From the pages of al-sharq al-awsat, a fresh voice

Mona al-Tawahy: "Just as I have acknowledged the jolt the Arab world felt from the Iraq war, so it is imperative to remember that if there hadn't been civil societies already in place in the Arab world, such a jolt would have found no echo.

Brave Arab men and women have for decades toiled, often without credit, for the sake of rights and better lives for their compatriots. Their work must be acknowledged and supported. The conversation about change in the Arab world must be about them and about ordinary Arabs, not about scoring points for or against the Bush administration."