2007 Story - Saudi Princess Would Let Women Drive

Two years before this blog was started, a highly-regarded member of the Saudi royal family, Princess Loulwa bint Faisal, the daughter of the Kingdom's beloved King Faisal, was taking part in the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. There, she spoke about the women's driving issue. I'm posting this story now, since I didn't do it before, and I think it's important that this story be included in the blog. I hope that those in Saudi Arabia who are trying to change the law about women driving, know that they have her in their corner. Her older sister Sara is one of the thirty Saudi women serving on the Kingdom's Shura Consultative Council. This story appeared in the Washington Post on January 25, 2007. A link to the story is here, and the text is pasted in below.

By SALLY BUZBEE
DAVOS, Switzerland -- The most prominent princess in Saudi Arabia's royal family said Thursday that if she could change one thing about her country, she would let women drive _ a rare and direct challenge to the driving ban imposed by the kingdom's ruling male elite.

The remarks from Princess Lolwah Al-Faisal, daughter of a former Saudi king and sister of the current foreign minister, came at the World Economic Forum _ a gathering known for getting world leaders to engage in frank, often off-the-record dialogue without fear of criticism.

Al-Faisal, however, spoke at a public session on promoting religious tolerance. Other attendees included former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, the prime minister of Malaysia, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and peace activist from Israel and an American cleric.

The moderator, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, asked panelists at one point to "self-criticize" and say what they would change to promote greater interfaith understanding.

Turning to the princess, he quipped: "What would you do, princess, if you were 'queen' for a day? I won't tell anyone."

"First thing, I'd let women drive," Al-Faisal said dryly, as the audience erupted in applause and laughter. She added as the applause died down, "Or else have a great transportation system, which we don't have."

Women in Saudi Arabia now can work at many jobs that once were off-limits _ a point the princess made. But critics say their inability to drive holds them back from many jobs by forcing them to rely on hired drivers, or on male relatives, to get to work or to school.

Some critics say the driving ban particularly impacts poorer Saudi families who cannot afford to hire drivers. Because of that, some consider the driving ban not just as a women's rights issue, but also as a factor holding back the country's economic development.

Al-Faisal's comments are particularly interesting because they show that while Saudi Arabia often presents a united front to the outside world, different opinions and even vigorous debate exist in private.

The 59-year-old princess is the most publicly visible female member of the royal family and one of the highest-profile Saudi women. She led a delegation of Saudi women business leaders to Hong Kong last year, has appeared at U.S. forums on interfaith dialogue and heads a prominent Saudi women's college.
But it is rare for her to speak in public or in front of the media. And she has never before publicly pushed for an end to the driving ban.

Her comments also are intriguing because her father, King Faisal, who ruled from 1964-1975, had a reputation as more progressive on social issues than his successors.

King Faisal first instituted education for Saudi girls, for example, in the 1960s, and some have wondered if he might have pushed for more reform in the conservative, religious kingdom had he lived longer. He was assassinated in 1975 by a disgruntled royal family member.

When the current monarch, King Abdullah, assumed the throne in 2005, expectations were high that he would decisively and quickly lead the country toward more openness. Indeed, for a while, Saudi Arabia made small but striking steps toward reform, such as instances where Saudi female journalists were allowed to interview men.

But the reform pace has slowed, partly because of reported differences within the royal family over the pace and direction of change and partly because of resistance by religious conservatives who fear reform will dilute their strong influence.

The issue of women drivers has been mostly dormant from Saudi public debate in recent years. It flared after the Gulf War in 1991, when a group of prominent Saudi women staged a protest by driving through the capital of Riyadh. But the government cracked down hard, confiscating many of the women's passports and thus preventing them from leaving the country for months afterward.

The debate has occasionally flared in newspapers since but never to such an extent as in 1991. Yet many Saudi women privately view the ban as a main barrier to progress.

Conservatives, however, are vocal in pushing to retain the ban _ saying that allowing women to drive would inevitably lead to their moral corruption, by forcing them to interact with men who are not relatives in places such as gas stations.

Other Gulf countries, including Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, and other Arab countries allow women to drive.

Al-Faisal is a sister of two prominent members of the current government, Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal and Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the outgoing Saudi ambassador to the United States.

Saudi police pounce on woman defying driving ban

Global Post published this AFP story on December 28, 2013. The story is pasted below and a link to the story is here.

Saudi police on Saturday pulled over a woman minutes after she got behind the wheel in the Red Sea city of Jeddah after activists called for a new challenge to a driving ban.

