Suffragette City

[zenith-nadir]

A woman runs for office in Saudi Arabia - Thu Sep 16, 2004

Last week, the 37-year-old architect and mother of two made a bid to clear the air with a daring step of her own: She declared herself a candidate for elected office - the first woman in Saudi history to do so.

Bakhurji's candidacy is part of a campaign by women who make up Saudi Arabia's embryonic suffrage movement.

Educated in England until high school, Bakhurji got her Bachelor's degree in interior design in Saudi Arabia. She was encouraged to run for office by her suffragette peers because of her professional experience in managing her own firm and staff for the past 10 years.

As part of its reform efforts, the Saudi government in recent months has allowed women to participate in a series of forums, set up by Crown Prince Abdullah, to discuss challenges facing the country.

Many Saudi women consider these major steps in a country where women are not allowed to drive, travel without permission from a male guardian, appear in public without being covered, nor work alongside men.

Bakhurji doesn't consider herself a radical. If the Saudi government doesn't grant women the right to vote, she'll drop her candidacy.

You go girl!

 

[geni]

Strangly the saudi ruling body has always been slighlty ahead of public opion in terms of treating women as equal to men (see the fuss when they started funding schools for girls).

 

[The Fool]

Its all gods fault. Deities have a really bad habit of giving men lists of things women are not allowed to do.....

 

[evildave]

Now there's a nice gesture.

 

[BPSCG]

Do you think her chances of getting beaten to death are better than her chances of winning?

I take my hat off to her - this is genuine courage.

 

[evildave]

I don't think she'll be beaten to death, and it's improbable that she'll win anything besides a point or two. But there is the slimmest of chances they'll let her run. That would be more symbolic than anything, but it would be a beginning.

 

[BPSCG]

I don't think she'll be beaten to death, and it's improbable that she'll win anything besides a point or two.

Likelihood of being beaten to death - 5%.

Likelihood of being elected to anything - 0.00%.

Does anyone doubt she's as brave as this guy at Tiananmen Square?

 

[evildave]

Nope. No doubt at all that it takes courage. I just hope they don't shut the whole 'women talking' group down as a result.

I wouldn't place the likelihood of her being beaten to death as high as 5%, or even set her odds of winning at zero.

In a way, winning could be a more difficult challenge than running for the office.

With Saudi Arabia containing the very heart of Islamic faith, it would send some interesting shockwaves through the rest of Islam. It's probably begin already.

 

[E.J.Armstrong]

originally posted by zenith-nadir
You go girl!

Couldn't agree more and here as well.

'However we are still not satisfied with the number of women who serve in the Knesset.

In reality, in spite of the increase of women members in the Parliament during the last years, they still only number 18 out of 120 members. It is our sincere desire to see many more women in leadership positions in every sphere of life in our country.'
from http://www.israel-un.org/ecosoc/main_commissions/csw2004_modai.htm

Way to go girls - all over the world.

 

[aerocontrols]

Originally posted by George W. Bush
Consistent with my pro-life beliefs, I must emphasize that I disapprove of Saudi Arabia's embryonic suffrage movement.

Embryos should be protected, not made to suffrage.

On a more serious note, that Fraudi Arabia is planning elections at all is a step forward, and I welcome it.

MattJ

 

[zenith-nadir]

Couldn't agree more and here as well. 'However we are still not satisfied with the number of women who serve in the Knesset.

TRANSLATION: "Saudia Arabia has never had a woman in recorded history running for government...ya...whatever...now back to the eeeeeeevil jews!"


You're always good for a laugh E.J.

 

[c0rbin]

Likelihood of being beaten to death - 5%.

Likelihood of being elected to anything - 0.00%.

Does anyone doubt she's as brave as this guy at Tiananmen Square?

I wonder what Palistine would be like if those who felt truly oppressed by Isreal had this kind of courage (as opposed to the "courage" of sending a young man into a market place with explosives strapped to his body).

 

[Cleon]

On a more serious note, that Fraudi Arabia is planning elections at all is a step forward, and I welcome it.

MattJ

Saudi Arabia has had elections for quite a while.

Needless to say, the Saud family decides who can run, who can vote, and what powers the "elected" have. So in the grand scheme of things, it's pretty much just for show.

 

[Skeptic]

Couldn't agree more and here as well.

'However we are still not satisfied with the number of women who serve in the Knesset.

(snort)

Saudi Arabia gets praise for the very fact that a woman might be allowed to run for public office, and this reflexively makes Mr. Armstrong remember he hasn't criticized israel for not having a 50%-female legistlative body for a long time now...

 

[aerocontrols]

Saudi Arabia has had elections for quite a while.

Needless to say, the Saud family decides who can run, who can vote, and what powers the "elected" have. So in the grand scheme of things, it's pretty much just for show.

If that is true - help me out:

Who has run?

Who has voted?

What powers do the "elected" have?



I don't believe there has even been such a show since municiple elections were ended in the last province to hold them in the 1960s. I stand ready to be corrected, however.

MattJ

 

[Mycroft]

Saudi Arabia gets praise for the very fact that a woman might be allowed to run for public office, and this reflexively makes Mr. Armstrong remember he hasn't criticized israel for not having a 50%-female legistlative body for a long time now...

He is a kick, isn't he?

 

[Charlie Monoxide]

Are women starting to get "uppity" in Saudi Arabia? Next they'll start accepting Israel as a soveriegn state.

Charlie (little hope, mostly gloom) Monoxide

 

[Mike B.]

Couldn't agree more and here as well.

'However we are still not satisfied with the number of women who serve in the Knesset.

(snort)

Saudi Arabia gets praise for the very fact that a woman might be allowed to run for public office, and this reflexively makes Mr. Armstrong remember he hasn't criticized israel for not having a 50%-female legistlative body for a long time now...

Reminds me of when Demon showed that the student/teacher ratio was slightly higher among Arabs in Israel as proof of the "Nazi" government in Israel.

 

[Skeptic]

Reminds me of when Demon showed that the student/teacher ratio was slightly higher among Arabs in Israel as proof of the "Nazi" government in Israel.

The funniest part about that was that the difference wasn't even large--something in the order of, I believe, two or three more Arab students per class as opposed to jewish students, far smaller than (for instance) the difference between black and white students in the USA. Yes, that's nazism for you right there, yesiree Bob...

 

[Mycroft]

The funniest part about that was that the difference wasn't even large--something in the order of, I believe, two or three more Arab students per class as opposed to jewish students, far smaller than (for instance) the difference between black and white students in the USA. Yes, that's nazism for you right there, yesiree Bob...

And, IIRC, the Israeli-Arab student/teacher ratio was better than at the school my kid goes to, which is a nice school.