JEDDAH, 13 March 2004 — The participation of women in the Shoura Council is under study, according to a senior member of the body.
Dr. Saleh Al-Malik also said a decision whether women will be able to vote in the planned partial municipal elections would “not take a long time,” according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Al-Malik is in London as part of a delegation that wants to explain the workings of the Shoura to government officials and journalists in Britain.
Dr. Salih Al-Omeir, who heads the delegation, told Arab journalists Saudi Arabia did “not impose restrictions on women.” They played an “unlimited role in various spheres in the private and public sectors,” he said after meetings in the British House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Foreign Office.
Al-Omeir said “for the time being” women contributed to Shoura proceedings only through the recently-formed women’s committee.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Bukhari, another delegate, also denied women were marginalized in the Kingdom. “On the contrary, they work as teachers, administrators and investors,” he said.
Al-Omeir rejected claims Islam viewed women as inferior to men and some people “unfortunately misunderstood Islam’s view of women,” SPA quoted him as saying.
He also expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the meetings.
At its meeting with Foreign Office officials, the delegation reviewed bilateral relations, the activities of the Muslim community in Britain, human rights and means of combating terrorism, SPA added.
