After watching (the Saudi financed?) FRONTLINE last night about the venerable Saudi royal family, I could not agree more with the free muslim activists:
"On February 10, 2005 Saudi Arabia will hold its first ever municipal elections. The anticipated election is part of a drive to introduce political reforms in Saudi Arabia. You probably haven't heard as much about the upcoming elections in Saudi Arabia as you did about elections in Iraq and Palestine. However, these elections are a big deal in a kingdom where democracy is not practiced at any level of society.

Even more promising than having elections, at one point the government of Saudi Arabia suggested that women may be allowed to vote and run for office. In fact, as of November 2004, at least three women indicated that they were interested in running for office.
Recently however, Saudi government officials have indicated that women may not be allowed to participate in the elections. The official reason given was that there wasn't time to work out the logistics and that they might not be able to work it out in time for the next elections scheduled for 2009. The Free Muslims Against Terrorism take issue with barring women from voting. . . .

Unfortunately, one of the consequences of the rise of Political Islam and Islamist extremism is the curtailing of women’s rights. Moderate Muslims must stand up and demand equality for women. Promoting a society where women are seen as independent thinking partners in a household rather than servants who merely take orders is essential to the development of democratic society and the defeat of religious extremism.

For more information, visit or website at www.freemuslims.org