Saudi Women MUST be allowed to Vote

Freedom and democracy in Afghanistan.
Freedom and democracy in Iraq.
Freedom and democracy are a step away in Saudi Arabia.
Those Saudi Royals best be packing their bags ... they are
about to loose their grip on the country.

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Saudi women Must be Allowed to Vote and Run for Office

By Kamal Nawash
FreeMuslims.org
February 9, 2005
Excerpt:

On February 10, 2005 Saudi Arabia will hold its first ever municipal elections. The anticipated election is part of a drive to introduce political reforms in Saudi Arabia. You probably haven't heard as much about the upcoming elections in Saudi Arabia as you did about elections in Iraq and Palestine. However, these elections are a big deal in a kingdom where democracy is not practiced at any level of society.

Even more promising than having elections, at one point the government of Saudi Arabia suggested that women may be allowed to vote and run for office. In fact, as of November 2004, at least three women indicated that they were interested in running for office.

Recently however, Saudi government officials have indicated that women may not be allowed to participate in the elections. The official reason given was that there wasn't time to work out the logistics and that they might not be able to work it out in time for the next elections scheduled for 2009. The Free Muslims Against Terrorism take issue with barring women from voting.

While we strongly support Saudi Arabia for attempting political reform and for being an important and strategic ally in the war on terrorism, we don’t believe that women were barred for logistical reasons. Having women vote and run for office was unpopular among the Saudi religious establishment and unfortunately, the government of Saudi Arabia once again caved in to the fanatics within their society.

Full Story
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