DUBAI: Women are barred from driving in Saudi Arabia. On newspapers comment forums, the mood toward women's rights is nothing less than shocking, with even calls for women who step outside the normal boundaries established by the Saudi government should be killed. On Thursday, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud told CNN's Piers Morgan that women in his country should be granted full equal rights, a view unlikely to go over well back home. Saudi female activist Munira al-Taleb, who now lives in Dubai and promotes via social media activities women's rights in her home country, says that while it is great to hear such comments from leaders, it won't be enough to change perceptions. “Saudi Arabia is a country based on tribal traditions and the men believe and enjoy the dominant position they have over women in the country,” she told Bikyamasr.com on Friday morning. “It's hard to break down barriers when even the idea for a woman to speak out or protest throws them in jail and the majority of the country support that action,” she added. Alwaleed, the wealthiest Arab, said rights in the counry should go beyond driving, disagreeing with Taleb's assertions by adding “the majority of Saudis are with me.” He said he is looking to bolster women's rights in the country through financial support to organizations dealing with the issues. But Taleb said that it will be nearly impossible to change the conversation until laws change. “We can only start to build society with new legislation, so until that happens all this talk is simply lip service,” she argued. BM