"Only 10 minutes after Tamador al-Yami got behind the wheel police stopped her," activist Eman al-Nafjan told AFP, adding that Yami carries an international driving licence and was with another woman who was filming her in the car.

Tamador's husband was called to the scene and she was forced to sign a pledge not to drive again without a Saudi licence, said Nafjan on her Twitter account.

Women are not allowed into driving schools in the ultra-conservative kingdom are not granted licences.

Elsewhere in Khobar, in Eastern Province, another woman drove for two hours, accompanied by her husband, without being stopped, Nafjan said.

Activists say Saturday was chosen as a "symbolic" date as part of efforts first launched more than a decade ago to press for the right for Saudi women to drive.

The call for action is a "reminder of the right so it is not forgotten," activist Nasima al-Sada had told AFP.

The absolute monarchy is the only country in the world where women are barred from driving, a rule that has drawn international condemnation.

Saturday's action is a continuation of a campaign launched on October 26, when 16 activists were stopped by police for defying the ban.

In addition to not being allowed to drive, Saudi women must cover themselves from head to toe and need permission from a male guardian to travel, work and marry.
bur-lyn/bpz

Saudi women plan new driving protest

Ahmed Al Omran and Ellen Knickmeyer Zawya report in the 12/22/13 Gulf News. A link to the story is here, and the text is below. 

Activist says the government does not want to face the religious establishment on women’s driving

• Image Credit: AP
• A file picture of a Saudi woman driving a vehicle in Riyadh

Dubai/Riyadh: The campaign against Saudi Arabia’s ban on women driving has shifted tactics to increasingly challenge the law ahead of a new nationwide day of defiance on December 28.

Women activists are now driving weekly and documenting their confrontations with law enforcement on social media to increase pressure on the conservative country and keep the issue in the public eye.

The campaigners are also trying to discern subtle but mixed signals from the secretive government for encouragement that change may be afoot.

They said authorities have used different tactics with different drivers, creating some uncertainty over where the government stands.

“I kind of feel that the government wants us to drive, but at the same time it doesn’t want to make it official yet because it doesn’t want to face the religious establishment,” said Tamador Alyami.

She spoke by phone after riding in the passenger seat with another woman driving in the coastal city of Jeddah on December 12. Alyami said she planned to drive on December 28 and does not think the government will take drastic measures to stop her.

“I think they got the message,” she said.

In a video of her December 12 drive posted on YouTube, the two women chatted nervously, scanning for police cars that soon converged upon them. The sound of Talal Maddah, a late Saudi singer, came from the car stereo: “My beloved country, you are the land of pride and a beacon of shining light.” Seven police patrols surrounded the car, stopped it, then towed it away. Authorities had the women sign a pledge not to drive again and released them.

A day earlier, two other women drove for half an hour in the capital Riyadh, before police stopped them. They were held in the police station for 10 hours until they and their male guardians signed similar pledges. But their car was not towed.

While Saudi police continue to stop those who defy the ban, no woman has been jailed for driving since 2011.

When activists announced a first driving day on October 26 in the revived campaign, the Interior Ministry came out with a strongly worded statement saying women aren’t allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.

Authorities detained a man who wrote in support of women driving, but have stopped short of more politically sensitive arrests of female drivers.

With no hint of a change, women drivers and their supporters make weekly visits to the Shoura advisory council, the royal court, and cabinet ministers with petitions and reports.

In one key meeting, women’s rights activist Hala al Dosari and another activist managed to book a meeting with powerful Interior Minister Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef. They were in the same complex, but met by video conference - standard practice for ministry meetings with females.

The prince told the women that a decision was not in his hands - something they had heard before from other Saudi officials, Dosari said.

The prince assured them the driving ban “was on the table” with the proper authorities, she said, adding this was the same answer Saudis pushing for change always get.

“Just a vague response to keep us satisfied,” she said.

The ministry didn’t respond to requests to comment.

But even the religious establishment appears split. Shaikh Abdul Latif Al Shaikh, head of the feared religious police, said in September that Islamic law doesn’t have a text forbidding women from driving. The country’s grand mufti, Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh, said last month, however, that the ban protects society from “evil”.

More than 22 years have passed since Saudi women first demanded the right to drive. Nevertheless, some remain upbeat that change could come soon. But change in the kingdom comes from the top down.

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, often seen as a cautious reformer, announced in 2011 that women will be allowed to vote and run in local elections, and this past February, he appointed the first 30 women to the advisory Shoura Council. The nonagenarian monarch told American journalist Barbara Walters in 2005 that it will be possible to lift the ban on women driving.

