n Saudi Arabia common sense often takes a holiday.

Last month an incident occurred at the Teachers' Education College in Qassim. As usual, press reports are sketchy, but the facts as we know them are all too familiar.

It seems a young female student reportedly fell ill at the college and faculty staff made the appropriate response by calling the Red Crescent Society emergency medical technicians. So far, so good. That is except when the EMTs arrived at the front gate they were allegedly refused entry because they were men.

An argument ensued between the college security team and the EMTs. During all the shouting and finger-pointing, the young woman died.