The announcement was met with enthusiasm by women's rights activists who see this as a sign of more reform. In commenting on the announcement one activist said:
"Women's voices will be heard finally," she said. "Now it's time to remove other barriers like not allowing women to drive cars and not being able to function and live a normal life without a male guardian."
The announcement comes after a growing freedom movement in the Middle East known as the Arab Spring that has toppled the Mubarak regime in Egypt, lead to a successful revolution in Libya and led to escalating violence in Yemen and Syria. The decision may well be an attempt to lessen pro-democracy backlash in Saudi Arabia.
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3 comments:
It is still a step forward for women, even if it isn't for the best reasons. Progress is still progress. Now they just need to be able to drive so they don't have to rely on a male to get them where they need to go to vote.
I agree that it's a step forward. King Abdullah has been relatively progressive while trying to maintain his position as an Islamic leader in the conservative homeland of the Muslim religion. I think he's trying to gradually introduce freedoms that women and other groups are demanding in a slow, controlled way that allows him to keep civil unrest to a minimum.
By Western standards, its a tiny step forward. As Americans, we need to understand that Islamic countries will likely remain comparatively conservative to Western standards. While there are some rights/freedoms we believe should be universal, we need to try to understand Islamic culture instead of imposing our ideals upon it. The more we judge and criticize, the more hostility will be build and calcify in the relationships between the Western and Islamic worlds.
Definitely a step in the right direction, but more progress is well over due. Women play an essential role, its time they see it. I applaud Abdullah but I urge more reform.
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