Men do not say the names of their girlfriends, mothers, sisters or wives in public. "A man can blackmail another if he knows the name of his mother." Combating this use is one way to make women "visible" and assert their rights.

Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Twitter initiative of a group of Saudis who want to break the tradition by which a man can never say the name of his girlfriend- mother, sister or wife - in public is spreading via the writing of their mothers’ names. It 'a way to express their affection, they explain.

In fact, never saying the name of Saudi women is one of many ways that tend to make them "invisible", not just physically. Fighting this tradition is therefore a way to highlight their quality as human beings.

"By not mentioning the name of your mother – read one tweet published by Arab News a few days ago - is the first step towards the denial of the rights of Saudi women." "Women’s names have always been an obsession of Saudi men. They are ashamed if people know the name of their mother, sister or wife. A man can ransom another, if he knows his mother's name "

It is a reminder that "the Prophet was not ashamed of the name of his mother and King Abdulaziz used to call himself Akho Noura, which in Arabic means the brother of Noura."

• saudia
• arabia
• twitter
• women's
• rights
• tradition
• sharia