Saudi FM says 'be patient' on women's rights

Published February 13, 2016
"When it comes to issues like women's driving, this is not a religious issue, it's a societal issue," said Adel al-Jubeir.─ AFP/File
"When it comes to issues like women's driving, this is not a religious issue, it's a societal issue," said Adel al-Jubeir.─ AFP/File

MUNICH: Saudi Arabia's foreign minister defended his country's treatment of women on Friday, saying it had made progress on female education but would take time to let them drive cars.

"When it comes to issues like women's driving, this is not a religious issue, it's a societal issue," Adel al-Jubeir told an audience at the Munich Security Conference.

He said it was unfair to fixate on the issue of women drivers, given the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom's efforts to educate girls.

"We went from no schools for women in 1960 to universal education, to where today 55 percent of college students are women," said Jubeir.

"Some of our top doctors and engineers and lawyers and business people are women. The issue is one that is evolving just like it is in other countries."

He compared Saudi Arabia to the United States, arguing that it took 100 years after America's independence before women were given the right to vote, and another 100 years for it to elect its first female parliamentary speaker.

"I'm not saying 'Give us 200 years'. I'm saying 'be patient'," said Jubeir.

"We hope that in the modern world with technology and communications that this process is accelerated, but things take time. We can't expect to rush things."

Restrictions in Saudi Arabia remain some of the toughest in the world with women forced to cover themselves in black from head to toe in public.

For the first time in December women were allowed to stand for election to local councils.

Human Rights Watch has criticised Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system which forbids women "from obtaining a passport, marrying, travelling, or accessing higher education without the approval of a male guardian".

Opinion

Editorial

Competing narratives
03 Dec, 2024

Competing narratives

Rather than hunting keyboard warriors, it would be better to support a transparent probe into reported deaths during PTI protest.
Early retirement
03 Dec, 2024

Early retirement

THE government is reportedly considering a proposal to reduce the average age of superannuation by five years to 55...
Being differently abled
03 Dec, 2024

Being differently abled

A SOCIETY comes of age when it does not normalise ‘othering’. As we observe the International Day of Persons ...
The ban question
Updated 02 Dec, 2024

The ban question

Parties that want PTI to be banned don't seem to realise they're veering away from the very ‘democratic’ credentials they claim to possess.
5G charade
Updated 02 Dec, 2024

5G charade

What use is faster internet when the state is determined to police every byte of data its citizens consume?
Syria offensive
Updated 02 Dec, 2024

Syria offensive

If Al Qaeda’s ideological allies establish a strong foothold in Syria, it will fuel transnational terrorism.