Saudi women win right to vote

[Misanthrope]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204010604576592552009343940.html


In a short speech that was broadcast on Saudi television on Sunday, King Abdullah said the decision to give a bigger political say to women was taken after consulting with the kingdom's top religious clerics, who have previously knocked back government initiatives to move forward on social issues involving women.

Though the changes are relatively modest, analysts said they signal that the king intends to move ahead with the cautious social reforms he has championed since acceding to the throne in 2005.


Saudi women remain veiled and segregated and are forbidden to drive or to obtain their own identity cards. Women need written permission from a male relative in order to travel abroad

Progress, no matter how small is still good I guess, right?

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Better than nothing I suppose, still doesn't change how fucked up Saudi law is though.

[Tablo]

This is a huge and ground breaking change for Saudi Arabia. While in comparison to the rest of the world this is a small step, this truly represents a major change for Saudi Arabia and a serious blow against extreme conservative Islam in the middle-east.

[Le Libérer]

Its a start. Maybe now women can vote to change the laws that bind them such as not being allowed to drive.

[Rising Sun]

Long overdue

[Veovis]

Big deal. What good is voting if your country has a near-absolute monarch whose word is backed up by 'god' and can reverse policy on a whim?

[Misanthrope]

Big deal. What good is voting if your country has a near-absolute monarch whose word is backed up by 'god' and can reverse policy on a whim?

It's the social progress that is good.

[Tablo]

Long overdue
It is indeed quite overdue, but for Saudi Arabia, the most sexist nation on Earth, this is a big deal. I'm quite excited seeing these changes. The world is truly changing in a radical way.

[jake williams]

The most important thing about this is not the nominal right to vote in mostly irrelevant elections several years in the future. The most important thing about this is that very brave protests by Saudi women in the face of a very repressive state are already forcing concessions.

More to come.

[Tablo]

The most important thing about this is not the nominal right to vote in mostly irrelevant elections several years in the future. The most important thing about this is that very brave protests by Saudi women in the face of a very repressive state are already forcing concessions.

More to come.
So very true. This is primarily a show of power for Saudi women, despite a lack of true power even with some election rights. This is a major stride for feminism in the Middle-east.

[blackandyellow]

When women were first given the vote in Britain in 1918 (many were still excluded on propetty rights), they still faced tremendous discrimination, however, no one would argue it wasnt a step in the right direction.

[Ocean Seal]

The most important thing about this is not the nominal right to vote in mostly irrelevant elections several years in the future. The most important thing about this is that very brave protests by Saudi women in the face of a very repressive state are already forcing concessions.

More to come.
This is the most and only important part. Its the symbolic end of things in the end. The fact that they were able to force a concession on the state. And that they've become equals to men in at least one important (symbolically) respect.

[Rafiq]

As if voting changes anything in that country anyway.

I didn't even know that they had fucking voting.

[Zealot]

Cool, how about another reform that gives them something to vote for because the royal family is still going to hold absolute political power, so this seems to be an essentially useless reform. According to John Perkins the House of Saud was guaranteed to be kept in power by the U.S after accepting a trade deal. I'm not sure what merit such a claim holds but I wouldn't be surprised if it was true and, if it is, don't expect radical changes any time soon.