A week after the historic decision by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to appoint women, for the first time, to the Shoura Council, the move still reverberates inside the Kingdom, the region and, indeed, across the world. From the Council of Ministers to the EU, the message is that this is a historic moment, a major development in the empowerment of women and their participation in the political process of Saudi Arabia. It is an honor and a privilege to be appointed a member of the Shoura Council, for this is the eminent group that works as the formal advisory body of Saudi Arabia. This is the august body which provides advice to the King, drafts laws and debates major issues. For women to now be a part of this decision-making process is a truly significant moment in the nation's history. Still, there are those who say appointing women to the Shoura Council is a largely symbolic measure. To the skeptics, it must be said that women in the Shoura will have the same rights as men. They will work in tandem to interpret laws, as well as to examine annual reports referred to the Council by state ministries and agencies. The Shoura advises the King on policies the King submits to it, along with international treaties and economic plans. The Council is authorized to review the country's annual budget and call in ministers for questioning and it plays an important role as a policy debate forum. It can request that government officials participate in key meetings and it can ask for access to government documents. Because women will now share the duties of the Council and be treated and seen as equal to men, these significant tasks can hardly be considered symbolic. Women are in the Council not as a cosmetic change but to strengthen this consultative body. They will do so using their experience and the foundations of their education. Twenty-seven of the appointed women have a PhD degree. King Abdullah took the decision only after consulting religious leaders. Having done so, it left him with no doubt about the validity of the measure: “We made this decision because we refuse to marginalize women in Saudi society in their roles that comply with Islamic Shariah and following consultations with many of our scholars who supported it,” King Abdullah said. The Shoura Council has had female advisers before, but this is the first time that women have been appointed as members, meaning this is the closest Saudi women have ever come to public participation in politics. The decree issued by King Abdullah states that women should always hold at least a fifth of the Shoura Council's 150 seats. As such, the 30 women who were appointed last week not only represent a high percentage of Shoura members but the edict also ensures at least the same ratio in the years and terms ahead. King Abdullah first announced that he was planning to name women to the Shoura Council in 2011. That has been achieved. At the time, the King also said women would be allowed to vote and stand as candidates in the 2015 municipal elections. We await this next major, progressive development.
