According to the AP, a Saudi human rights group has published the "Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice" report, accusing the country's notorious religious police of discriminating against women. The report "also urged an end to the marriage of underage girls and demanded a faster pace for judicial reform, including retraining judges."

Saudi women are sidelined, no doubt, but there is a ray of hope. Many bright young women are now standing up and voicing their opinions and concerns, refusing to give in to the country's oppressive environment.

Faisal Abbas, editor of the London-based Arab daily Asharq Al Awsat, recently interviewed one such role model for Saudi women. Muna Abu Sulayman, who has been called  the Oprah of Saudi Arabia, is the first woman from the country to host a show on an Arab satellite channel. She now heads the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, working on disaster relief operations and promoting dialogue between the Islamic world and the West.

A mother of two, Muna wears the veil and believes that being religious does not stop one from accepting modern ideas and ways.

Bhumika Ghimire