Women defy threats and drive in Saudi Arabia
Up to twenty-six Saudi women drove around in the country today despite promises of a harsh crackdown from Saudi authorities.
Saudi women drove around the streets of Saudi cities today despite promises of a harsh crackdown from authorities.
Men claiming to be from the Interior Ministry rang up women ahead of the planned drive around on October 26 warning them to stay at home. Mosques in Riyad last night broadcast sermons telling women to stay at home too.
Men-only road rules effectively ban women from driving in Saudi Arabia, and authorities promised a heavy retribution for women breaking the law today, as women’s rights organisers pushed for a change to the law.
The October 26 campaign called for women with foreign driving licenses to drive their cars on Saturday, accompanied by a male relative, as they went about their day to day chores. They asked women to post Youtube videos of themselves driving.
October 26 organisers stressed that their call for women to drive on Saturday was not a political protest as they had not called for gatherings, rallies or processions of cars. Political protests are illegal in Saudi Arabia.
Police had increased their presence in the city of Riyadh, Reuters witnesses said, and there appeared to be more traffic patrols than usual.
The website of the petition was hacked today by a sign saying that women should not drive. Still the Youtube account remains live with 26 driving videos uploaded at time of writing.
Religious opposition to the idea of women driving sprang from the 1990s when Grand Mufti, the country’s most senior religious authority declared a fatwa, or religious edict, against women driving, stating that driving would expose women to “temptation” and lead to “social chaos.” Other Saudi religious leaders have suggested that driving is bad for women’s ovaries, according to the Human Rights Watch.
But there is increasing support for the idea of women driving in the media and among prominent Saudi figures.
This month three women in the Shoura Council, an appointed quasi-parliament set up by King Abdullah to advise the government on policy, said the Transport Ministry should look into allowing women to drive.
They argued that the ban made it hard for women to work or look after their families and that it caused financial hardship for families who had to employ a full-time driver.
Some Saudi newspapers have also published editorials arguing women should be allowed to drive.