Link to article: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201204-in-first-ever-female-academic-chairs-saudi-shura-council-meeting/
Dr Hanan Al-Ahmadi is an academic who specialises in economics and health management. She made history seven years ago by being one of the first women to be appointed to the Shura Council, and now, she has made history again. Al-Ahmadi, who was appointed as the new Assistant Speaker of the kingdom’s consultative body following a royal decree back in October, was allowed a spot on the Shura Council of Saudi Arabia, which no woman has ever been a part of before. Dr Hanan Al-Ahmadi, who graduated from King Saud University and the University of Pittsburgh, led the council in the absence of council President Sheikh Abdullah Al Sheikh and Vice President Dr Mishaal Al Sulami.
This is an example of another milestone in the kingdom’s drive to modernisation. Shahd Alghamdi, a law student in Riyadh, reported “When our King appointed Dr Hanan in a top position never held by a woman before, it felt empowering and has many young girls dreaming.” Thus showing that Dr Hanan Al-Ahmadi has been inspiring many young girls around the kingdom. This is also good news because Saudi Arabia is starting to open up to women having rights. This comes after the ban of women driving in 2018 and the many arrests of women activists after that. Arrests which led to women living in poor prison conditions and rape.
This is an example of understanding basic human nature. An Universalist believes that there are basic human principles that apply to all. Those basic principles have been taken away from women in Saudi Arabia, and now they are slowly working towards granting women back those basic principles. But even with these small accomplishments towards granting women basic human rights, not every woman in Saudi Arabia has been granted those rights. This is an issue that every country has had to deal with and now Saudi Arabia is working to fix the issue. All we can do is hope that Saudi Arabia continues to work positively towards fixing those issues.