varnam

In his book, Longitudes and Attitudes, Tom Friedman writes about traveling in Saudi Arabia after Sept 11th. He meets a number of women who talk to him about the repressive Saudi society and wonder why no one is taking up their case with the Saudi authorities.

Saudi Arabia gave some rights to women, due to terrorism, but still they are forced to wear the veil and don't have the rights to drive or vote. But in the neighboring Kuwait, women now have the right to vote.

In a first step toward granting women full political rights, Kuwaiti lawmakers agreed yesterday to allow women to vote and run in local council elections, but the measure requires more legislative action before it would become law.

The measure was taken on a 26-20 vote for womenâ??s participation with three abstentions. The session was attended by more than three quarters of the 64 lawmakers and Cabinet ministers entitled to vote.
A second reading of the bill and a second vote, expected in two weeks, was required before the bill becomes a law. Then it would require the Kuwaiti rulerâ??s signature, generally a formality and the emir has made clear in the past he supports womenâ??s political rights. [Kuwaiti Women Allowed to Vote via Publius Pundit]