RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Three women have made history in Saudi Arabia with their appointments to senior positions on an unelected body that advises on national policy, officials say.
The women are among 30 sworn in to Saudi Arabia's Shura Council earlier this month, Gulf News reported Monday.
The appointments were made at the opening of the sixth term of the advisory council.
Dr. Thurayya Obaid was named deputy chairwomen of the Human Rights and Petitions Committee, while Dr. Zainet bint Muthanna bin Abduou Abu-Taleb was appointed deputy chairwoman of the Information and Cultural Committee. Dr. Lubna al-Ansari was named deputy chairwoman of the Health Affairs and Environment Committee.
Remarking about the presence of the women delegates, Deputy Speaker Fahd al-Hamad said their success "requires cooperation from all citizens and all those who are keen on the country's interests to contribute to the success of this experience."
"The plight of divorced women and the women who are deprived of their rights to inheritance due to customs and traditions that have nothing to do with Islam" topped the list of their priorities, some of the women representatives said last week.
The women appointees are among Saudi Arabia's elite. Some 27 of them hold doctorate degrees and two are princesses from the royal family.
