Saudi Arabia is, in many ways, the most female-unfriendly country in the world. And that's quite a thing, I think you will agree. For one thing, it is the only country in the world which essentially prohibits women from driving. But this prohibition is not written into law, and a number of Saudi women are rising up, car keys in hand, in what Al Jazeera calls a "mutiny."

The prohibition against driving stems from the Saudi religious rules which circumscribe every aspect of a woman's life, from what she wears (Saudi women must be covered from head to toe) to how she may leave her house (only in the company of a male guardian). Saudi law requires only that drivers obtain a local driving license. But in accordance with religious rules, these licenses are not granted to women.

It's difficult for many of us in the West to imagine a nation in which driving a car could be considered an act of protest. In America in particular, we are so accustomed to our cars that many people consider them a member of the family. Imagine a life where if you want to go to the grocery store or pick up the kids from school, you have to rely on your husband, your brother, a taxi driver.

Saudi women are organizing their protests and supporting each other on Facebook and Twitter. Several women have risked imprisonment by posting videos of themselves driving to YouTube. (A woman named Manal al-Sherif was arrested and detained for 10 days after authorities spotted her video online.) If there is any better argument in favor of these platforms, I can't imagine it. Even though there is the predictable counter-protest being campaigned on Facebook, to "beat up any woman seen driving."

I salute these mutinous rebels, these women who risk imprisonment and public beatings from random strangers just for the privilege of driving a car. It's humbling to realize how many things we taken for granted, and how hard women had to fight in order to get us where we are today. Many women are still fighting that fight. Caravans of female Saudi protestors are driving in rebellion throughout the world, converging on Saudi embassies and diplomatic missions in cities across the globe.

It all comes down to the fear of female sexuality, of course. The specific edict which prevents women from driving is put in force because religious leaders "claim the driving ban protects against the spread of vice and temptation because women drivers would be free to leave home alone and interact with male strangers." A woman's life is not her own in Saudi Arabia. It belongs to her family, and her husband, and the state.

Forgive me for seeming flippant, but Seth MacFarlane nailed this one in an episode of "American Dad," with Francine's outstanding musical number which dubbed Saudi Arabia "The Worst Place In The World" if you are a girl. (The song starts at 1:55.) And I wholeheartedly support the women who are risking everything to change that.