Autism Dad Khaled Al-Johani: 'The Bravest Man in Saudi Arabia'

Khaled Al-Johani: 'The Bravest Man in Saudi Arabia'

Khaled al-Johani, who teaches religion to elementary school students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is neither a revolutionary nor an activist, according to his brother. But even though no one in the country knew it at the time, the 40-year-old father of a 5-year-old autistic boy was imprisoned and cut off from his family after speaking out at last month's planned "day of rage."

After a clip of his rant was uploaded onto YouTube this week, however, he's being called "the bravest man in Saudi Arabia."

His frustration over repressive Saudi laws and a lack of help from the government for his autistic son led him to show up at the "day of rage" one month ago today and let loose his anger in front of a BBC television crew, according to his brother. Because of the heavy police presence that squelched the March 11 protest, Khaled al-Johani was almost the only person there, Ali al-Johani told AOL News via Skype from Riyadh today. Khaled Al-Johani: 'The Bravest Man in Saudi Arabia'