Living in North America, in a country like Canada, it can be easy to overlook the many basic rights we have as citizens that others across the globe lack. While that may seem like a curious phenomenon to us, it is a reality for women, especially in the Middle East.
Saudi has long been considered a country of wonder, what with the one thousand and one stories of Arabian Nights. In addition to that, it remains one of the few countries in the world still ruled under a King as well as a religious government. Without fail, Saudi Arabia surprised the world again on Sunday when King Abdullah decreed that women would gain the right to vote and to run in elections by 2015. This has incited positive feedback from the United States and determined rights activists, yet further confirms the harsh truth of many rights still denied to women (such as being able to drive and to travel without a man accompanying). Nonetheless, in an ultra conservative society such as this, this event only reflects the fact that the world is moving forward one step at a time.