Saudi Women Breaking Into Politics - Yahoo! News

Reform continues in Saudi Arabia. It wasn't long ago that most Saudi citizens were living in underdeveloped desert towns. King Abdullah seems to be navigating well the balance between adherence to traditional Muslim practices and modernization...


Saudi Women Breaking Into Politics - Yahoo! News: "DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia - A minor revolution has spread to this sprawling oil town, with six women running this week for seats on the local chamber of commerce in this deeply conservative country where Islam dictates strict segregation of the sexes.

Although winning won't be easy — of the 12,000 merchants eligible to vote, fewer than 500 are women — the election is a marker of change in Saudi Arabia, where progress toward a more open political system, including greater rights for women, is measured in inches, not miles."...

Al-Edrisi and her colleagues in the Eastern Province, home to the world's richest oil fields, have climbed aboard a very small bandwagon. In an unprecedented November chamber of commerce election in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia's second-largest city, a pair of businesswomen became Saudi Arabia's first female elected officials....

King Abdullah, who took the throne in August after the death of his half brother Fahd, has spoken in favor of a larger role for women. The six women candidates credited Abdullah's personal intervention for their opportunity to run.

Al-Edrisi, a clothing importer, says the kingdom's future depends on women joining public life. But she also believes Saudis won't tolerate rapid change, noting the chaos in
Iraq after U.S. forces ousted
Saddam Hussein.

"Iraq is horrifying for all of us," Al-Edrisi said. "We don't want upheaval no matter how much we want democracy. Stability is not overrated, especially in the Middle East."

But pressure for change is everywhere, including from the Bush administration, which Al-Edrisi says harms their cause by identifying it with America.

There's motivation aplenty from within Saudi Arabia, particularly from educated women who might choose to leave if denied meaningful careers, Al-Edrisi said. She cited her two college-educated daughters, who she said will not stay in Saudi Arabia if reform is too slow.

"It's a global economy now. They'll seek opportunities wherever they are," she said, gesturing with her mobile phone.