They just love their abayas

There's no hint in this story about Karen Hughes in Saudi Arabia that the handpicked women in the audience may have felt the slightest bit of constraint about speaking in front of reporters. No, it was "an unusual departure from the carefully staged events in a tour that began Sunday in Egypt," we're told.

Several women said later that Americans failed to understand that their traditional society was embraced by men and women alike.

"There is more male chauvinism in my profession in Europe and America than in my country," said Dr. Siddiqa Kamal, an obstetrician and gynecologist who runs her own hospital.

"I don't want to drive a car," she said. "I worked hard for my medical degree. Why do I need a driver's license?"

"Women have more than equal rights," added her daughter, Dr. Fouzia Pasha, also an obstetrician and gynecologist, asserting that men have obligations accompanying their rights, and that women can go to court to hold them accountable.