Norah Al Faiz

Reactions to her appointment Saudi journalist Khalid Almeena stated "People are very excited about this [her appointment]." Prince Talal considered her appointment as part of a larger process of change, initiated by King Abdullah even before his coronation, when he was still crown prince. He further stated that this appointment was good news for men even more than women, and was a call for women to take their natural place in society.

Faisal bin Abdallah, education minister, also welcomed her appointment as a deputy. He told that the Saudi education ministry was proud to be the first to have a woman in a ministry post, and that women help men in numerous areas, including in education.

Views Her Al Watan interview seems to support Ali Alyami's views. Four months after her appointment, in June 2009, Norah Al Faiz told that "the time was still too soon for [the] topic ”of sports for girls." Since her photo was published in the same daily, showing her face without niqab, she angrily reacted and said "The publication of my photo upset me immensely ... t is well known that I am a Saudi woman from Najd, and thus I wear a niqab. I will never allow the publishing of my photo in newspapers and I will not accept that it be put up anywhere."

Personal life Al Faiz is married and has three sons and two daughters. In April 2012, Utah State University granted her an honorary degree.

In 2009, she was regarded as one of the 500 influential Muslims by Georgetown University's center for Muslim-Christian understanding.