Voting behind the veil
There is huge distinction between how women are treated in Saudi Arabia and how the west views their treatment. The west continuously views the conduct towards women as oppression on the basis of Islam; however the equality between male and female could not be more clear in the Quran. On that statement, whether it is practiced properly in Saudi Arabia is another concern. In order to fix a problem, it must be adjusted from the roots of the issue, and that is the confusion between what is tradition and what is religion. Once this distinction is made, then and only then will Saudi Arabia be able to move forward. One of the affects from not being able to make this distinction, is the treatment of women. Saudi Arabia, like many new nations,  was brought up in a very paternal society, everything being dependent on the males of the household, not placing women and men at an equal footing and all these issues stem from tradition. Since Saudi Arabia follows Sharia Law which should be solely based on the Quran, women and men should have the same value, but it is ignored and the citizens of the country stood quiet.

The people of Saudi Arabia tend to be passive in this concern instead of standing up for their rights.  However, King Abdullah is recently taking huge steps towards helping women, nation-wide, in various concerns, one of them being their right to vote. According to the BBC Article, Women in Saudi Arabia to vote and run in elections, women should be able to vote and run in the next municipal elections. The King had stated:

“Because we refuse to marginalize women in society in all roles that comply with Sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior clerics and others... to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from next term," 

This provides a huge opportunity for all Saudi Arabian women; not only to be heard but to feel heard. By allowing them to vote, it will a permit their concerns to be heard as valuable constituents.

Although, people are very skeptical on whether a woman would actually get voted for in the elections, there is a possibility- the mind set of the citizens need to change first. It will definitely open doors in the future elections for women to have more powerful jobs that affect outcome of several political decisions. A BBC correspondent, Emily Buchanan discusses the long heated debate over the issue:

“Although not everyone will welcome the decision, such a reform will ease some of the tension that has been growing over the issue.”

What articles always dismiss when addressing issues in Saudi Arabia is the age of the newly blooming country. Saudi Arabia was founded under a hundred years ago, in 1932. The US had been founded in 1776, and it was not until the 1920s did women’s suffrage occur. In the stance of timelines, Saudi Arabia is advanced for their age. Additionally, what certain Saudi Arabian citizens need to realize is that it is not against Sharia Law for women to vote and run in elections, as discussed earlier this is just an affect of typically practiced traditions of Saudi Arabia. Women are finally reaching their goals in Saudi Arabia, and with the right campaigning they might be able to achieve what was previously unattainable.