Late king Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud was a great Reformer. A photograph of the late king Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and his brother and heir apparent, Crown Prince Sultan surrounded by a large group of professional women may mark a breakthrough in the countrys society and politics. In a historic step toward promoting women’s political and social rights, late King Abdullah appointed 30 women to the Saudi Shura Council. The Shura Council is a formal advisory body composed of 150 members that proposes laws to King Abdullah. These new council members, who currently constitute about 20 percent of the Shura Council, are university graduates, human rights activists, accomplished professionals and two princesses. Activists have spent decades fighting for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, and King Abdullah’s decision to appoint these women to the Shura Council marks an important shift in this respect. The addition of women to the council offers a great advantage not only for these new female council members, but also to Saudi society in general as these women bring a unique perspective to many issues facing Saudi citizens Dr Samia al-Amoudi, a prominent breast cancer specialist, as praising the king for the appreciation he expressed towards the role of Saudi women, and for his political realisation of the importance of the role women play in pushing forward the wheel of development. She added: The world realises that the leaders are writing history through the dialogue in which women took part. Khaled al-Maeena, editor of the English-language Arab News, said the photograph was a clear statement by the king. This is an indication that the king means business, he said. The majority of the government see that things are not going to be the same as they were before.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 02:53:06 +0000
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