But he said the “issue will require patience”.

Driven Women - SUSRIS conversation with Kathy Cuddihy

This article was published on December 21, 2013 on the website of SUSRIS, the Saudi-US Information Service. A link to the article is here, and it's posted below.

SUSRIS Editor’s Note:

A year ago we had a conversation with Kathy Cuddihy about her experiences as a self-described “once reluctant expat” and her book “Anywhere But Saudi Arabia.” In it she described what it was like to have a 24-year-long front row seat to a country in transition and to be a part of the rapidly developing city of Riyadh she first discovered in 1976. Cuddihy’s memoir documented her experiences and how her attitude transformed from initial reluctance and resistance to accept a transfer to Saudi Arabia, to a deep love and respect for its customs and people.

Cuddihy told SUSRIS that Saudi Arabia was a “blank slate” when she arrived. “Back then there were no stereotypes,” she said, adding, “It was as if you were talking about Mars. No one knew anything about it.” Nowadays Westerners have the opportunity to know much more about Saudi Arabia — hopefully in some measure through SUSRIS.com. One of the issues that captures their attention is the longstanding challenge for Saudi women to drive in the Kingdom. Little attention, however, is given to the question of non-Saudi women driving. Reliable numbers are not available on how many of the 5.5 million expats in Saudi Arabia are women, but whatever the number may be they are not legally on the Kingdom’s highways. Unlike most of their Saudi sisters the expat women may have arrived in the Kingdom after a lifetime of driving themselves when they needed to. Today we share the perspective of Kathy Cuddihy on women driving in Saudi Arabia and some of the frustrations that come with being an expat woman not behind the wheel in the Kingdom.

Cuddihy’s book, “Anywhere But Saudi Arabia: Experiences of a Once Reluctant Expat,” is now available in bookstores in the United States as well as Amazon.com.

Driven Women Kathy Cuddihy

As a young girl, I thought the epitome of luxury would be to have my own chauffeur-driven car. When my husband Sean was transferred to Saudi Arabia, this ambition was realised. Not quite in the elegant style I imagined, but I did have a driver.

A woman committing to living in Saudi also commits to retiring her car keys. Although I resented giving up what I considered to be a basic freedom, the situation wasn’t quite as bad as I had anticipated. Because there was no public transportation, Sean’s company provided shopping buses and a couple of personal drivers to be shared among the wives. Eventually I had my own driver. This made life easier but it didn’t reduce the counterbalance of frustrations that came with being driven:

• I didn’t have to worry about finding a parking space: my driver dropped me at the front door of wherever I was going. Instead, I worried about whether or not he’d remember to pick me up at the appointed time—or at all.
• I could send my driver on errands all over the city. Useful… except when he brought back the wrong items, forgot to do things or went to the wrong place.
• I didn’t have to cope with Riyadh traffic and the crazies who sped past on the inside emergency lane. I was too busy coping with my driver, reminding him to stop at stop signs, use his signal before turning, not to sit on the tail of the car in front and any one of a dozen other backseat recommendations.

It’s not illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia but it is illegal for them to drive without a Saudi license. And licenses aren’t issued to women. The embargo is purely cultural. A combination of deeply embedded tradition and a powerful religious establishment ensures that progress in the desert kingdom happens slowly.

The numerous anti-driving arguments put forward by conservatives who fear change have no foundation in common sense. This was most famously demonstrated by the cleric Sheikh Saleh Al Lohaidan who warned women that “physiological science” shows that driving “automatically affects the ovaries and pushes up the pelvis … and that is why children born to most women who continuously drive suffer from clinical disorders of varying degrees”.

Not far behind him on the silly scale, Sheik Mohammed al-Nujaimi, claimed that women driving was a “great danger”. He expressed the usual concerns: increased opportunity for adultery, broken marriages and more accidents. His addendum that allowing women to drive would result in “the spending of excessive amounts on beauty products” left everyone scratching their heads.

In November 1990, immediately before the start of the Gulf War, 47 women, accompanied by their husbands or male relatives, drove in convoy through the streets of Riyadh. The peaceful protest had dire consequences. The mutawwa whipped up widespread opposition resulting in the women being vilified and sometimes jailed, losing or being suspended from their jobs and having their passports taken away. As Madiha Al Ajroush, one of the participants, said, “Our sin was to deviate from the collective norm. For that we are persecuted.” The crack in the door to liberalisation had been slammed shut in no uncertain terms.

