Democracy Café

Imagine you are a woman and live in a country in which you have no rights. None. Not the right to vote, nor even the right to drive a car (while that will change next month at long last, the government -- an absolute monarchy -- has arrested many who led the movement for this right). Imagine you love philosophy, but that you have to read philosophical works, including 'Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy,' secretively online, because it's forbidden. Imagine you love exploring philosophical and political questions, and that you are so courageous enough to arrange a gathering with like-minded women, in a public place, to do just that, come what may. That is what Jenan Abdullah has accomplished. Jenan, 21, is a dentistry student at a university in the city of Qatif. When she learned about Socrates Cafe and read our facilitators guide, she felt this was just the thing for her, and other women in Saudi Arabia, and she was inspired and determined to start one, even though it could put her at risk if th