Married Saudi Females, Keep Your Mobile Phone Charged!

[Frances_iom]

When I used to fly from IoM to Heathrow in the early 80s we were also coached to the Irish gate and had to pass past the special branch behind their one way windows - no ID was required but in the early days you had to fill out a form on arrival when landing at the old Liverpool Airport but for Heathrow + later for Liverpool you had to provide details in advance to the airline, presumably the passenger manifest was checked by Special Branch.

[Richard Tarleton]

Presumably if you did (on the grounds that the carrier would want to check identity), you'd also need to show travel/identity docs if travelling by train to Scotland (airlines and ferries were only mentioned by the Passport Office as examples)!? Or Wales.

In the old days you could often find yourself travelling in company with any combination of Ian Paisley, Enoch Powell, Gerry Fitt, Sir John Hermon or similar, chatting amicably to eachother.

[Beef Oven!]

In that regard, the current case of young Saudi national, Ms Rahaf al-Qunun as reported on the BBC News website, is an interesting one. At this moment, she's resisting being sent back to Kuwait where her family is waiting for her. She wants to seek asylum in Australia. She fears that having renounced Islam, her father will kill her. Freedom of religion is not protected by Saudi law and the crime of apostasy is punishable by execution.

But the Saudi's haven't executed anyone for apostasy for some time - is this a sign that the regime is liberalising or just managing outsider perception of their country?

Good news reported on the BBC News Website

[Dave2002]

Good news reported on the BBC News Website

But this is of considerable concern - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-46818237

[french frank]

But this is of considerable concern - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-46818237

A very sobering read. There is a continuum, worldwide, of misogynistic, anti-feminist feelings from the extreme (and could anywhere be much worse than Saudi Arabia?) to the 'milder' western 'developed' countries where, even where men don't control their own women-folk to a similar extent, governments may, and organisational constructs do, favour men over women, and individual males treat women, known to them and unknown, with brutality and contempt. It should be called out wherever it occurs.

[Beef Oven!]

A very sobering read. There is a continuum, worldwide, of misogynistic, anti-feminist feelings from the extreme (and could anywhere be much worse than Saudi Arabia?) to the 'milder' western 'developed' countries where, even where men don't control their own women-folk to a similar extent, governments may, and organisational constructs do, favour men over women, and individual males treat women, known to them and unknown, with brutality and contempt. It should be called out wherever it occurs.

Indeed, precisely the reason why this thread was started.

[Anastasius]

Ideas and Theory. The theoretical question here does not ostensibly concern Muslims or the Middle East. It concerns the idea that citizens, wherever and whoever they are, should have by law to make a purchase from a private company in order to function equally. I oppose any legislation - or systemic change - which makes it a formal requirement to own a mobile phone. Should it happen here - for example, in enabling a shift in basic money transactions so that payments at Tesco etc can only be made by mobile phone - I will go to the courts on human rights grounds. That has long been my position and will continue to be. If there was a nationalised mobile phone company in parallel, it would be a greyer area but only slightly. Incidentally, I have never texted. I don't know how to text and do not have an aspiration to learn how to text. Nor do I intend to be forced for no good reason into acquiring that "skill".

Lat, I don't know how much online buying you do but if you use a credit card from either Visa or Mastercard then very soon you will need to have a mobile phone to complete the purchase as they will send you a text to your mobile which you then have to enter into your computer. I really am surprised that the media hasn't picked up on this because it means that anyone without a mobile signal has now been effectively cut off from online purchases when this is implemented in March IIRC. Bad news IMO.

[Serial_Apologist]

Lat, I don't know how much online buying you do but if you use a credit card from either Visa or Mastercard then very soon you will need to have a mobile phone to complete the purchase as they will send you a text to your mobile which you then have to enter into your computer. I really am surprised that the media hasn't picked up on this because it means that anyone without a mobile signal has now been effectively cut off from online purchases when this is implemented in March IIRC. Bad news IMO.

The Powers That Be just couldn't care less any more. What a world we're now entering. Typical!

[oddoneout]

Lat, I don't know how much online buying you do but if you use a credit card from either Visa or Mastercard then very soon you will need to have a mobile phone to complete the purchase as they will send you a text to your mobile which you then have to enter into your computer. I really am surprised that the media hasn't picked up on this because it means that anyone without a mobile signal has now been effectively cut off from online purchases when this is implemented in March IIRC. Bad news IMO.

Currently email is used for sending such codes - will that option be removed totally? Ironically for someone who only buys online less than once in a blue moon and only when all other options have been ruled out, I recently got caught up in all this tiresomeness. A code was sent via email, but the process of accessing it lost me my access to the order I needed it for so I ended up having to phone anyway to sort it all out. The credit card payment went through, but prompted a stick waving email from the card provider that my details were incomplete and that if they didn't have my mobile number I wouldn't be able to pay online in future. Giving the card company that number involved telephoning a number which they didn't give and I had to find by trail and error(at my expense) - but then didn't get me any further because they wanted my 'memorable word' before they would engage further. I'd never needed to use this since it was set years ago and so couldn't remember it. At this point I found it almost impossible to keep my temper and remember that the person I was speaking to so fruitlessly was not the person who had created this situation. It did eventually get sorted, but whether it will serve any purpose a year or two later when I am next forced to order online who knows? I've already forgotten my memorable word and I expect my mobile(what is known in current parlance as a dumb phone I believe and hardly ever used) will probably no longer be recognised by the system sending the code, so I'll be excluded by default.

[french frank]

Currently email is used for sending such codes - will that option be removed totally?

In some case you get an automated phone message e.g. from Apple, giving you a code number. Sometimes. also, you're asked how you would like to receive the code - email or phone. But having resisted the pressures [sic] to get a mobile, I have found that it allows me to do things I do want to do and I seldom use it for phone calls or text messages. I know there's something called VoiceMail somewhere, but I've no idea how to access it or who would be using it to contact me. If they're expecting a response, they're out of luck.

[Serial_Apologist]

Currently email is used for sending such codes - will that option be removed totally? Ironically for someone who only buys online less than once in a blue moon and only when all other options have been ruled out, I recently got caught up in all this tiresomeness. A code was sent via email, but the process of accessing it lost me my access to the order I needed it for so I ended up having to phone anyway to sort it all out. The credit card payment went through, but prompted a stick waving email from the card provider that my details were incomplete and that if they didn't have my mobile number I wouldn't be able to pay online in future. Giving the card company that number involved telephoning a number which they didn't give and I had to find by trail and error(at my expense) - but then didn't get me any further because they wanted my 'memorable word' before they would engage further. I'd never needed to use this since it was set years ago and so couldn't remember it. At this point I found it almost impossible to keep my temper and remember that the person I was speaking to so fruitlessly was not the person who had created this situation. It did eventually get sorted, but whether it will serve any purpose a year or two later when I am next forced to order online who knows? I've already forgotten my memorable word and I expect my mobile(what is known in current parlance as a dumb phone I believe and hardly ever used) will probably no longer be recognised by the system sending the code, so I'll be excluded by default.

This is the reaction I always experience when being forced to deal with this sort of thing. I always end up feeling ill and having to lie down and drop any further activity involving mental exertion for the remainder of the day. I have a heart condition, and it wouldn't surprise me if a future recurrence of being put in such a tight spot results in my demise.