Women's rights open debate into Saudi national character



King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz's surprise announcement on Sunday of his intention to give women similar political opportunities as men is his boldest step so far to advance Saudi women's rights.

But whether it will be a truly historic move will depend on how the initiatives he outlined will be implemented in practice. And that's where the rub will be because the kingdom's guardianship system severely limits women's personal autonomy, forcing them to have a male relative's formal permission for almost everything they do outside the home.

Implementation on the ground will also run up against the kingdom's strict gender segregation, which is supported by many Saudis as well as the ultraconservative religious establishment. Already some conservatives are proposing that female members of the Majlis Al Shura participate by closed circuit television so they would be heard, but not seen, by male members.

And how, wonder other Saudis, are women candidates to run their campaigns for election to municipal councils if they can't speak to a room full of male voters or drive themselves to a rally?

Despite these potential pitfalls, many Saudis were right to rejoice at the news because, after months of apparent stalling in his reformist agenda, the king reaffirmed that he will continue to nudge his nation into the 21st century, however slowly.

"Balanced modernisation in line with our Islamic values, which preserve rights, is an important requirement in an era with no room for the weak and undecided people," the king noted in his short address on Sunday before the Majlis Al Shura.

"I haven't been able to take my breath," said Hatoon Al Fassi, a university professor who was an organiser of a campaign earlier this year demanding the right to vote for women. "We're so excited. We believe it's the response to our demands, the first step in our long struggle to get our rights."

To be sure, the new opportunities the king is offering women will be just as limited as they are for men: the Majlis Al Shura is an unelected body with a purely advisory role. And the vote only applies to half the members of the country's 280-plus municipal councils, which most Saudis regard as ineffectual chambers.

In other words, political power will still totally reside in the king and other members of the ruling family.

And implementation will not be immediate. Women are to be appointed to the 150-member Majlis only at the beginning of its next term in 18 months, and will begin participating in municipal elections in the next poll scheduled in four years' time.

These delayed starts of women's involvement are likely to be periods of strong debate over just how women will participate. They may also give some women pause about the importance of what the king promised them on Sunday.

"Women will reach the conclusion very soon that it's a limited step," said sociologist Khalid Al Dakhil, noting that a significant segment of Saudi society has been asking that the entire Majlis become an elected body with real powers "for 10 to 12 years".

One of the most interesting aspects of the king's nod for female involvement in politics is that it is his latest initiative in challenging the kingdom's dominant interpretation of Islam, a puritanical version that has retarded the country's modernisation for decades.

This was evident in his comments that implicitly criticised those who seek to keep women out of public life. "All people know that Muslim women have had in the Islamic history, positions that cannot be marginalised, including [giving] correct opinions and advice since the era of Prophet Mohammed," King Abdullah said.

The decisions he announced Sunday, he added, were reached "after consultations with many of our [religious] scholars" and were based on the fact that "we reject to marginalise the role of women in the Saudi society".

Previous moves by King Abdullah to shift the kingdom's dominant version of Islam, which is leery of contact with non-Muslims, included his 2008 global interfaith dialogue overture, his 2007 meeting with Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI, and a 2003 series of "national dialogues" that included clerics from several strains of Islam.

"He's a brave king to say clearly that we are doing this in accordance with Islam as it was in the time of Prophet Muhammad," said Mohammed Al Zulfa, a former member of the Majlis Al Shura and long-time champion of greater freedoms for Saudi women. "He's doing this in accordance with real Islam, as we know it, and real Islam is getting women's rights and being full members of society."

Now, many women are hoping that the king will soon take an even bolder step, one that would have a more direct and immediate effect on their daily lives, by declaring that women may obtain drivers' licences.

"If he had said women can drive, now that would be something," said Eman Al Nafjan, an English teacher and blogger in Riyadh. "That would be a huge change."

Caryle Murphy is a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. From 2008-2011, she was The National's correspondent in Riyadh

Scoreline

Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')

Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')

Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

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THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

The specs

Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm

Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)

On sale: Now

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Mubalada World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule

Thursday December 27

Men's quarter-finals

Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm

Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm

Women's exhibition

Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm

Friday December 28

5th place play-off 3pm

Men's semi-finals

Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm

Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm

Saturday December 29

3rd place play-off 5pm

Men's final 7pm

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THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site

The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.

The bio

Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions

School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira

Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk

Dream City: San Francisco

Hometown: Dubai

City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala

Tuesday results:

  • Singapore bt Malaysia by 29 runs
  • UAE bt Oman by 13 runs
  • Hong Kong bt Nepal by 3 wickets

Final:
Thursday, UAE v Hong Kong

Section 375

Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat

Director: Ajay Bahl

Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL

Rating: 3.5/5