The Minister of Culture and Information, Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja, has endorsed changes to the bylaws and regulations governing literary clubs, which now allows women and non-Saudis to join. The new regulations classify members of literary clubs into three categories. The first are working members, who are male and female Saudi intellectuals; the second type of membership falls under “participant” which refers to non-Saudi female and male intellectuals; and the third type is an honorary membership which the club bestows on whoever it chooses. Khoja said this now creates the opportunity for non-Saudi female and male intellectuals to join the literary clubs in the capacity of participant members. Also, there is no longer a set age or qualification needed for membership. The regulations now stipulate that a person qualifies if over the age of 18, has published twice and holds a bachelor's degree. The regulations were written by a team of experts from the ministry's agency for cultural affairs in coordination with a number of intellectuals. The new regulations define the obligations and rights of members and all matters connected to literary clubs. A source at the ministry told Okaz that the committee which drew up the regulations, made limited amendments. The source added that the regulations do not specify the sources of funding, which is in addition to the financial aid paid by the ministry.
