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Arrests of women’s rights activists put Saudi Arabia on the wrong side of history

From Indonesia to Saudi Arabia, Muslim women’s movements for equality are increasingly interconnected – and unstoppable.

By Zainah Anwar and Kamala Chandrakirana
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A Saudi woman poses with her new driving license after the country’s ban on women driving was lifted in June, 2018.

A Saudi woman poses with her new driving license after the country’s ban on women driving was lifted in June, 2018. Photo: Gehad Hamdy/DPA/PA Images. All rights reserved.

Saudi Arabia’s ongoing crackdown on women’s rights activists undermines Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s own reform agenda. It reveals a disconnect between this young leader who styles himself as a reformist and a women’s rights advocate and the new reality in the Muslim world today.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0