The Saudi king’s decree to appoint 30 women to his consultative assembly has been met with opposition in the region.
Around 50 clerics gathered outside the Royal Court in Riyadh Wednesday, demanding a meeting with the King and his key advisor Tuwaijri, according to Reuters. So far they have been unsuccessful.
Last week, King Abdullah named 30 women as members of the Saudi Arabian consultative assembly, known as the Shura Council. The council does not have the power to legislate. This is the first time women will be part of the formal advisory committee made up of 150 representatives appointed by the king.
The Saudi King first communicated his intention to appoint women to the council in 2011, the same year that Saudi women received the right to vote and run in local elections. A quota to have women occupy 20% of places on the advisory body was created after consultation with religious leaders who manage Sharia law.
“Men can finally respect women when they see them playing a male role,” Wajeha al-Hawidar, a prominent Saudi female activist, told Al Jazeera: “The decision is good but women issues are still hanging. For normal women, there are so many laws and measures that must be suspended or amended for women to be dealt with as grown-ups and adults, without a mandate from guardians.”
The women will enter the council chambers through a separate door and sit in a segregated area to ensure they do not mix with their male colleagues.
The decree has been praised by the European Union. According to a statement by EU spokesperson Nabila Massrali said: “Setting a level of 20 per cent of women participation in the consultative body is a major development in the direction of women empowerment and participation in the political process in Saudi Arabia”.