rights, health, politics and economic issues, including directing coverage of the annual Jeddah Economic Forum
Jeddah Economic Forum
Jeddah Economic Forum is a forum held annually since 1999 during winter in Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia. It has become the region's strategic think tank focusing on regional and international economic and social issues...
.
By 2004, she was writing a weekly column that focused primarily on Saudi domestic issues and Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the international community. Her column has since expanded to such news outlets as The Huffington Post and Arabisto.com, and has evolved to addressing Western audiences rather than Saudi readers. Her columns are archived on her blog, Sabria’s Out of the Box.
Politics
Jawhar considers herself a moderate MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, although some Saudi journalists say her views of Saudi society should be categorized more as liberal given the conservative nature of most Saudis. She is equally critical of Islamic and Western extremists and condemns all forms of terrorism. She rejects the label of Islamic Wahhabism
Wahhabism
Wahhabism is a religious movement or a branch of Islam. It was developed by an 18th century Muslim theologian from Najd, Saudi Arabia. Ibn Abdul Al-Wahhab advocated purging Islam of what he considered to be impurities and innovations...
applied to Saudis as a Western invention. Jawhar is a strong believer in the hijab
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
as a religious obligation, but defends a woman’s right to choose whether to wear one. Similarly, she personally opposes wearing the burqa
Burqa
A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
, or abaya, in non-Muslim countries but asserts it’s a woman’s choice. Only in Saudi Arabia does she choose to wear the niqab
Niqab
A niqab is a cloth which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb...
to honor her cultural background.
Jawhar often writes about women’s rights, including their right to drive an automobile in Saudi Arabia. She also argues for Saudi authorities to loosen male guardianship restrictions on women, but her position on women’s rights is framed within the context of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. She strongly opposes revisions of the Qur’an. But she believes some aspects of Islam are flexible and are subject to modification based on changes in society. She also has written that dress codes, driving and some aspects of male guardianship have been left open to interpretation or not addressed in the Qur’an and should be revisited by Islamic scholars.