Syrian Rising

The pro-democratic Arab Spring has made a lot of gains in the Middle East, leading to regime change in Egypt and Libya and significant reform in other countries. However, in Syria the embattled government of President Bashar al-Assad has brutally repressed dissidents. It is hard to get an exact picture of what is happening because journalists are allowed to report from inside Syria. What we do know is that the Government is using the its' armed forces and armored vehicles in an attempt to isolate and crush opposition members, supporters and sympathizers.

Out of the chaos comes the sad tale of the Alhusni family. Several years ago Mr. Alhusni died leaving a wife and four small children in a country with conditions not favorable to a single mother. When the anti-Government protests broke out in March young Mohammed Alhusni became one of the local leaders of the protests. In response the Government began targeting his family. Last month his 18 year old sister, Zainab, disappeared while buying groceries.

A few weeks ago Mohammed was wounded and captured during a protest. When they went to claim his body he showed signs of torture. Then his family was told there was another body in the freezer. It was Zainab.

"When the family received the body, her head and arms had been chopped off. Chunks of her flesh were charred, appearing in places to have been melted or burned down to the bone."
Zainab was brutally tortured and murdered to make a point: Families of dissidents will now be targeted. Against this kind of evil and repression it is imperative the people of Syria succeed in rebellion Against this kind of evil and repression they might not be able to succeed. But there is always prayer

Women in the House of Saud

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced this week that women would have the right to nominate candidates for municipal office in this weeks' elections. While he did not use the term "vote" nominating candidates is as close as they get in Saudi Arabia, a country known for it's restrictions on women. The upcoming election is also of note because it is only the second Saudi election in the last 50 years.

The announcement was met with enthusiasm by women's rights activists who see this as a sign of more reform. In commenting on the announcement one activist said:

"Women's voices will be heard finally," she said. "Now it's time to remove other barriers like not allowing women to drive cars and not being able to function and live a normal life without a male guardian."

The announcement comes after a growing freedom movement in the Middle East known as the Arab Spring that has toppled the Mubarak regime in Egypt, lead to a successful revolution in Libya and led to escalating violence in Yemen and Syria. The decision may well be an attempt to lessen pro-democracy backlash in Saudi Arabia.