It took nearly 20 years, until June 2011, before the next driving crusade was organised. This one rode on the momentum of the Arab Spring; women from all over the kingdom joined the movement. This time there was comparatively little backlash from the general public.

In October 2013 the Ministry of Interior warned activists not to proceed with their planned drivathon but there were indications that the government might be wavering in its stance: token police checks were set up in downtown areas—where the women weren’t driving. The aftermath has been primarily that of growing support for lifting the ban.

***

***

The explosion of social media means that dissatisfactions once voiced privately now are shouted from cyberspace to the world. A youthful population that refuses to be disenfranchised fuels campaigns for more freedoms. In this country of over 12 million women, females are becoming more defiant, less pliable.

Saudi men need to look in their rearview mirrors: women drivers are speeding up the highway of change. It won’t be long before they catch up.

Kathy Cuddihy is author of “Anywhere But Saudi Arabia: Experiences of a Once Reluctant Expat.”

About Kathy Cuddihy Kathy Cuddihy, Canadian by birth, has lived abroad for most of her life. A penchant for foreign cultures and languages has served her well throughout her extensive travels. Her varied career has included being a jillaroo (cowgirl) in Australia, a secretary at the United Nations in Geneva, and a public relations consultant in Saudi Arabia. This is the author’s seventh book. Her two children and four grandchildren reside in the US. Kathy lives with her husband Sean on Bantry Bay, Ireland. Source: Amazon.com

About the Book: When Bechtel offered Sean Cuddihy a transfer to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1976, his wife Kathy agreed to go along on one condition: that it was only for two years, not a minute longer. This reluctant commitment turned into a 24-year love affair with Saudi Arabia and its people. Kathy’s humorous anecdotes of her adventures and misadventures trace the journey of a country in transition. Never has a nation made so much progress in so short a time. As a trusted journalist and businesswoman, Kathy witnessed, recorded and participated in this spectacular development. From palaces to prisons and mud houses to private jets, Kathy’s perspective is unique and her experiences remarkable. Told with the wit and stylishness for which the author is well known, Anywhere But Saudi Arabia! is a treasure for all who know and love the Kingdom, and an eye-opener for those with no comprehension of what life was, and is, like for a non-conventional non-Muslim woman in a conservative Muslim population. At times hilarious, at times shocking, but always honest and entertaining, Kathy’s story is infused with deep affection for her adopted country. Source: Amazon.com Also by Kathy Cuddihy:

• Anywhere But Saudi Arabia: Experiences of a Once Reluctant Expat
• A-Z of Places and Things Saudi
• Saudi Customs and Etiquette
• Familiarity Breeds Content

Arkansas professors earn Best Publication Award in Milan; award dedicated to Saudi women

This story dated December 18, 2013 appeared on the website of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. A link to the story is here, and a copy of the story is pasted below.

Two professors of information science at UALR (University of Arkasas at Little Rock) received the Best Publication Award yesterday at the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) in Milan, Italy.

Dr. Rolf Wigand

The article was chosen from among all information systems journals worldwide by the Senior Scholars Consortium of Association for Information Systems.

Distinguished Professor and Maulden-Entergy Chair Rolf T. Wigand, who also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Business Information Systems, and Associate Professor Nitin Agarwal received the award for their article “Raising and Rising Voices in Social Media: A Novel Methodological Approach in Studying Cyber-Collective Movements.”

The article appeared in “Business & Information Systems Engineering” in 2012.

Dr. Nitin Agarwal

The article stemmed from a National Science Foundation Research grant of more than $740,000 that Wigand and Agarwal received to study how blogs and other various social media platforms contribute to social movements.

Dr. Merlyna Lim of the School of Social Transformation-Justice and Social Inquiry Program at Arizona State University collaborated with Wigand and Agarwal on the research.

“Despite extensive media coverage of cyber-collective social movements, there is a lack of systematic methodologies to empirically study such movements in complex online environments,” said Agarwal.
The researchers developed new methodology to better understand cyber-collective social movements from individual, community and transnational perspectives.

Observing female activists in Saudi Arabia who used social media platforms to protest against gender-biased laws and practices in that country, the authors explained in the article how cyber-collective social movements work in cross-cultural settings.

Wigand told the conference attendees that he and Agarwal wanted to dedicate the award “to the many Saudi women who do not have the right to drive.”

Agarwal said such research is of particular interest to information system scientists exploring the influence of social systems on user behaviors. Scientists seek to understand the ties between people, technology and institutions, while also examining organizational structures, roles and crowd processes, he said.

