Manal al-Sharif

With its vast, unpopulated deserts, low-slung buildings and cheap oil, Saudi Arabia is a kingdom made for cars. But for its women, who are barred from driving, even picking up the dry cleaning is considered subversive. Last spring, Manal al-Sharif, 32, a divorced mother of two, decided to take on the issue by posting on YouTube a video of herself driving the Saudi streets.

Though al-Sharif was jailed for nine days and publicly shamed, she inspired a movement. An underground civil-disobedience campaign encouraged women to drive to the grocery store, the doctor's office or the kids' school. Those thankless errands may plague women elsewhere, but in Saudi Arabia, where they must rely on husbands, fathers and hired drivers to get around, they are a long-dreamed-of privilege.

Read more: http://www.time.com/

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Western wars vs. Muslim women

Western wars vs. Muslim women

Western media is awash with reports about Taliban mistreatment of women in Afghanistan and Pakistan that feature countless voices in support of the war to secure a 'brighter future for women's rights'.  This week's Time magazine cover story is a case in point.

If Western wars 'liberate' Eastern women, Muslim women would be - after centuries of Western military interventions - the most 'liberated' in the world. They are not, and will not be, especially when liberty is associated with Western hegemony.

Afghanistan has had its share of British, Russian and American military intervention to no avail. In fact, reports from credible women's groups there signal worsening conditions for Aghan women since the US invasion a decade ago.

blogs.aljazeera.net/