Tough to Be a Saudi Woman
Earlier today, we suggested that there’s just a touch of hypocrisy in some lawmakers’ condemnation of China’s recent attempt to sell arms to an abusive government in Zimbabwe. That’s because we’ve sold weapons to regimes with far worse human rights’ records than Zimbabwe’s.
As if on cue, Human Rights Watch released a report this week on Saudi Arabia’s treatment of women, and it’s a gem (summary is here; report is here.)
“„The Saudi government has instituted a system whereby every Saudi woman must have a male guardian, normally a father or husband, who is tasked with making a range of critical decisions on her behalf. This policy, grounded in the most restrictive interpretation of an ambiguous Quranic verse, is the most significant impediment to the realization of women’s rights in the kingdom. The Saudi authorities essentially treat adult women like legal minors who are entitled to little authority over their own lives and well-being./p>
Good thing we just sold these guys $120 million in smart bomb kits. Maybe they can program their missiles to lase unruly wives.
