Saudi women want people to understand that they are not in need of a rescue, a US diplomat said.
In a report by Arab News, US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said that the Saudi women she has talked to want her colleagues in the US to understand that they should not pity them as the Kingdom is undergoing revolutionary reforms in terms of women empowerment.
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She said that not a lot of people understand the scale of Saudi’s efforts in making sure the women are given more rights and opportunities.
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“She [the Saudi woman] made the excellent point that Saudi women have been strong, capable and educated for a long time. She is proud of the reforms,” Arab News quoted Ortagus as saying.
Ortagus added she used to live in the Kingdom for two years as the appointed deputy US Treasury attaché. She noted the difference back then to when she revisited it this year.
“It doesn’t even seem like the same country. “I didn’t recognize it. I couldn’t believe that it was the same diplomatic quarter that I used to live in 10 years ago — it is totally transformed,” she told Arab News in an interview.
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