The Saudi public was shocked by the release of a statement signed by more than 200 heavyweight Saudi scholars and intellectuals, known to belong to the kingdom’s moderate trend. The statement warned against what they called the “Western liberal perspective” on social life that grants women’s issues and status importance. They described this perspective as being an “extreme violation” of the Muslim woman, stressing the necessity that any alteration in the status of women should be done in accordance with the shari’a.