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Women Can't Be Left Far Behind
 There was a mixed reaction among voters yesterday when Arab News asked them if they wanted to see women included in the next round of municipal elections as voters or candidates. Views varied between supporters of the move, and others who said women do not need to vote as their husbands, fathers, or brothers are doing the job on their behalf.Yet another group rejected the idea on the ground that Saudi Arabia has its own cultural and social aspects. A few did not specify their reasons, and said there was no need for their involvement. Asked about the absence of women from the election scene, Dr. Abdul Aziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Thunayan, a Shoura Council member and professor of pedagogy, replied: "I was asked the same question by a woman journalist from the West and I said, 'First of all, there are six million women in Saudi Arabia. I, as a member of the Shoura Council, a husband and a father, represent a large number of women voters in the Kingdom. And as we know, democracy is about majority. And if we go and ask six million women what they want, they would answer that they do not want to vote. They either want their men to vote for them, or do not want to vote at all. Women in Saudi Arabia are comfortable being represented by men. "For instance, in Saudi Arabia, it is the law itself, not the habit, which requires men to serve women and accommodate all their needs, i.e., housing, food, clothing, education, etc. She is a lady and we are the servants. Men are servants of women. So why should we drag women into issues normally handled by men? Posted by: tipper 2005-02-11 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=56191 |