According to the ICIS, Senior Scholars have annually recognized up to five papers since 2006 with a Best Information Systems Publications Award to recognize the breadth of high quality work that is being published in the information systems discipline.

Each year, journal editors issue a call for the best paper published in their journal in the preceding year. A committee composed of Senior Scholars reviews the nominations and selects a group of semi-finalists for further consideration.

ICIS is a major annual meeting with over 4,000 members representing universities in more than 95 countries worldwide. It is among the most prestigious gathering of academics and practitioners in information sciences.

Women continuing to fight for the right to drive

Article from the 12/19/2013 Saudi Gazette by Laura Bashraheel about the current status of the women driving campaign in Saudi Arabia. The text is pasted in below and a link to the story is here.

(Left) Mohammad Sharaf, a graphic designer from Kuwait, uses art to highlight local, regional and international issues. “Go”, his recent artwork addresses Saudi women driving campaign.

by Laura Bashraheel  
JEDDAH – An online campaign launched in October that urged the government to lift a ban on women driving in the Kingdom still appears to be going strong, with many women continuing to drive on Jeddah and Riyadh streets.

The October 26th movement received more than 12,000 signatures before it was blocked back then, but campaigners managed to put it back up again and received more than 800 signatures.

After gathering people on social media, many women have begun posting videos driving cars. However, the campaign was extended to the Dec. 28. Several women were caught by police recently but have only signed pledges not to drive again.

On Dec. 11, two women were caught in Riyadh driving and refused to call their male guardians, saying that they were guardians of themselves. They were finally released at 1 a.m.

The Twitter hashtag changed from Oct. 26 to Dec. 28, with people expressing their opinions on women driving as well as sharing stories.

Most of the arguments against the campaign describe women driving as “demonic”, “Masonic”, “Westernization” and an attempt to “liberalize” Saudi society.

One of the comments said the campaign is defying the country’s laws and regulations and those behind it should be ashamed of themselves. Despite those who are against women driving, the campaign is receiving a lot of support, with women sharing their bad experiences with drivers and how costly hiring them has become.

The campaign aims to revive the demand to lift the ban on women driving while stressing that the initiative has no anti-Islamic or political agenda. It said neither Islam nor the official laws of Saudi prohibit women from driving.

Islam and the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia both ensure that all, regardless of gender, have the right to freedom of movement, said the campaign.

“Since there is no law to prohibit adult women citizens who are capable of driving cars from doing so, we urge the state to provide appropriate means for women seeking the issuance of permits and licenses to apply for and obtain them,” said a petition statement.

The statement also said deferring an issue such as women driving until a “societal consensus” has been reached has only increased divisions.

“We as a Saudi people are diverse and accepting of all views that are not prohibited in the Qur’an or by the Prophet (peace be upon him).”

Our borderline is driving quad bikes!

The December 13, 2013 Saudi Gazette reports on Saudi women riding quad bikes in the desert. A link to the story is here, and the text is below. There is no byline for this story.

As far as some Saudi women are concerned, driving a quad bike is somehow a realization of a dream that is yet to come true – driving a car. In the remote desert regions, away from the hurly-burly of city life and public eye, they engage in driving quad bikes. They see it as fun, with a blend of some adventure and recklessness. They also enjoy recklessly speeding along zigzag desert roads, which are different from that of cities. There are dangers involved in such driving, according to a report in Al-Riyadh Arabic daily.

Speaking to the newspaper, several housewives and girls expressed the pleasure and enjoyment they feel when they drive quad bikes. While watching a number of women driving quad bikes, it was noticed that they drove recklessly through roads that were neither leveled nor paved. It was found that the vehicles were a little bit high and that made it difficult and sometimes dangerous for them to get on and off from the bike.

Big ambition
Fatin Al-Diyab said driving a quad bike was not sufficient to satisfy her desire to drive a car and move around the city. “For me, driving a quad bike is simply for fun and recreation. On the other hand, what I eagerly wished for was to drive a car to meet my needs and necessities,” she said.

Echoing the same view, Ruqiyya Al-Sameer said, “I will compensate the fact that I cannot drive a car by driving a quad bike, though it won’t satisfy my desire to drive a car. If I have been given a choice between driving a car and a quad bike, I would prefer a car without even thinking, even if it was for fun,” she said.

Al-Sameer noted that she will still cherish her big ambition of driving a car one day. “See, there is a big difference between driving a quad bike in a remote area and a car in the city. We drive the bike in remote rugged terrains and, therefore, we cannot compare it with driving inside the city and its paved roads,” she pointed out.

