Prominent Saudis, foreign leaders, researchers, scientists and journalists attended the inauguration ceremony of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, reports Arab News. Initial reactions to the project are positive, as the attendees see the university as indicative of Saudi Arabia's progress and ability to compete with larger industrialized nations, particularly in the sciences.

However, opposition to KAUST persists among certain parts of Saudi society due to the lack of gender segregation on campus, writes Mshari Al-Zaydi for Asharq Al-Awsat.

KAUST is the first fully co-ed university in the country, and women will not be required to wear veils and can mix freely with men, writes United Press International. Thus the university's mission and structure is considered counter-culture in ultra-conservative Saudi society. Currently, 817 students from 61 countries have enrolled at the university.

Mutlaq Al-Anazi, managing editor at Al-Youm newspaper, told Arab News, "The university is something that will change the face of Saudi Arabia and has the potential to change the way education is imparted in this country."

"This will provide a new impetus to all Saudi society to get their children better and more quality education," added journalist Manal Al-Sharif. "It will encourage them to make their children try to work at school and achieve good marks in the lower levels and also at the graduate levels for them to qualify to get to a university where the standard is high and enable them to compete with people from around the globe."

However, there has been hard-line opposition to the university project, reflecting the "numerous confrontations" between King Abdul Aziz bin Saud, his predecessors and opponents of modernization, writes Al-Zaydi. Prior battles flared around the right of Saudi females to have an education, the emancipation of slaves and opening the first national television stations.

"There have been inflammatory statements that call for the destruction of society issued by preachers and clerics from all sorts of religious institutions, claiming that this institution is a Westernized university that practices co-education and hires infidel experts!" writes Al-Zaydi.

"The issue of permitting co-education is...complicated by the fact that Saudi Arabia is the only country in the Islamic world that completely forbids co-education from childhood to adulthood," writes Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed for Asharq Al-Awsat.

Al-Rashed notes that arguing against KAUST based on "Saudi society's Islamic nature is not consistent in this case, as [the population of] Saudi Arabia represents only five percent" of the Islamic world, which overwhelmingly permits women to do many things not allowed in Saudi Arabia.

"All of these unjustified restrictions will change in the future, in the same way that [the view on] education for girls, the telephone, radio and television changed," writes Al-Rashed. In his view, instead of reviewing "the logic behind such restrictions" that leave female graduates unable to find jobs, "they are being rejected for rejection's sake" due to "unjustified fears that our enemies want us to open up our society, as this will cause its destruction."

Al-Zaydi is confident that the "protesting voices" will fade away over time. "We will see those who protest against the establishment of KAUST today pushing and shoving tomorrow to enlist their children there. History repeats itself, but we would be making a big mistake if we hindered national development just to appease those who act fanatically."

"Stagnation brings about more problems, and in the end pushes us towards wrong solutions," concurs Al-Rashed. He concludes that there is hope for the Kingdom's future and notes that it is a step towards opening up socially and professionally.

"It is inconceivable for Saudi society to proudly repeat stories of successful, young Saudi women who are internationally outstanding in their chosen fields... whilst at the same time depriving them of the opportunity to earn a living and take part in their communities," he comments.