Women in Saudi Arabia registered to vote this week for the first time in the country's history. Late King Abdullah had announced in 2011 that women would be allowed to run for office and vote in municipal elections, which take place every four years. Registration for the upcoming election, to be held Dec. 12, began last Sunday.
"The participation of the Saudi women in the municipal elections as voters and candidates was a dream for us. We are just at the beginning of the road." Jamal Al-Saadi from Medina, one of the first women to register, told the Saudi Gazette, according to The Huffington Post.
"We refuse to marginalize the role of women in Saudi society and in every aspect, within the rules of Sharia. Muslim women in our Islamic history have demonstrated positions that expressed correct opinions and advice," Abdullah had said at the time, referring to the Islamic law that governs many aspects of life in the kingdom, according to The Christian Science Monitor.
"This long overdue move is welcome but it's only a tiny fraction of what needs to be addressed over gender inequality in Saudi Arabia. Let's not forget that Saudi Arabian women won't actually be able to drive themselves to the voting booths as they're still completely banned from driving. They are still unable to travel, engage in paid work or higher education, or marry without the permission of a male guardian," Karen Middleton of U.K.s Amnesty International told The Independent.
While hailing the move, activists opine that there is still a long way to go before women have equal rights to men in the kingdom.