On her part, Amjad Al-Obaidi said a young woman’s passion to drive would not restrict her to driving only a quad bike in a remote area. “The important thing is getting our right to drive in order to meet our needs, and not for just leisure.”

Enjoyment
Molak Al-Otaibi said she finds partial enjoyment in driving a quad bike in the desert.

“I try to satisfy my thirst to drive in Riyadh city, at least partially, through this act. While driving a quad bike, I feel delighted as if riding with a buoyant spirit. I feel that this is a start of a world of surprises and excitement.”

Agreeing with Al-Otaibi, Ghadeer Al-Hanaki said, “Though my family members are support me in having some sort of enjoyment by riding a quad bike, they worry a little that some young men might create problems for me while driving.”

Sara Saad said practicing this hobby was to fulfill the desire of some women to drive vehicles, as well as to prove their ability, in addition to enjoyment and recreation.

She is confident that her skill in driving a quad bike will be helpful in driving a car one day when Saudi women are allowed to drive.

Experiment and opportunity
For Tasneem Abdullah, driving a quad bike is a different experience.  “For me, it is freedom from the road network in the city and its restrictions when I go to any remote area.

“Driving a quad bike in the desert means enjoying some sort of responsible freedom with the consideration that it is one of the luxurious and comfortable means of recreation for young women.”

Al-Obaidi is of the view that the decision not to allow women to drive encourages young women to drive quad bikes to prove their capability on driving. “There is also some sort of recreation in this type of driving. This could be considered as a chance for women to experience driving a car in the future,” she said. She, however, added that there would be differences.

Means of recreation
Al-Diyab pointed out there are differences in the viewpoints of people with regard to women’s driving. Society and family see driving of a quad bike as simply driving for recreation and enjoyment. She said, “A woman’s driving of a quad bike should not be an issue purely because of its purpose. It is a means to have some enjoyment and recreation in specific places.”

Al-Diyab noted that society does not see quad bikes as one of the basic means of transportation, but only as a means of recreation in remote desert regions.  “Women engage in this recreation in regions away from cities. They wear abayas while driving mainly inside rented tents, away from public sight.”

Echoing the same view, Noura Amer said, “I came to know that there are specialized squares for women to drive quad bikes in Al-Thumama region. This enables women to drive for enjoyment without any restrictions.”
Al-Sameer said it might not be possible for women to wear her full Islamic dress while driving quad bikes.

Disputed issue
Muna Shahbal said nobody can say for sure that driving a quad bike would be immodest or offensive for woman. There could be differences of opinion with regard to the best place, suitable time, and ideal dress for a woman while driving a quad bike. Hence, the cases of one or two women cannot be taken as the norm, she said.

Al-Sameer claimed society in general is receptive to women driving quad bikes under the observation of her family members or at designated places. On the other hand, Al-Obaidi said some family members are scared of allowing their women to drive a quad bike for fear of accidents.

“They generally prevent their women from driving quad bikes, simply because they fear for their safety, but not because they might face ignominy or criticism from members of society.”

She emphasized that driving a quad bike cannot be counted as a means of enjoyment or recreation, but there is a chance of danger compared to other means of transportation and recreation.

Al-Obaidi noted that there have been substantial differences in the concept of modesty with the passage of time.

“Ten years ago, women driving quad bikes in the desert was considered as something shameful. But things have changed and now it has become a means of recreation and an outlet for relaxation.”

However, Shahbal said driving quad bikes continues to be a contentious issue. “Each section of society has its own reasons and justifications for preventing young women from driving. But this is purely an individual decision taken by the head of each household,” she added. — SG

4 Saudi female drivers' detention varied by their locations

Mohammed Jamjoom of CNN reported on December 12, 2013 the latest news on Saudi women driving in the Kingdom in spite of the driving ban. A link to his story is here,  and the story is pasted in below.

Saudi activist, Manal Al Sharif, drives her car in Dubai on October 22 in defiance of the authorities to campaign for women's rights to drive in Saudi Arabia.

(CNN) -- Four women were detained by traffic police in two Saudi Arabian cities this week for defying the Kingdom's driving ban, according to all the women stopped.

In the Red Sea port city of Jeddah Thursday, two women, Sahar Naseef and Tamador Alyami, were stopped by police after being spotted in a car on one of the city's main thoroughfares.

