"Al-Rashed, who is general manager of Al-Arabiya TV, which is partly owned by a different prominent member of the Saudi royal family, argued that the king’s decision had nothing to do with the ongoing revolutions in other Arab countries. He wrote:
In fact, there have been no popular demands for the right of women to vote, or to stand for election, or to be represented in the Shura Council. Accordingly, we cannot characterize the decree as a response to popular pressure, but rather it was a progressive step that transformed King Abdullah into a genuine man of reform." Rashed worked first for Prince Nayif and his sons before "defecting" to work for King Fahd's brother-in-law and King Fahd's son, `Azzuz. (thanks "Ibn Rushd")
