Saudi women banned from voting in municipal elections next month

2011-03-24 22:44:56 GMT+7 (ICT)

JEDDAH (BNO NEWS) -- Saudi Arabian women will not be allowed to vote in the municipal elections that will take place next month, Arab News reported.

The reports cannot be confirmed, however, since a number of municipal council members said they have received clear instructions not to discuss the municipal elections to be held on April 23.

"We are not to talk about the polls until new regulations for organizing the elections are issued," one member told Arab News on condition of anonymity.

He said the new regulations would provide answers to questions such as the number of members in each council, the participation of women and others.

This is the second time women have been banned from voting since 2005, the first time municipal elections took place in the Kingdom. Women were going to be able to vote in the 2009 elections, but the government delayed it for two years saying that it needed more time to organize the logistics so that women could vote.

Some incumbent council members told Arab News they did not object to women's participation in the elections. A member said that women's participation will allow to focus on municipal issues which are purely female-oriented.

"The presence of women in the councils will be useful because there are many issues concerning women that they will be more able to deal with than us," another member said.

Women in the Eastern Province recently launched a campaign calling for them to be allowed to participate in the municipal elections.

The nationwide elections will elect members to 219 municipal councils. It will only be the second time they have been held since 2005 after incumbent members had their terms extended for a second term.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-24

So sad, whilst most of the world makes progress against misogyny you can trust Islamic clerical extremists to head even further in the reverse direction.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nina-burleigh/egypt-and-the-universal-r_b_819178.html

An Egyptian cleric in 2009 decreed that men and women may only work together in offices if the women have breast-fed the men. That cleric was forced to retract the decree, and was fired, then reinstated. But the decree was reiterated by another cleric in Saudi Arabia.

So sad, whilst most of the world makes progress against misogyny you can trust Islamic clerical extremists to head even further in the reverse direction.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nina-burleigh/egypt-and-the-universal-r_b_819178.html

An Egyptian cleric in 2009 decreed that men and women may only work together in offices if the women have breast-fed the men. That cleric was forced to retract the decree, and was fired, then reinstated. But the decree was reiterated by another cleric in Saudi Arabia.

The divide is too great and the common ground is too small.

One side has to win and one side has to lose.

Western civilization is too liberal to fight the battle.

Give it to China and be done with it.

A baiting post has been deleted. I think we have enough high emotions on these issues without needing to fan the flames, eh?

The divide is too great and the common ground is too small.

One side has to win and one side has to lose.

Western civilization is too liberal to fight the battle.

Give it to China and be done with it.

Perhaps moving to Alaska is an option.

Edit to clarify: Pertaining to Womens rights I would say rape is rape with marriage or not as is assault.

http://weaselzippers.us/2011/03/17/alaska-moves-to-ban-future-use-of-sharia-law/

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) An Alaskan lawmaker hopes to guard against Islamic Sharia law by prohibiting state courts from honoring foreign law that violates Alaskan or U.S. constitutional rights.

Edited March 25, 201115 yr by Steely Dan