Saudi Arabia is not the first country that jumps to mind when I think of tolerance and equality for women. Actually, it's one of the last I would name. In fact, a Saudi prince, nephew to King Abdullah, has been plastered in the news with allegations of rape. Currently, women are not allowed to vote and none sit on the Shura Council, the formal advisory body to the King
A recent study of the ‘Best and Worst Places for Women' done by Newsweek agrees with me; Saudi Arabia placed 147th out of 165 countries. In the report, Saudi Arabia received some of the lowest scores in the justice and politics sections, but scored relatively well in education.
On Sunday, King Abdullah announced an unprecedented indication of progress for women in the Gulf kingdom: that women would be allowed to run in municipal elections in 2015 and have the right to be considered in the Shura Council, which is comprised solely of appointed officials. He added that women "will even have a right to vote." Surely this should be an unmitigated step for gender equality in the country, reflective of the progressive views of the entire country (and not just the King) in the 21st century?
Alas, that proved not to be the case. On Tuesday, only two days after the King's speech, a Saudi woman, Shaima Jastaina, was sentenced to ten lashes with a whip for driving a car. This was the first time such a punishment has been given for a woman driving; usually, the police pull female drivers over and release them after they sign a pledge saying they will not drive again.
Many Saudis see this harsh punishment as a backlash to the King's announcement by the conservative, religious sector of the population. This type of mixed message reemphasizes the struggles that forward-thinking Saudis face.
What makes this sentencing even more ludicrous is the fact that there is no written law that prohibits women from driving. The ban stems purely from religious views and traditions. Furthermore, the maximum penalty for a traffic violation is a fine, not lashes. Therefore, this ruling appears to be a statement against the increasing number of female activists sprouting up around the country. One woman, Manal al-Sherif, posted a video of herself on Facebook and was detained for ten days as a result.
As the Newsweek study shows, Saudi women are relatively well educated and, no doubt spurred into action by the "Arab Spring", are no longer accepting the status quo. One can only hope that activists do not succumb to the pressures of the conservative forces.
Rather, they, and all Saudis for that matter, should use this inflammatory incident as an impetus to stimulate even more progress. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that forbids women from driving and desperately needs to get with the times.
King Abdullah should be praised for his role in helping effect change in his kingdom, but in order for this movement to be truly effective, there needs to be a grassroots movement of the Saudi people to complement his new voting policies. After generations of social dogma seemingly frozen in time, perhaps change is coming to the kingdom. King Abdullah is seen as a reformer by ultra conservative Saudi standards, and perhaps now will actually push them into the 21st Century: a late report is that he has reversed the notorious sentence of 10 lashes for the woman driver. It is too soon to know if this report is true, but let us hope that it is, and that it is a sign of the times.
