AS A schoolgirl in Leicestershire, Nadia Bakhurji was determined that her father would not regret having only daughters. She looked around at the boys of her age and realised there was nothing special about them. She could outsmart them, run faster and her “tree-climbing abilities were no less superior”.
Now Ms Bakhurji, a successful 37-year-old interior designer and mother-of-two, is making history in her native Saudi Arabia by becoming the first woman to declare herself a candidate for elected office.
“I’m excited and slightly nervous. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet,” she told The Times yesterday. She was surprised that other women had not yet come forward and by the media attention she is attracting.
Yet the interest is understandable. Women in Saudi Arabia, one of the most conservative societies in the world, are not allowed to drive, appear in public without being covered or to travel without the permission of a male guardian. It is still unclear whether they will even be able to stand for office or to vote in the elections, which are to be held in February.
The vote, to fill half the seats on 178 municipal councils, is a cautious step by the Government to begin political reform in the kingdom, which is an absolute monarchy. The pressure for change is coming from within Saudi society and without, from allies such as the US, which is keen that the kingdom should develop a non-violent outlet for political dissent.
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“I feel like I’m just doing something normal,” Ms Bakhurji said by phone from her home in Riyadh, the capital, where she was putting her three-month-old son to bed. She also has a son of 18.
“I don’t look at myself as a feminist or think I have to prove a point because I’m a woman. I just feel a sense of purpose. I’m not a radical. I don’t belong to any political group, I don’t have a label for myself.” She views the elections as a “very positive” first step by the Government.
Women were not specifically excluded when municipal bylaws were recently issued and the ambiguity is seen as deliberate. The Government is waiting to see how the idea will go down with the public, analysts believe.
As part of its reform efforts, led by Crown Prince Abdullah, the Government has in recent months allowed women to take part in a series of forums to debate the challenges facing Saudi Arabia. Women have also been appointed to the committees of several government-controlled bodies, such as the National Human Rights Commission.
So far, Ms Bakhurji has had nothing but positive feedback to her decision to run. She said clients of her company, which employs up to 50 people, told her they support her “every step of the way”. Her husband, an architect, also believes she is doing the right thing, even though it will make more demands on her hectic schedule. Ms Bakhurji, a devout Muslim, is confident the move accords with her religious beliefs. “In Islam, women have complete rights,” she said. “I’m a very strong believer. I feel I have a duty to my country.”
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Fluent in English, Ms Bakhurji lived in England from the age of six months until she did her O levels when she returned to Saudi Arabia to take a degree in interior design. She has always been determined to “participate in the building of my country”.
If her candidacy is allowed, Ms Bakhurji’s campaign will centre on environmental and social issues, such as improving building safety and promoting awareness about water consumption and wastage.