Raj’s Comments (group member since Sep 23, 2011)

Raj’s comments from the Q&A with Raj Kumar on Sharaf group.

Kate wrote: "Hi Raj, I was wondering what you thought of the recent news that women in Saudi Arabia will be able to vote. Will it have an impact on other areas of their lives?"

Kate you will be happy to hear that things are moving forward in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi King Abdullah appointed 30 women to the previously all-male consultative Shura Council in decrees published on Friday, marking a historic first as he pushes reforms in the ultra-conservative kingdom.
The decrees, published by the official SPA news agency, give women a 20 per cent quota in the Shura Council, a body appointed by the king to advise him on policy and legislation.
One decree amended an article in the council's statute to give women representation on the body while the other named the 150 members, among them 30 women.
King Abdullah took the decisions following consultations with religious leaders in the kingdom, where women are subjected to many restrictions and are not allowed to mix with men, according to the decrees published by the SPA.
They stipulate that men and women will be segregated inside the council, with a special area designated for females who will enter through a separate door so as not to mix with their male colleagues.

Saudi women are still not allowed to drive in the Kingdom one never knows what King Abdullah might do next year.

That is a very interesting question Kate. The present king who is regarded by Saudis as a reformer, has indeed decreed that women would be allowed to vote and run as candidates in elections for municipal councils starting in 2015. He has also promised to appoint women after two years to the Shura Council, the currently all-male consultative body with no legislative powers.

Although this is a major step forward and so should be welcomed, one has to look at the gesture in the context of the Arab Spring. The King has to be seen to be making some moves towards appeasing the west and his people with long over due reforms. It is sad that in the very same article it was reported that several women have been apprehended and will stand trial for driving in public.

So if one were to extrapolate from this - for the elected woman to serve on the council and hold office, she will still have to rely on her husband / father or son to drive her to these meetings. Of course she can take a taxi but for her to leave the home, she will still need to seek permission from the male head of the household, as she will to participate in the elections. If this permission is not given then the reforms are meaningless.

If a woman is indeed elected to hold office having overcome these restrictions then it will be interesting to see if she will be allowed to debate in the chamber with the other male delegates, with or without a veil or will she have to be in another room and participate via a television hook up?

One decree does not change the world the Saudi women live in or will have far reaching or lasting consequences in an absolute monarchy that is heavily influenced by the religious council. But let us hope this tiny step is one of many for the women of Saudi Arabia.

Hello readers. There is some good news fron Saudi Arabia that I want to share with you. King Abdullah has decreed that women would be allowed for the first time to vote and run as candidates in elections for municipal councils starting in 2015. This is a HUGE step forward. Sadly however in the same article it has been reported that several women caught driving in the kingdom will face trial.