Sociology

A Comparison between Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom in terms of culture, freedom and gender roles
Migration from one nation to another is increasingly becoming a common practice across the globe. This has been attributed to reasons like search for better life, education, freedom and cultural change. Different nations have different lifestyles. This has been closely attributed with the differences of constitutional laws, types of governance and levels of civilization. Other factors factoring in such difference are religious, ethnic, cultural and social and political stability difference among nations.

A comparison of life in the United Kingdom and in the Saudi Arabian republic indicates a great difference. Saudi Arabia is mainly an Islamic nation whose governance is well defined in its Islamic law constitution is compromised by religious beliefs (Long, 2005). UK on the other side boasts a clear distinction between religion and the state (Jirage, 2010). This gives its citizens more rights of choice thus making them more liberal. Still, the people of United Kingdom practice the culture of change more than are those of Saudi Arabia.

This essay is written as a discussion comparing between Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom. The author in particular takes a look at the similarities and differences between the two nations in terms of culture, freedom and gender roles.

Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom have many differences. The two nations have what sounds to be a similarity in that they all uphold respect for life and negation of criminal activities (Jirage, 2010, Long, 2005). However, the perception of life and crime are quite different in these nations. The Saudi Arabia constitution is written according to the Islamic law (Mobaraki  Soderfeldt, 2010). This means that most of the concepts of life as defined in the Koran are deem fundamental. In this perception the question of abortion is a crime punishable by death (Mobaraki  Soderfeldt, 2010). Still, according to Saudi Arabia suicide can sometime amount to holiness thus having constitutional contradict. This culture is quite different from that of UK.

According to the culture of UK, life is a fundamental right of any one. However, freedom of choice particularly on the question of abortion is respected (Jirage, 2010). Death must be natural and thus no act of suicide is considered holier than another. This can be sufficiently explained by the fact that the constitution of United Kingdom is not based on any religious belief. Another difference is found in the culture of dealing with crime in the two nations. In the UK, criminal acts are subject to the rule of law which effectively defines the rights of a crime offender. On the other hand, in Saudi Arabia, crime is mainly subjected to the rule of the Islamic law (long, 2005). This evidently compromises the rights of the criminals to legal defence.

On youth culture, Saudi Arabia has prohibits the youth from engaging in certain lifestyles. As an example, it is a criminal offence for ladies not to fully cover their bodies (Mobaraki  Soderfeldt, 2010). This is basically defined under the provisions of the Islamic law. Victims of such are commonly seen as prostitutes. However, in the UK dress code remains a matter of choice by an individual (Jirage, 2010). According to the western civilization it is a normal or basic right of the youth to demand their rights from their parents. This practice is basically evident in the open relationships that exist between parents and their kids. Nevertheless, things are quite different in Saudi Arabia particularly for the girl child. 

Behaviour among the youths of Saudi Arabia is quite different from UK. Sex before marriage is a serious crime in Saudi Arabia that is punishable by death (Mobaraki  Soderfeldt, 2010). Still, this means that the nations culture is based on zero tolerance to immorality. On the other side, the UK culture regards sex as a right of choice. In fact it is a common culture among the people of UK that sex among the youth is a sign of maturity and self-realisation by the individuals. Socialising and partying is quite common among the youths of UK. This is however regarded as a vice in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, unlike in the UK, acting in self interest even when not offending others is a vice in Saudi Arabia.

Another major different between UK and Saudi Arabia is found in the provisions for right to freedom. Freedom has been established as one of the most fundamental rights for every one to enjoy. Of all rights, the right to expression is very importance as it mitigates oppression in the society (Sullivan, 2006). Individuals in the UK enjoy this right of expression not only at the individual and family levels but also at the government level. Here, an individual can stand for or against any law or policy affecting them. However, in Saudi Arabia, the freedom of expression is very limited if any (Moaddel, 2002). Families are bound to adhere to decisions by men regardless of whether such decisions are offensive. Critics of government policies in Saudi Arabia are termed as criminals in Saudi Arabia.

Religion is by nature a matter of individual choice. In the UK, the law which ensures law and order in the community is non religious (Jirage, 2010). Therefore, it is a basic human right to choice the type of religion to practice or even to choice not to practice any. In the case of Saudi Arabia, the law is fundamentally based on the Islamic religion (Long. 2005). This means that all members of the nation must practice Islamic. It is in fact due to this reason that other religions like Christianity are quite unpopular. Evidence has shown that those who practice other religions in the American nation do so in secret as they can be subjected to punishment by death if notice. This is a negation of an individual right to religion.

Freedom of want and fear is crucial in ensuring happiness, comfort and acceptability in the society. This is because it is by getting what you want that makes ones life complete. In the United Kingdom, individuals enjoy the freedom of want and expression of fear provided it does not offend others (Jirage, 2010). Even children here have the right to say what they want and what they dont want under the constitutional provision for freedom of choice. However, in Saudi Arabia, the freedom of want is only limited to the Islamic law. Under this law one must always choose what does not violate Allah and Mohammed His prophet.

The last set of difference between UK and Saudi Arabia are gender roles. The campaign for gender equality has been a heated debate in the community. However, true to the letter, whether men and women must be equal or not should remain an issue of individual perception. By virtual of the fact that we are all human beings, we should all enjoy equal human rights. This is what has been perceived in most Islamic nations as a misleading concept of western civilization seeking to destroy Islam.

In Saudi Arabia, women are seen as property by men who should only serve in the house. Women here are rarely allowed to work and even own property (Mobaraki  Soderfeldt, 2010). Indeed, it is due to this reason that the girl child enjoys limited or no rights to education. Still, the Saudi Arabia nation discriminates women on the religious front, at workplace and more in politics and leadership. Another thing is that by the fact that men are seen as the head of the family, they provide for all family needs as well as make decisions in the family. It remains a contradictory notion in Saudi Arabia that a woman should drive a car as it symbolises power and leadership (Mobaraki  Soderfeldt, 2010).

On the side of gender roles in the UK, men and women are virtually seen as equal members of the human community. This makes women enjoy equal employment opportunities (Jirage, 2010). Such are a direct result of UK nations recognition that individuals should be discriminated based on abilities rather than gender. On equality, unlike in Saudi Arabia, a woman can file a divorce case against her husband. This is quite indicative of the fact that in UK, both women and men can serve both the role of serving or commanding.

In conclusion, it has been established that there are many differences between Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom in terms of culture, freedom and gender roles in the community. The Saudi Arabian nation has a culture that is embedded in the Islamic faith (Mobaraki  Soderfeldt, 2010). This is further complicated by the constitution which is also written according to the Islamic law. The nation has limited rights to freedom particular on women. Still, Saudi Arabia is evidently practicing discrimination against women by limiting their roles only to family matters.

UK on the other side recognises the importance of separating the law from religion. This gives its citizens a liberal culture that is not limited by government interference but by individual choice. The nation recognises the right of its people to express their grievances on government policies affecting them (Jirage, 2010). And lastly the nation upholds equality for all in the society thus allowing women to do anything a man does.