Alyami, who's been an avid supporter of a two-month-old campaign seeking to gain the right to drive for women in Saudi Arabia, told CNN she and Naseef were hoping to get caught.

"We did go driving on a main street where we know there's a lot of traffic police," explained Alyami, who was in the passenger seat.

"We're just trying to push and see how far can we go with this," said Alyami, "because two women yesterday were caught by police and detained for 10 hours. Today, in a different city it was totally different. We were caught and stopped for only two hours."

The woman who drove the car, Naseef, told CNN she was so convinced she and Alyami would spend the night in jail, she even packed a toothbrush, some shampoo and an extra set of clothing.

For Alyami, an author and columnist who's driven herself around Jeddah five times now, getting behind the wheel is no longer enough in an extraordinary campaign of civil disobedience that has seen dozens of women taking to the streets since October.

"We're asking girls in different regions to go out," she said, "because we're trying to see if police in different regions react differently to cases of women driving."

According to Naseef and Alyami, the traffic police officer who pulled them over was very kind to them and even supportive of their cause. They said he told them that due to protocol, he had to call for backup, and they were soon surrounded by several more police cars. In the end, Naseef had to sign a pledge not to drive again in the presence of a male relative before the women could be released.

One day earlier in the country's capital, Riyadh, which is in a far more conservative part of the country, two other women described a far more difficult experience after being caught driving.

Azza Al-Shamasi and Bareah Alzubeedy told CNN they were detained at a Riyadh police station for more than 10 hours after being caught and pulled over by traffic police.

Al-Shamasi, who was driving, said when they first started driving down one of Riyadh's main streets, many male drivers around them were giving them signs of support. Half an hour later, after a traffic police officer spotted them, they were pulled over.

"We were then surrounded by six cop cars, and the people who stopped us were quite rude," said Al-Shamasi.

According to Al-Shamasi, despite the fact that her husband came to the police station shortly after she was taken there, it still took at least eight more hours before she was released into his custody.

Alzubeedy explained they were not looking to attract the police's attention, just simply doing what they should be able to do.

"Freedom of movement is a right," said Alzubeedy, a human rights activist. "This is a right for women here. There's no law that bars women from driving in Saudi Arabia, and I hope more women will go out and drive."

Despite repeated attempts, CNN was unable to reach Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry for comment.

The issue of women driving is a particularly sensitive and controversial one in Saudi Arabia, the last country on Earth where females don't have that right. In recent years, though, more women have challenged the government, urging officials to overturn the ban and taking to streets in remarkable displays of civil disobedience. Although women are not allowed to drive in the ultraconservative Kingdom, there is, in fact, no law barring them from doing so. But religious edicts are often interpreted to enforce the prohibition.

In May 2011, Manal Al-Sharif was jailed for more than a week after posting a video of herself driving in Saudi Arabia online. She quickly became a hero to many and inspired dozens of women to drive throughout the streets of various cities in June of that year.

More recently, in September, a website for the October 26 Women's Driving Campaign launched, and within a few weeks, tens of thousands had signed an online petition calling for an end to the driving ban for women in Saudi Arabia. As October 26 approached, numerous women filmed themselves driving in the conservative Kingdom and uploaded those clips to sites like YouTube.

In the weeks leading up to October 26, one Saudi cleric gave an interview in which he warned that Saudi women who drove risked damaging their ovaries. On October 24, the country's Interior Ministry issued a statement telling women to stay off the streets.

Despite strong opposition by conservative quarters in the Kingdom, where a puritanical strain of Islam is practiced, October 26 saw dozens of women taking to the streets and driving. The campaign's backers insist the movement is ongoing and has been a success thus far, while its critics say it has failed.

In early December, two of Saudi Arabia's best-known female advocates for lifting the ban on women driving were also detained after being caught behind the wheel in the country's capital. Aziza Al-Yousef, who was driving the car, and her passenger, Eman Al-Nafjan, told CNN they were pulled over and spent a few hours at a police station in Riyadh until being released into the custody of their respective husbands.

Women driving on HRC agenda

On December 4, 2013 the English language daily the Arab News is reporting that the Saudi Human Rights Commission will be discussing issues related to the rights of women including the driving issue. A link to the story is here, and the text is below. The story is by P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has instructed authorities to study some 72 proposals made by the Human Rights Commission (HRC) on various social issues, including the granting of citizenship to the children of Saudi women married to foreigners, said Ibrahim Al-Sheddi, a spokesman for the HRC.

“Our proposals have also covered the issue of male relatives exploiting their authority on women,” the spokesman said, while emphasizing women’s right to movement and transport to meet their daily requirements and to reach places of work, referring to women driving.

