I’ve got something special for you today — from my work blog. Just wanted to share with you something I wrote and give you a chance to support women’s rights in the Middle East. You can read all about Manal Al-Sharif, the woman arrested just for driving in Saudi Arabia in my new piece, “Dare the Drive: A Saudi Woman Remains Imprisoned for Defying Moral Law.”
The truth is that women in Saudi Arabia are some of the most oppressed in the world. They can be arrested for something as small as speaking to a man in public or wearing what the religious police consider inappropriate clothing. By Saudi standards, that could be exposing her wrist for all I know! Empowering women around the world is an indirect way to conquer tyranny and promote freedom. When women are educated and empowered, things begin to change. That’s why I’m always very supportive of organizations that serve to offer education and entreprenuership opportunities for women in these more oppressed regions.
Here’s an excerpt of my piece:
Empowering and educating women in oppressive regimes around the world is one of the best ways to elevate freedom and democracy in those areas. The spark of a freedom movement has caught fire in one of the worst places for women in the world: Saudi Arabia.
Manal Al-Sharif is the woman whose face is at the forefront of a new campaign to allow women to drive in Saudi Arabia. Like the flurry of protests before it this year, the “Women2Drive” movement demonstrates a powerful thirst for freedom in a place where little exists. If this movement succeeds, it could set a precedent for new liberties to be unveiled for Saudi women.