Woman appointed as Minister in Saudi for first time

Saudi Arabia on Monday appointed Tamadur bint Youssef al-Ramah as the Deputy Labour Minister, a rare high-level job for a woman in the deeply conservative kingdom. This appointment is part of the efforts to modernise and promote a more moderate form of Islam by the crown prince who has promised reforms to wean Saudi Arabia […]

Saudi Arabia on Monday appointed Tamadur bint Youssef al-Ramah as the Deputy Labour Minister, a rare high-level job for a woman in the deeply conservative kingdom.

This appointment is part of the efforts to modernise and promote a more moderate form of Islam by the crown prince who has promised reforms to wean Saudi Arabia off oil exports, create jobs, and open up Saudis’ cloistered lifestyles. Business Insider reported

Also, King Salman decreed the removal of the military Chief of Staff, Air Defense, Land Forces Heads and Senior Defense and Interior Ministry Officials.

No reason for the changes was given but this decrees included adopting a new strategy to restructure the defense ministry for improved organization and governance.

This has become a hallmark of the crown prince’s approach to ruling youthful Saudi Arabia, where patriarchal traditions have long made power the preserve of the old.

The crown prince, who is also defense minister and heir apparent, has loosened social restrictions, scaling back the role of religious police and permitting public concerts.

Recall also the announced plans by the Saudi government to allow women to drive this year, and said women no longer need the consent of a male relative to open their own businesses, a step away from the kingdom’s guardianship system.