“Because we refuse to marginalize women in society in all roles that comply with sharia [Islamic law], we have decided … to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from the next term,” King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia said in a five-minute speech to his advisors.
He added: “Women will be able to run as candidates” in the 2015 municipal election “and will even have a right to vote.”
– LA TIMES
Things are changing in the ultra-conservative nation of Saudi Arabia, and they’re changing for the better. Women are standing up for their undeniable rights, and they are gaining the right to vote and run for public office. Although this seems very late, remember that American women only fully gained the vote in 1920.
While discriminatory laws and mores still exist in Saudi Arabia (i.e. women are not allowed to drive, men are not allowed to work in lingerie stores, only 5% of women make up the workforce, etc.), many believe that this bold reform could open the door for broader, sweeping changes for all Saudi Arabian women’s rights.
It is a slow change, but at least it is happening. It is only as late as 2009 that Saudi Arabia began regulating the common practice of marrying off child brides, a tradition that is comparable to the sex trade. Although it is not formalized, at least there has been a backlash against these simple, yet politically-ignored civil rights abuses.
The women of Saudi Arabi have been fierce by our definition of a fierce woman! They are fighting for these rights, and they are being very smart about it. They are turning to social media to unveil these ongoing human rights abuses. Twitter and Facebook accounts are helping women share their views on their world. They really are creating a woman’s world in Saudia Arabia, slowly but surely. How are you making your own woman’s world? Let us know in the comments and look out for our upcoming fierce woman of the month!