Saudi king: Women will be allowed to vote

[Chrystal-J]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/25/world/mea ... ?hpt=hp_t2

(CNN) -- Women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to vote and run for office in future municipal elections, King Abdullah announced Sunday.

In an address on Saudi state TV, the king said women will be allowed to nominate candidates for the next set of municipal elections. Although he did not use the word "vote," allowing women to take part in the nomination process would amount to voting within Saudi Arabia's system.

[demgirl]

It's a start... it's something. Of course, it de facto only allows some women to vote -- those with fathers and husbands permissive enough to allow them do so. And I'm not going to be all "Oh, Saudi Arabia! You're so progressive!" cause, let's face it, it's a country where it's still legal for a father to drown his daughter in the family swimming pool for being seen showing too much skin, or talking to a male non-relative.

[Chrystal-J]

And I don't think women can drive a car there either.

[Lillybee]

I would say it is about time but I don't think this is really going to make a difference in the life of Saudi women.

[Stanley]

That country really needs a revolution like the one's in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. No one family should be allowed to rule a country for nearly 100 years. I wonder if the king's rapist nephew will ever be put on trial for the incident on the yacht in Ibiza. They are true scumbags.

[Boogalou]

Well, welcome to the early 20th century, I guess. It's kind of too little, too late, but something is better than nothing.

[emmiedahl]

I wonder if it will be like Jordan, where fundamentalists tried to demand that female candidates not be allowed to speak or be seen in public, and then tried to kill the one who insisted on being in a debate (in full hijab, of course, and I think she was actually behind a wall as well).

[Daenerys]

It's a small step, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

[let-them-eat-cake]

Even if it's just words, it might, down the road, shift Saudi's perspectives at least a little. Which is better than nothing.

[FloraDoraDolly]

I would say it is about time but I don't think this is really going to make a difference in the life of Saudi women.

Between the royal family and the clerics, it's not as if the Saudi men have a lot of freedom, either.

[xReems]

It is a huge step, especially for Saudi Arabia, but even when it's put into effect, not everyone will follow it. There are middle eastern countries where they have attempted to create laws where Honor Killings will lead to a serious offense but with a little bribe money and excuses, officers can hide it. It's going to be a while before we see drastic changes in this country. This is the same country where a woman cannot leave her home without a guardian or husband.

[emmiedahl]

The Saudi government is really getting worried about the upheaval around them. From what I read, they are hoping to appease a lot of pissed off women with this. However, it is interesting that the women won't be allowed to vote until 2015. Since they still cannot drive much less go to the grocery store without the husband's formal permission, I wonder if the king is trying to shut them up until the storm passes, and then quietly remove the voting right before the next election.

I guess we'll see if this is a move in the right direction or just a way of keeping the peace.

[Chrystal-J]

How does anything get done there? You'd have to wait until your husband gets home from work to go grocery shopping, to the doctor, picking up your kids from school or anything else that requires leaving the house. How time consuming.

[keen23]

Any family with money employs a driver and other house servants (commonly people from the Philippines come in as servants) . Families without money aren't so lucky, and yeah, the women get stuck in the house. Woe to the woman whose husband dies and leaves her only with daughters- she's totally SOL.

[Kitty]

Any family with money employs a driver and other house servants (commonly people from the Philippines come in as servants) . Families without money aren't so lucky, and yeah, the women get stuck in the house. Woe to the woman whose husband dies and leaves her only with daughters- she's totally SOL.

I don't know about Saudi Arabia, but in other countries it's common for parents to dress one daughter up as a boy, and that "boy" can accompany "his" mother outside, work, etc. that women usually wouldn't be able to do. I saw one documentary where one young woman in Saudi Arabia disguised herself as a man so she could go out and ride her bike. Wouldn't surprise me if that happens, at least in poorer families.

Edited for clarity.

[Chrystal-J]

I don't know about Saudi Arabia, but in other countries it's common for parents to dress one daughter up as a boy, and that "boy" can accompany "his" mother outside, work, etc. that women usually wouldn't be able to do. I saw one documentary where one young woman in Saudi Arabia disguised herself as a man so she could go out and ride her bike. Wouldn't surprise me if that happens, at least in poorer families.

What a bunch of games to play just to go to the grocery store.

[deelaem]

Between the royal family and the clerics, it's not as if the Saudi men have a lot of freedom, either.

Please don't give us a "poor men" statement. Saudi men don't get murdered legally for minor "moral" infractions. Saudi men can work outside the home. Saudi men are considered to be human beings instead of chattel.

[pomology]

I saw in the NY Times that the Saudi king said that he was taking this action because he didn't want women to be marginalized in their society. :?: Uh... not allowing women to drive and making them have chaperones in public marginalizing them, kthx, King Abdullah. Also, if you're so against women driving, then stop being a motherfucking hypocrite and lining your pockets with the money you get from American women drivers. Or, far, far, better, just let Saudi women drive.

[Lillybee]

I read, today that a Saudi woman is being brought to trial for the crime of driving a car.

[myanimus]

I hope it actually happens, I'm excited for them.