Arab countries have respect for women. They have their own way of showing it. A famous Arab saying: "If you do well by mothers, you will build civilizations."
How much respect do you think women get when they think they're handed respect by showing off their tits and butts in public? I think that's much more disrespectful. Hence, the #MeToo movement.
Having choice is respect, but making the wrong decision with that ability and thinking you have respect is stupid.
That's one theory, sure. But freedom of choice and freedom to make mistakes is, no matter how you slice it, a greater degree of respect for agency and freewill, including the negative consequences, than having a phrase that boils down to 'women will be respected if they know their place as child bearers' which is another way of looking at that famous arab saying you quoted.
Not that I'm singling arabs out here, or saying that all of them have the same backwards view of the word.
There's broken groups, cultures and societies worldwide that will claim the sun shines out of their arse's as they take a massive shit on huge swathes of people. No country is free of such people.
From my own experience, the reality is far more hit and miss amongst the hundreds of arab/muslim people I've known both personally and professionally.
Having worked in the education system and knowing others who work in Social Services in the UK, it certainly seems to often not work in practice and results in a disproportionate amount of abuse, violence and overt sexism both towards native women and their own wives, daughters and mothers.
It's simply a more common problem amongst that group from my experience, I can't pretend otherwise, but far from unique or even the worst offenders.
I've seen the same utter contempt for women amongst pretty much everyone to a lesser or greater degree.
If I had to identify one common thread between those I've seen or known of acting that way, it's a blasé acceptance of the behavior by their peers combined with overly strict social conventions that dictate behavior, be it a religious doctrine, traditional values or simple economic pressure.
