Elite Saudi university set to open
Saudi Arabia has set up a new research university, a multibillion dollar co-educational venture built on the promise of scientific freedom.
The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) - complete with state-of-the-art laboratories, the world's 14th fastest supercomputer, and one of the biggest endowments worldwide - is scheduled to officially open on Wednesday.
But the new university will not require women to wear veils or cover their faces, and they will be able to mix freely with men.
They will also be allowed to drive, a taboo in a country where women must literally take a back seat to their male drivers.
Al Jazeera
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Maybe r.s can comment on this one. Some see there a sign of a rift between the ultra religious and the king.
ReplyDelete<span>Maybe r.s can comment on this one. Real change or what?
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I doubt that Saudi woman will be able to join unveiled. It's a promise the king knows he won't keep. Real change remains a distant prospect because powerful institutions oppose such change.
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