The Battle Raging Within Saudi Arabia Over Women’s Rights
During reporter Isobel Coleman’s visit last week to Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah fired Sheikh Abdel Mohsen Obeikan, “one of the most popular Islamic leaders.” At The Atlantic, Coleman sees the dismissal as a symptom of a larger battle over women’s rights in the country. Many suspect Obeikan was removed over the “internal struggle to define the role of women in society.” Despite King Abdullah’s tight reign, Coleman asserts that “dissent over women’s status in society will remain at the heart of competing visions for the country.”