In Memory of Saudi Feminist Blogger Hadeel Alhodaif

Bloggers throughout Saudi Arabia and around the world are mourning the passing of 25-year-old Hadeel Alhodaif, one of the Middle East's influential young bloggers, who died on May 16 after 25 days in a coma. Via her blog, "Heaven's Steps," she used her real name to critique Saudi society and encourage women to take a stand.

Alhodaif saw blogging as a way to create a "new free media" and was not afraid to put her ideas into action. When fellow Saudi blogger Fouad Al-Farhan was arrested last December, Alhodaif was the only Saudi woman who came out publicly calling for Al-Farhan's immediate release, launching the "Free Fouad" website and Facebook group. She even went on the BBC to discuss the case.

Alhodaif was also a playwright who mocked the restrictions on women artists in Saudi society. When her play Who Fears the Doors was performed at the men's section of King Saud University, she wrote on her blog: "I guess I have to beg the male audience to inform me how my play was produced…. I hope that a day comes when I can attend a cultural function where the presence of women does not cause anyone an allergic reaction."

She will be remembered for her intelligence, outspokenness, and courage -- a light shining amidst darkness.