Saudi women

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Under Pressure, Saudi Arabia Grants New Right to Women

Male guardians no longer have to approve independent living

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia has expanded the rights of women, by changing a law so that they no longer need the approval of a male guardian to live alone. A provision has been removed from the guardianship laws that said an adult woman who is single, divorced, or widowed is to be...

Saudis 'Opposed to the Right to Drive' Torch Woman's Car

She was threatened as soon as she started to drive

(Newser) - Saudi women are now finally allowed to drive —and not everybody in the conservative kingdom is happy about it. Salma al-Sharif, a 31-year-old cashier who used to spend close to half her salary on car services for herself and her elderly parents, says driving a car caused her to...

Wife Posts Video of Husband With Maid, Could Face Jail

A lawyer says she could be fined more than $100K for defaming her husband

(Newser) - A Saudi wife who posted footage of her husband pursuing and groping their maid could face jail time and a stiff fine for defaming him—and in the process has caused a social media outcry, largely in her defense, reports Emirates 24/7 . The woman let the footage of her husband'...

Unveiled Anchorwoman Riles Saudi Conservatives

Saudi TV spokesman says such a 'transgression' will not happen again

(Newser) - An unidentified journalist recently broke from Saudi tradition when she read the news on a Saudi TV channel called Al Ekhbariya without covering her face with a hijab, leading some conservative viewers to take to social media to condemn the station for the "transgression." Saudi radio and TV...

Report: Saudi Woman Dies After School Blocks Aid

Male paramedics weren't allowed on female-only campus: report

(Newser) - Thousands of Saudis vented their anger online over a report yesterday that staff at Riyadh's King Saud University had barred male paramedics from entering a women's-only campus to assist a student who had suffered a heart attack and later died. The Okaz newspaper said administrators impeded efforts by...

Saudi Women Plan Day of Illegal Driving

Interior ministry warns that they will be punished

(Newser) - Saudi Arabian women intend to defy the country's ban on female drivers tomorrow, taking to the road across the country in protest of the law. Organizers say more than 16,000 people have signed an online petition supporting the "26th October Women's Driving Campaign." They're...

Coming to Saudi Arabia: Women-Only City

Expected to open up more job opportunities for females

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia is ready to provide more work opportunities for women, thus allowing them more financial independence—but it's not about to give up its rules about gender segregation, meaning that the job opportunities are coming in the form of a women-only industrial city. Saudi Arabia plans to build...

Saudi Woman Competing at Olympics Without Hijab

Decision will likely be controversial

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia is sending women to the Olympics for the first time—and at least one of them, a judo competitor, won’t be wearing a traditional Islamic headscarf while competing. Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani "will fight according to the principle and spirit of judo, so without a...

Saudi Women Can Be Told to Cover 'Tempting' Eyes

Sharia law executive arm makes announcement after fight

(Newser) - Saudi women can already be forced to cover their bodies, hair, and most of their face—now they may be forced to cover even their eyes. According to a report on news site Bikyamasr picked up by USA Today , women whose eyes are deemed “tempting” or sexy can be...

Saudi Prince: Maybe We Should Let Women Drive

...that way, we can send foreigners home, says King Abdullah's nephew

(Newser) - Maybe women should be allowed to drive, says a senior Saudi prince—whose reasoning isn't that females should enjoy equal rights, or would make excellent motorists. Rather, it would allow the kingdom to send hundreds of thousands of foreigners home, reports Reuters . "A lot of Saudi women want to...

Saudi Woman Slugs Virtue Cop
 Saudi Woman Slugs Virtue Cop 
in case you missed it
May 22, 2010 2:00 PM CDT

Saudi Woman Slugs Virtue Cop

Mystery woman sends religious officer to hospital

(Newser) - A Saudi woman stopped by a virtue cop pulled off every feminist's dream: As her male companion mysteriously collapsed, she proceeded to give the cop a thrashing—to the point where he was taken to the hospital with bruising. The unnamed woman was strolling through an amusement park with her...

Saudis to Allow Female Lawyers in Court

New law will allow them to argue family-related cases

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia is planning to issue a law “in the coming days” that will allow women lawyers to argue family-related cases in court, according to the country’s justice minister. Previously, female lawyers could only operate behind the scenes in court offices and government offices; now they’ll be...

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