Quartz Brings Good News from Saudi Arabia

Yes, you heard that right. Good news from Saudi Arabia. Well, sort of. At this weekend's Jeddah International Book Fair, hecklers interrupted a poetry reading by Ashjan Al Hindi, host of the book fair: only to be heckled away from her by the rest of the audience. According to Quartz, the men pointed to her on stage, from the audience, and said "Are you satisfied by what is happening?" only to be told by the surrounding audience "Yes." This weekend also marked the first time that Saudi women were allowed to vote and run in elections. Here's the low-down:

Sexist jeers interrupted a quiet poetry reading in Saudi Arabia this weekend, but the event ended with a show of support for gender equality.

Over the weekend, the Jeddah International Book Fair hosted Ashjan Al Hindi, a female Saudi poet who has spoken at literary events worldwide and currently serves as assistant professor in the Arabic department of King Abdulaziz University. Hindi’s reading was broken up by two men who insisted she should not be allowed to address the men in the hall, according to Saudi site Al Marsad.

In a YouTube video uploaded Dec. 12, one heckler gestures at the woman onstage and demands from bystanders in Arabic, “Are you satisfied with what is happening?” To his disbelief, the audience responds with a resounding “yes.”

The two protesters faced overwhelming criticism from the crowd. Many audience-members cheered as they were led away.

Read more at Quartz.