On Tuesday, January 29, Dr. Joseph Kéchichian, whose book Legal and Political Reforms in Saudi Arabia was published in December, spoke at the Middle East Institute on gender reform and legal reform (he did not discuss Saudi petitions, which he said was the longest and best chapter in his book). Dr. Kéchichian described King Abdullah as a reformer who has been leveraging constructive public dialogue to push the conservative clerical establishment to follow new political and social initiatives.
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While he acknowledges that critics view gender reforms as cosmetic or trivial, Dr. Kéchichian views progress for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia as genuine and significant. He cited the 2004 national dialogue on women as a key catalyst of reform, precipitating the recent addition of thirty women to the 150-member Shura Council, as well as the coming extension of suffrage and the right to run in municipal elections to women in 2015.
Again, Dr. Kéchichian framed King Abdullah as a reformer who must outmaneuver the clerical establishment, not as a conservative resistant to liberal calls for reform. He said that King Abdullah has communicated three key principles on gender issues: first, women should be allowed to contribute to their families’ economic wellbeing in a meaningful way; second, guardianship must be based on piety and consultation rather than control; and third, deviance and immoral behavior must be guarded against.
Likewise, King Abdullah’s efforts to introduce judicial reform face resistance from the conservative clerical establishment. Dr. Kéchichian explained that Hanbali law is generally followed in the cities, while in rural areas customary tribal laws are more important. Further, the laws that are relied upon for judicial rulings are not codified. Thus, judicial reform is needed. Dr. Kéchichian said that King Abdullah’s challenge to judges was to clarify the law, so that citizens can better understand their rights and responsibilities. Later, during the question and answer period, Dr. Kéchichian noted that judicial reform is also critical if Saudi Arabia is going to attract more international business; foreign companies are more likely to trust in rule of law when the law is written and definite.
Dr. Kéchichian contended that Saudi kings have traditionally been the source of reform in their country, with King Saud as the noteworthy exception. He declined to speculate on future succession in the Kingdom, but he believes that regardless the next king will be a reformer in his own right. On the issue of Saudi Arabia’s Shi’ites, Dr. Kéchichian sees King Abdullah as wanting to break the clerics’ position of labeling the Shi’ites apostates.
Saudi Arabia’s major dilemma is reforming its institutions while holding on to its time-tested, proven norms. Regarding national dialogues, Dr. Kéchichian quoted King Abdullah as telling the nation, “You help me, and you too help yourselves.”
