Comments on: Contradictions http://xrdarabia.org/2005/06/27/contradictions/ Informed comment and commentary about Saudi Arabia, reform, and its relations with the US Wed, 16 May 2012 23:44:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: John http://xrdarabia.org/2005/06/27/contradictions/comment-page-1/#comment-887 John Tue, 28 Jun 2005 17:57:30 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=1036#comment-887 That is indeed a major part of the problem. The Saudis are actively trying to reform their entire judicial process, but the emphasis will continue to be on Islamic law, i.e., the law of the land. The government has announced its intention to require better training so that people going into a court have a realistic expectation of justice. Right now, with some badly informed judges, that's not always the case. It's not transparency, but it is consistency. But incursions of Shari'a law have been and continue to be made. Family and inheritance laws, for instance, are governed strictly by Shari'a law. But a change is that people are using lawyers to argue their cases and are willing to go public with many of them, if they feel they've been ill-used. And even though women are not "permitted" to practice law, they do so anyway, working with the clients, working up the cases, but leaving the courtroom activities to a male partner in the firm. That is indeed a major part of the problem. The Saudis are actively trying to reform their entire judicial process, but the emphasis will continue to be on Islamic law, i.e., the law of the land. The government has announced its intention to require better training so that people going into a court have a realistic expectation of justice. Right now, with some badly informed judges, that’s not always the case. It’s not transparency, but it is consistency.

But incursions of Shari’a law have been and continue to be made. Family and inheritance laws, for instance, are governed strictly by Shari’a law. But a change is that people are using lawyers to argue their cases and are willing to go public with many of them, if they feel they’ve been ill-used. And even though women are not “permitted” to practice law, they do so anyway, working with the clients, working up the cases, but leaving the courtroom activities to a male partner in the firm.

]]> By: Solomon2 http://xrdarabia.org/2005/06/27/contradictions/comment-page-1/#comment-886 Solomon2 Tue, 28 Jun 2005 16:49:53 +0000 http://xrdarabia.org/?p=1036#comment-886 No law schools. No law schools. NO LAW SCHOOLS! How, then, can there be rule-of-law in S.A., rather than rule-BY-law? Why did the U.S. not push for law school instruction aeons ago? No law schools. No law schools. NO LAW SCHOOLS!

How, then, can there be rule-of-law in S.A., rather than rule-BY-law? Why did the U.S. not push for law school instruction aeons ago?

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