Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman

If you want to get a sense of what happens to those who campaign for greater female freedom in Saudi Arabia, read this piece by my good friend Martyn Frampton. It's about the case of Wajeha al-Huwaider, who had her passport taken away from her by Saudi authorities so she could not address conferences in ...

If you want to get a sense of what happens to those who campaign for greater female freedom in Saudi Arabia, read this piece by my good friend Martyn Frampton. It's about the case of Wajeha al-Huwaider, who had her passport taken away from her by Saudi authorities so she could not address conferences in Europe and the United States on women's rights in the Arab world. Previously, the authorities had arrested her for the crime of walking along the Saudi-Bahrain border carrying a sign saying "Give Women their Rights!"

If you want to get a sense of what happens to those who campaign for greater female freedom in Saudi Arabia, read this piece by my good friend Martyn Frampton. It's about the case of Wajeha al-Huwaider, who had her passport taken away from her by Saudi authorities so she could not address conferences in Europe and the United States on women's rights in the Arab world. Previously, the authorities had arrested her for the crime of walking along the Saudi-Bahrain border carrying a sign saying "Give Women their Rights!"

If Huwaider is unable to fulfill her commitment at AEI on October 10, it will be further proof that George W. Bush's declaration that the United States will "stand with" all those who stand up for liberty was a rhetorical flourish, not a promise.

James Forsyth is assistant editor at Foreign Policy.

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