Unlicensed Driver

Where Manal Al-Sharif lives, must be a different world. Why would a 21st century government deny the right of a woman to drive? This is only one small example how Saudi places unthinkable restrictions on women. But the good news is that there are signs of reform"ation", the recent rights that Saudi women got to vote in municipal elections, or joining the local Shura councils are positive signs.

If one looks more closely, Saudi women are not the only ones getting discriminated. The men are too! Do Saudi men or women have any rights to elect their government? In a century where Arab Spring swept many parts of this region, Saudi Arabia remains to be as one of the most archaic and back dated nations, holding on the antiquated monarch system, denying the very basic civil rights to its citizens, women or men.

This Amnesty International press release from November 8 of 2012 reveals that there are protests in Saudi where no protests are allowed, officially, but the discontents that naturally arise when people are suppressed  by various means of brutal tactics are taking place.

Read The Atlantic's tribute to Manal Al-Sharif: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/11/manal-al-sharif/309121/