A couple of weeks ago I was inspired by Dr. Al Gosaibi’s passing to honor not just him but also other Saudis who have chosen to risk condemnation and more to make an effort for the betterment of fellow Saudis.
Here are some more great Saudi heroes:
Dr. Huda Al Munsour
Dr. Al Munsour was bothered by how widespread the inherited condition Thalassemia was in Saudi Arabia so she decided to do something about it. She proposed that all Saudis considering marriage be tested for genetic diseases. Thus they can make an informed decision before. After years of campaigning and petitioning, she was able to see her idea implemented all across Saudi Arabia.
Amina Fatani
Amina Fatani at the young age of 21, started a campaign to preserve heritage sites. This is especially important as many Saudis do not see any value in these sites. I believe that many great things are to come from Ms. Fatani.
Haifa Khalid
Ms Khalid is a poet and a women’s rights activist. She is the mastermind behind a non-profit organization for divorced women. One of the main issues about divorce in Saudi is that the majority of women are unaware of their rights. Due to women not demanding these rights, sometimes both husbands and judges conveniently forget them too. That’s where Ms. Khalid comes in. She is a regular on TV and newspapers. She educates women and also appeals to the judicial system to implement more safeguards for divorced women’s rights.
Abdulrahman Allahim
A lawyer unlike most lawyers, he represented the Qatif girl, Fatima and Monsour, the married couple who were forcefully separated, and he raised the first case in Saudi history against the PVPV on behalf of a Saudi woman. He was the 2008 recipient of both the International Human Rights Lawyer Award and the Human Rights Watch Award.
Reem Asaad
Ms.Asaad is a lecturer at a university in Jeddah. She started a campaign to allow Saudi women to work in lingerie shops as currently the majority of these shops are manned by expatriate male workers. I’ve written about her campaign in this post.
