Abdullah the reformer strikes again

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia continues to confirm my hopes that he is a reformer at heart. Today, whilst looking through the online news pages I stumbled upon a headline which made me smile broadly: Saudi Arabia's Timid Flirtation With Women's Rights. The article reports that today Saudi Arabia made history by naming 30 women to the Shura Council (the closest body Saudi Arabia has to a parliament). What is more, new laws mandate that from now on women must make up at least 20% of the 150-200 person council.


Saudi Arabia's Shura Council meets for the first time with

women members

I don't usually critique the headlines that inspire my articles but I do believe the journalist behind this headline has been a little harsh on King Abdullah. This is the second landmark decision in favour of women's rights to come out of the Kingdom in the last 6 months, the first being the decision to allow women to participate in London 2012.

Both the olympics decision and this recent development at the Shura Council marks exponential improvements in policies towards women in the Kingdom. When evaluating King Abdullah in the context of women's rights one has to be aware of the current baseline, and the sometimes vehement opposition to change which in many ways defines Saudi Arabia. Allowing women to join the Shura Council is more than a "timid flirtation" with reforms for women. I believe it is part of a steady effort to implement sustainable change for the better. Bold reforms in Saudi will cause bold backlashes. Gradual change is by far the best policy in a country with many citizens who believe in striving to combat change in favour of living as they did during the golden age of Islam (622 - 632 AD).

My conclusion is simple. This is good news for Saudi Arabia, but there is obviously a long way to go. Some of you will remember the article I posted recently about arranged marriages in the Kingdom and the need to implement reforms in this area. Nonetheless, I will now watch with tempered excitement as to where this latest development could lead, both in terms of other changes up the King's sleeve and the potential knock on effects of opening up further public administration roles for women.