Are positive changes being made in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia Slow to Reform


In the five years since he ascended the Saudi throne, King Abdullah has loosened the reins stifling Saudi society. But his reforms have been largely symbolic, with few lasting institutional changes.

Under King Abdullah, Saudis have become freer to criticize the government or societal norms, but those who cross lines such as questioning the role of religion or singling out princes for criticism face harassment or jail.

Women have become more visible in public and in the workplace. But even an adult woman still requires her male guardian’s written consent to make decisions about marriage, work, education, health care, and travel. Abdullah allowed women to stay in hotels without male guardians, but has left the guardian system as a whole intact.

Although the king initiated an Interfaith Dialogue Initiative in Madrid and New York, the Saudi minority Shia remains as badly treated as ever. While Abdullah shakes hands with rabbis abroad, Shia at home are arrested simply for praying together.

What new freedoms there are lack institutional grounding. For a legacy of lasting gains, the monarch, in his mid-80s, should pass laws to enshrine rights, enforce their protection, and hold violators accountable.
 
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