From CDHR
November 14, 2007
Oppression and Marginalization of Saudi Women
By Ali Alyami
Saudi reforms are a charade at best, contrary to the deceptive and misleading pronouncements by the Saudi government and it propagandists in Europe and the US. King Abdullah has initiated high-profile changes such as the formation of government human rights agencies, national dialogue, and the partial and exclusionary municipal elections in 2005 (women, anyone under 21 and all members of security and military personnel were barred). The king also announced the building of economic cities, called women his “mothers, wives, sisters and daughters”, and even relaxed stifling censorship on media (as long as the ruling family is not criticized). Despite these steps, very little, if anything, has truly changed. In reality, Abdullah has been reinforcing his family’s total grip on the country more than any of his predecessors. Nothing could testify more to the lack of progress on the ground than the appalling continuing marginalization and condescending treatment of Saudi women by the government. As the article below painfully demonstrates, women, regardless of their education, sophistication, abilities and desire for freedom are denied their basic human, citizen and God-given rights.
The Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR) located in Washington, DC, denounces the Saudi government’s segregationist and discriminatory polices against Saudi women. We appeal to women’s organizations, human rights and democracy advocates to hold the Saudi government responsible to for not complying with all declarations on women’s rights. Empowering Saudi women is not only a moral imperative; it will tilt the scale in favor of tolerance, harmonious co-existence and empathy with peoples of different faiths and nationalities. Participation by Saudi women in all local, regional and national decision making will contribute to the eradication of the root causes of religious extremism and terrorism.