Saudi Architect Among Foreign Policy 2016 Global Thinkers List

Saudi architect professor Haifa al-Hababi has been named in the ‘thinkers list’ of 2016 released by the US Foreign Policy magazine. Hababi has made the cut for her work in “seizing suffrage” - the right to vote in political elections in her homeland.

The architect professor was the first Saudi woman to register to run in last December’s municipal elections, the first in which women could vote and seek office. Over 900 individuals declared their candidature while 20 won seats.

Although Hababi lost her bid to join Riyadh’s Municipal Council, she continues to call for a new public attitude toward government. “In Saudi Arabia…we are selfish,” she told The Guardian in January. “It’s all about what people get from the government. We treat it as a father who must look after us.”

Originally published on Alarabiya