JEDDAH: Addressing the controversy over women and literary clubs, Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, through his Facebook page, reiterated that women have the right to be members of the General Assembly and have the right to participate in the elections for board of directors as voters and candidates. “A woman can even reach the post of chairwoman of the board of directors through election,” Khoja said on the Facebook. The minister said the Ministry of Culture and Information will not impose its will on anyone, nor it will intervene in the election process in any manner. Dr. Nasser Al-Hujailan, undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture and Information for Cultural Affairs, said there is no objection to women being elected to the boards of directors of literary clubs. Al-Hujailan's statement is a significant departure from from a decision issued some time back. The official said nominating women is part of finding the best people for the posts and activates and supports women's roles. The decision to bar women from the nomination process created an uproar and anger among many female intellectuals who announced their withdrawal from the general assemblies of literary clubs.
