Saudi Arabia considers women property of men

Saudi women are denied their citizens rights as the Riyadh government regards them the property of men, says a Middle East expert.


“Women are considered to be part of a man. Much more, like a slave would be owned by a master, Saudi woman are considered to be property of their male guardians,” Ali al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for [Persian] Gulf Affairs (I[P]GA), told Press TV.

Al-Ahmed's remarks came after fourteen US female senators wrote a letter to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, calling on him to lift the Arab monarchy's ban on women drivers.

The I[P]GA director also noted that the move is an inadequate measure because the letter has “no teeth” to change the reality on the ground for the Saudi women.

He further pointed out that, for the past 50 years, it has been Washington's policy not to condemn Saudi Arabia for its human rights violation and abuse.

On Tuesday, Democratic and Republican female senators urged the Saudi king in their letter to meet Saudi Arabia's commitments to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the Arab Charter on Human Rights, and allow the women to drive.

The senators said the annulment of the ban would be a crucial step towards improving women's rights in Saudi Arabia.

The senators, however, fell short of condemning the prohibition as a violation of human rights.

In Saudi Arabia, women must hire drivers, or depend on male relatives to get around.

In June, a group of defiant Saudi women took out to the streets, driving their cars in response to calls for nationwide action to terminate the prohibition.

Women have long complained of violations of their most basic rights in Saudi Arabia.