Last week I received a call from the BBC’s Scottish Service asking about Saudi Arabia’s newly formed autonomous National Human Rights Association. The formation of the association has been noticed around the world and the international media has been quick to comment. The BBC caller had essentially three questions: Is it just a cosmetic measure by the government? Is it because of increased American pressure? Is it simply a vehicle to ease Saudi Arabia’s accession to the WTO?

My answer to all three questions was an emphatic no. I explained that for everything there is a time, and the time for this association in this country had definitely come. The government has given its approval to the setting up of the 41-member body. Of that number, 25 percent are women, which itself refutes a number of allegations regularly made abroad about discrimination and the absence of rights in the Kingdom.

In addition, the fact that Crown Prince Abdullah met some of the members and assured them of the government’s backing and support is a further indication that the association’s studies and recommendations will be taken seriously.

I must make two observations. First, 10 of the association’s members are women and those whom I know personally have always advocated full rights for woman according to the teachings of Islam. Second, the male members are honest, God-fearing and brave individuals who love their country and are not afraid to speak out for what is right in the face of injustice. And this is certainly an appropriate time to do just that. As I told the caller, the time for the association had come and the government is right to have established it in full view of everyone in the Kingdom and abroad.

All the citizens of this country know that mistakes have been made. After all, mistakes are part of the very nature of human beings. It is equally a part of human nature to correct mistakes, and the association should serve as a stimulus to getting that done. Once mistakes are recognized, then action can be taken to eliminate them and make sure that they do not recur. In light of this, it is important that the association works diligently to ensure that all human rights are protected — and when I say “all human rights,” I mean the rights of every person in the country, Saudi and non-Saudi, Muslim and non-Muslim.

Of equal importance must be a willingness to learn from others, whether individuals or organizations. Our human rights association should look at how similar bodies function in other countries, taking what is relevant and useful for us and leaving aside what is not. There is no harm in doing so; indeed it will save us from inventing the wheel all over again. We should also cooperate with Amnesty International on the world stage and with various Asian and Arab groups regionally.

I was very impressed by the words of Dr. Suhaila Zainul Abideen when she called on all the women members of the association to play an active role. She pointed out that the protection of human rights was essential for social reform. Social reform, as I have said many times, is only that: Changing what needs to be changed in society and in our social relations. An important part of this is realizing the differences between what is socially based in our culture and what is religiously based. The former may be changed while the latter may not.

Another of the women members, Dr. Hana Al-Mutlaq, will focus on the rights — and plights — of women and children. She has a difficult job ahead of her. These are the sections of society that are most in need of help. Many are deprived, dispossessed and alone. The focus must be on wives who have been abused, on divorced women who have been denied access to their children and on children who have also been abused. The numbers of such cases are staggering and shame all of us who are Muslim. Along the same lines, we must not overlook the problems of foreign women married to Saudi men. They and their children must be looked after and cared for in a humane fashion — which is, I regret to say, not always the case at present.

As the editor in chief of an English-language newspaper, I receive many letters from women in all walks of life who are regularly subjected to both mental and physical cruelty. It is painful to me that I am often unable to offer any help beyond words of compassion. These kinds of things must stop in Saudi Arabia. They have no place in our country, our religion or our culture. Human rights, as I mentioned above, are the rights of every single person within the Kingdom’s boundaries. It is no use chanting over and over that Islam gives rights to all. I do not dispute that, but it is human beings who must implement those rights, and it is human beings who often fail to do so. We want to see the values of Islam implemented and see those values and teachings affect the lives of everyone in Saudi Arabia.

There is no doubt that the association has much to do. As Dr. Abdul Qader Tash has said, one of its most important jobs will be to use the media to enlighten the public. And the media must make itself available for that purpose. The media has its role to play in informing and explaining things for the public. Radio, TV and print media has a responsibility to disseminate facts and correct information. We have had enough of the media hailing and praising. It is time for it to provide some constructive criticism and to critically appraise the whole exercise of human rights. With this newly formed association, we in Saudi Arabia have a powerful weapon against those who slander and libel us, our country and our religion. I can only pray that we will use that weapon openly, wisely and well.