Saudi men get text alert when ‘dependants’ leave

Saudi Arabia has long been criticised regarding its women rights. In the Muslim country women cannot travel without the consent of their male ‘guardians’ and are now monitored by an electronic system at airports.

If a woman crosses the border a new system will automatically send a text message to the men in order to inform them that the woman is leaving or entering the country, even if the man is travelling with her.

Read Full Post »

Saudi women to compete in Games

Two Saudi women will compete in the London 2012 Games, said the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Sarah Attar (photo, from bbc.co.uk) will compete in the 800m and Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrakhani in the judo competition above 78kg.

Read Full Post »

Saudi women driving means ‘end of virginity’, said cleric

A well-known conservative academic in Saudi Arabia prepared a report for the Shura Council, the country’s legislative assembly, to warn that giving Saudi women the right to drive would mean the end of virginity in the country. (photo, from bbcimg.co.uk)

Read Full Post »

Saudi women to be allowed to vote and run as candidates

A few days before municipal elections in Saudi Arabia from which women will be excluded, King Abdullah (photo, from lexpress.fr) has said that in the future “women will be able to run as candidates in the municipal election and will even have a right to vote.”

Read Full Post »

Saudi women take driver’s seat to protest against ban

Emboldened by uprisings taking place across the Middle East and Arab world, in Saudi Arabia several women sat behind the wheel on Friday (photo, from lexpress.fr) in defiance of a rule that bans them from driving in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

Read Full Post »

Saudi Arabia tightens media law

Control of the media has been tightened in Saudi Arabia by amendments to the media law issued as a royal order on Friday. State media reported that the amendments threaten fines and closure of publications which jeopardised the country’s stability or offended clerics.

Read Full Post »

State of emergency established in Bahrain

Following weeks of anti-government protests in Bahrain, the king has declared a state of emergency that will last for three months on the island, state TV reported.

Read Full Post »

Self-immolation spreads through the Arab world

A man in his 60s died after setting himself on fire in the town of Samitah, in Saudi Arabia’s south-western region of Jizan (map, from bbcimg.co.uk), and died later in the hospital, officials have said.

Read Full Post »

Indonesian maid ‘killed by employers in Saudi Arabia’

After two cases of alleged torture by employers in Saudi Arabia the past week, there are growing calls within Indonesia to stop sending migrant domestic workers there.

Read Full Post »

Riyadh questions abuse claim

The account of a Sri Lankan maid has been questioned by Saudi government officials. The maid said her Saudi employers planted 24 nails and needles into her body. (photo, from aljazeera.net)

Read Full Post »