Photo: Two women dressed in nikab, Wikipedia (PD)
Saudi Arabia wasn’t on my list of places to visit, but with this latest bit of news I just may have to change my mind. In order to encourage career-minded women to pursue their goals and dreams, while maintaining strict adherence to Sharia Law, Saudi Arabia is going to build a female only city within the next year or so. From the Daily Mail:
Saudi Arabia is planning to build a new city exclusively for women as it bids to combine strict Sharia law and career minded females, pursuing work.
It is thought the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) has been asked to bring the country up to date with the rest of the modern world with the controversial city, which is now being designed with construction to begin next year.
It is hoped it will allow women’s desire to work without defying the country’s Islamic laws.
There will be women-run firms and production lines for women.
Although Saudi Sharia law does not prohibit women to work figures show that only 15 per cent of women are represented in the workforce.
The plan coincides with the governments ambitions to get women to play a more active part in the development of the country. Among the stated objectives are to create jobs, particularly for younger women.
‘I’m sure that women can demonstrate their efficiency in many aspects and clarify the industries that best suits their interests, their nature and their ability’, Modon’s deputy director-general, Saleh Al-Rasheed, told Saudi daily newspaper al-Eqtisadiah.
Read more at the Daily Grail.
