Tp kalo ga dikasih ijin lakinya keluar rumah, tetap aja ga bisa nge-vote. Ini adalah perintah auloh, ga bisa dibantah.
>________________________________ >From: Sunny <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Sent: Friday, October 7, 2011 2:48 PM >Subject: [proletar] A slow Saudi 'Spring' > > > >http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2011/1066/re2.htm >29 September - 5 October 2011 >Issue No. 1066 >Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 >A slow Saudi 'Spring' >Saudi women surprised as king grants them right to vote, says Rashid Abul-Samh > >---------------------------------------------------------- > >Women across Saudi Arabia were pleasantly surprised on 25 September when King >Abdullah announced in a five-minute speech televised live that he was granting >women the right to vote in future municipal elections, the right to run as >candidates, and that they would be appointed to the Shoura Council, the >150-member body that advises the king on legislation and policy. > >"I think this is a great step. It is definitely the beginning of the >involvement of women in the political process, even if some say the municipal >councils don't have much power," said Abeer Mishkhas, a Saudi journalist based >in London, who has written extensively about the problems that Saudi women >face. > >"I had lost all hope in reform. But I see a ray of light. When will the summer >begin?" tweeted Nawwarah Ashad of Al-Khobar. > >"We refuse to marginalize the role of women in Saudi society and in every >aspect, within the rules of Shariah," said Abdullah, who is an absolute >monarch. "Muslim women in our Islamic history have demonstrated positions that >expressed correct opinions and advice," he added, noting that the members of >Saudi Arabia's clerical council, or Ulema, had praised and supported his >decision. > >Despite these new rights, Saudi women still face many restrictions in the >extremely conservative kingdom, which follows a strict Wahhabi interpretation >of Islam, such as not being allowed to drive, or to travel abroad or open a >bank account without the written permission of a male guardian. > >Women pushing for the right to drive started a defiance campaign this year >across the country by taking to the streets and driving cars. Several were >arrested, but the campaign gained much support through social networks on the >Internet, including on Facebook and Twitter, especially after several of the >women filmed themselves driving and posted the videos on YouTube. > >Although there is no law that actually bans women from driving in Saudi >Arabia, rigid social customs have not allowed Saudi women so far to claim >their right to drive. Najla Hariri, a Jeddah resident who repeatedly drove in >that city and was briefly detained on 24 August for doing so, was informed on >26 September that the authorities were pressing charges against her and that >she would face trial. > >But not all Saudi women were happy with the king's news. Madawi Al-Rasheed, >professor of social anthropology at King's College in London, and the author >of "A History of Saudi Arabia", said she felt the announcement was >superficial, aimed merely at appeasing those pushing for more substantial >change. > >"This is a typical reaction to the Arab Spring. Instead of promising real >political participation in an elected Shoura Council, the king used the issue >of women to create an illusion of reform," said Al-Rasheed. "In a society >where all are disenfranchised, the appointment of women becomes yet another >propaganda move. This gives the impression that we have only a women's problem >in Saudi Arabia, nothing else," she explained. > >All 150 members of the Shoura Council are appointed by the king, and serve >four-year terms that are renewable. They cannot veto legislation and have no >binding powers. In 2006, six women were appointed as advisers to the Shoura, >and now number 12, though they do not currently have the right to vote. > >Yet, other analysts of the kingdom's glacial speed of change said that King >Abdullah's announcement was good news that heralded the improvement of women's >status in the country. > >"There had been so many pressures from women's groups. It's a continuous >process of modernization. This will ease the government's path to improving >the condition of women in other areas," said Jamal Khashoggi, general manager >of the Al-Arab News Channel. "Consensus is always sought, in order not to >upset the conservatives, but sometimes the ruler must intervene and take the >lead, This happened with King Faisal when he introduced public education for >girls and television in the 1960s, and this is happening now with King >Abdullah," he said, adding, "there are conservatives that will always scream >'wolf!' when change happens, and we have to reassure them that Saudi Arabia >won't become an open place where women are exploited." > >Indeed, when the government announced in 2004 that municipal elections would >be held the following year, for the first time since 1963, at least five women >announced their candidacies to seats on councils. They were encouraged by the >initial announcement that used gender-neutral language, which did not clearly >indicate whether women would be allowed to vote or not. After several months, >the government claimed that a lack of polling stations and the fact that only >50 per cent of Saudi women at the time had photo ID-cards, meant that they >would be excluded from the 2005 polls. > >Half of the positions on the 178 councils across Saudi Arabia are up for grabs >in this year's election, which finally takes place on 29 September, after >being postponed indefinitely by the government in 2009 without much >explanation. The government appoints the other half of the members. Women will >only be able to vote in the 2015 elections. > >Robert Lacey, the British author of "Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, >Modernists and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia", said he believes King Abdullah >is a true reformer and that he has used the upheavals across the Middle East >of the Arab Spring as a pretext for pushing for more reform. > >"The king has welcomed the Arab Spring as providing impetus for the reforms >for which he has long campaigned," said Lacey. "He is a genuine reformer who >has been fighting for change in this highly conservative society for many >years. He obviously believes in the power of his family, but the record shows >that he also believes in the power of his people to bring the kingdom up to >date." > >Now that women have been given access to the political process, some analysts >hope that a fair representation of Saudi women from all walks of life will be >given a voice in the municipal and Shoura councils. > >"In the Shoura Council I think women will apply much needed pressure to >highlight issues that are important to them, with driving as just one >example," explained Mishkhas. "My only concern is that since women will be >appointed to the Shoura, they will be more prone to being 'political choices', >where only women from the upper class and with PhDs will be appointed and >consequently won't represent concerns of women from all parts of society." > >"Like Saudi men, Saudi women are a diverse group. Their perspectives and >concerns vary across class, region, tribe and sect. It is important that this >diversity is represented," said Toby Craig Jones, assistant professor of >history at Rutgers University, and the author of "Desert Kingdom: How Oil and >Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia". > >"Historically, however, Saudi Arabia's social complexity has not been >reflected in its appointed institutions. Rather, the royal family has used >such appointments to reward friends and allies. If they continue with this >pattern, it would be disappointing but not surprising," added Jones. > >Khashoggi said that he believes that the king took a bolder step in allowing >women to vote and serve in positions of leadership, rather than allowing them >to drive, because this touches on the Islamic concept of "wilayat al-Faqih" or >Guardianship of the Scholars, which does not allow women to rule over Muslim >nations. "The concept of 'wilayat' is very sensitive, so allowing women in >political roles was more brave than allowing them to drive," he said. > >Nevertheless, the ironic contradiction of allowing women the right to seek >political office but not to drive, was not lost on some Saudi women, who >questioned the continued enforcement of the "mahram" or male guardianship >system, which highly restricts the freedom of movement of all Saudi women. > >"Do women need a guardian's approval before applying for membership of the >council? Or to vote? Or to travel with parliamentary delegations? Just >questions inspired by the events," wrote Maram Meccawy, a Saudi columnist, on >her Twitter account. > >Human Rights Watch noted in a statement this week that Saudi Arabia promised >the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2009 that it would abolish the >male guardianship system "but has yet to do so." > >"King Abdullah's promise that women will finally be allowed to vote is a >welcome move away from the discrimination and exclusion that Saudi women have >suffered for so long," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human >Rights Watch. > >In political terms, waiting four years until they can vote in 2015 is going to >be an eternity for Saudi women, who will most likely face a backlash from >conservatives opposed to them gaining these new rights. King Abdullah is 87 >years old and his successors are known to be less liberal, which means that >Saudi women will face a long, bumpy and uncertain road. > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
