JEDDAH, 2 December 2004 — In its latest seminar, the Jeddah Women’s Cultural Assembly discussed women’s participation in the municipal elections. More than 150 women attended the seminar on Tuesday and heard three professional women present their views.
“The goal of this seminar is to enlighten women about their rights and responsibilities,” said Dr. Mariam Sabban, one of the speakers at the seminar. She presented the experience of women in Makkah community centers as an example of women who took the initiative in establishing the centers and who now play a vital role in running them.
Even though women are not allowed to vote or stand for office in the elections, the seminar organizers believe it is necessary to continue to address the issue.
In her presentation, Dr. Najat Al-Saigh explained that there was no Islamic or legal basis to the exclusion of women and the obstacles were mainly cultural traditions which could be overcome by preparation and education.
To educate women, the organizers distributed copies of the election regulations and procedures.
“We should not depend on men because we have all the criteria for success,” she said. The reason women are kept back is their ignorance of their own rights. “Our lack of knowledge of the system and legislation is a deficiency on our part. There are many information sources we can access and we can make our voices heard,” said Dr. Al-Saigh. “Excluding women discredits the results. How can you rely on results that involve only half the population?” she asked.
Fatin Bundagji, who was one of the few women who nominated themselves for office, picked up the argument. “For how long are we going to let decisions affect us without playing a role in making those decisions?” she asked. She pointed out that the government has always supported women, and cited the signing of the UN treaty calling for non-discrimination against women to prove her point.
“We have to educate ourselves. Even though we are not allowed to vote this time, we can still exert influence by encouraging our male relatives to register and vote,” she said.
Bundagji wondered how prisoners can vote but women cannot. The registration process in Riyadh, she pointed out, had so far been disappointing because of lack of awareness even among the men.
A member of the audience commented that the reason the Riyadh experience was disappointing is that our society was not familiar with elections and that they should be introduced in schools, universities and work places. Another said one problem was Saudi society’s illogical, even paranoid, fear of change.
