Saudi Arabia's Clerics Set Boundaries on Reforms

[papau]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=4M4VZUM5ZTHUUCRBAEZSFFA?type=ourWorldNews&storyID=4256643

Saudi Arabia's Clerics Set Boundaries on Reforms
Sun February 01, 2004 09:27 AM ET

By Samia Nakhoul
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - When Saudi Arabia's top religious authority (Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh) ruled this month that Islam forbids men and women to mix in public, he reset the boundaries for reformists pushing for women's rights in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

No one, not even the royal family, which derives legitimacy from the clerical establishment, could challenge his verdict.

<snip>"The mixing between men and women is totally forbidden under sharia (Islamic law) and highly punishable. It is ... the root of every evil and catastrophe," said the mufti, a descendant of Mohammed Abdel Wahhab, the religious leader who with the ruling House of Saud founded Saudi Arabia.

The ruling came after Saudi Arabia's leading businesswoman Lubna Olaya appealed at an economic forum in Jeddah for gender equality in Saudi Arabia. Pictures of her veil slipping from her head onto her shoulders -- powerful symbolism which echoed her words -- enraged the mufti who said this violated Islamic teaching. <snip>

<snip>Greater rights for Saudi women, who are banned from driving or traveling without a male guardian, is only one of the demands by liberals who also want fair distribution of wealth, elections, human rights and transparency.

[BayCityProgressive]

1. Hopefully

The people will someday be able to rise up and overthrow this religious dictatorship.

[bigendian]

2. That would be unfortunate.

The probability of them being toppled by Osama bin Laden is very high.
You can project the resulting chaos on the petroeconomy of the USA. Forget cheap gas. Not only that forget plastics, resins, pesticides, fertilizers and a whole list of items that allow us to live like kings.
Remember the World TRADE Center? It's the economy, stupid.
( I don't mean you personally.)

Now, the Royals may stay in power but with carefully planned assasinations OBL could easily place a flunkie at the head of the family.