He said the proposals were made on the basis of more than 400 complaints received by the HRC during the past five years.

In its report presented to King Abdullah, the HRC pointed out that many women were being wronged by their husbands, fathers and brothers who wanted to control their freedoms and usurp their wealth.
Al-Sheddi said that the existing law for protection against violence covers prevention of harassment. He disclosed that a new law to prevent violence against children would be issued soon.

“I think this is a welcome move. Finally, a Saudi rights institution is acknowledging the difficulties, obstacles and discrimination women face in their life on a daily basis under the male guardianship system, which always puts them at a disadvantage and makes them vulnerable,” Maha Akeel, a senior Saudi journalist, told Arab News.

The fact that the HRC also addressed the issue of women driving is courageous considering the vicious campaign and vehement objections by members of society, she said.

“The issue of children’s citizenship is a major problem for many families,” Akeel said. “I hope the issues raised by the HRC are taken seriously by authorities in order to find quick and viable solutions.”

2 Saudi women detained for driving in ongoing bid to end ban

Mohammed Jamjoom reports in CNN on December 1, 2013.  You can link to the story here, and the text is pasted in below.

updated 3:47 PM EST, Sun December 1, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Prominent advocates for allowing women to drive detained in Riyadh police station
• Aziza Al-Yousef, the driver, and Eman Al-Nafjan, the passenger, were released to their husbands
• Their efforts follow the October 26 campaign when dozens of Saudi women drove
• Religious interpretation -- not law-- prevents women from driving in the Kingdom

(CNN) -- Two of Saudi Arabia's best-known female advocates for lifting the ban on women driving were detained on Friday after being caught behind the wheel in the country's capital.

Aziza Al-Yousef, who was driving the car, and her passenger, Eman Al-Nafjan, tell CNN they were pulled over and spent a few hours at a police station in Riyadh until being released into the custody of their respective husbands.

Al-Nafjan, one of Saudi Arabia's most prominent bloggers, and one of the organizers of the popular October 26 Women's Driving Campaign, said she decided to go for a spin with Al-Yousef to attract more attention to her cause.

"We were looking for the police. We drove by the police station on purpose," she explained, adding how she welcomed the detention.

Despite repeated attempts, CNN has been unable to reach Riyadh police for comment.

Al-Nafjan, who tweets as "Saudiwoman," says she has grown tired of waiting for the Saudi government to allow women to drive.

Al-Yousef has driven before and was glad to get behind the wheel again on Friday but says she was not deliberately looking to be detained by the police.

"In a way it is good for the cause because you'll the keep the issue in the mind of people," said Al-Yousef. "However, some people might understand wrongly that we're confronting the government and that might slow the process."

Why Saudi Arabia can't ban women from driving forever

Al-Yousef was initially concerned she and Al-Nafjan might go to jail, citing the presence of traffic police, regular police and secret police who were called to the scene. She says the mood of the police had lightened substantially by the time she and Al-Nafjan reached the station.

When her husband came for her, he was asked to sign a statement pledging Al-Yousef would not drive again.

Al-Yousef says her husband jokingly asked, "How can I do that? I can't prevent her from driving. Only God can do that," before signing. She was then released.

The issue of women driving is a particularly sensitive and controversial one in Saudi Arabia, the last country on Earth where females don't have that right. In recent years, though, more women have challenged the government, urging officials to overturn the ban and taking to streets in remarkable displays of civil disobedience. Although women are not allowed to drive in the ultraconservative Kingdom, there is, in fact, no law barring them from doing so. But religious edicts are often interpreted to enforce the prohibition.

"We have tried all the legal channels," explained Al-Nafjan. "The government keeps promising us that all we have to do is be patient and quiet, and we'll eventually get the right to drive. Officials keep saying the women driving issue is one for Saudi society to decide. We wanted to prove that really isn't the case and that the only people who really stop us is the police."

In May 2011, Manal Al-Sharif was jailed for more than a week after posting a video of herself driving in Saudi Arabia online. She quickly became a hero to many and inspired dozens of women to drive throughout the streets of various cities in June of that year.

More recently, in September, a website for the October 26 Women's Driving Campaign launched, and within a few weeks, tens of thousands had signed an online petition calling for an end to the driving ban for women in Saudi Arabia. As October 26 approached, numerous women filmed themselves driving in the conservative Kingdom and uploaded those clips to sites like YouTube.

Opinion: Give Saudi women the right to drive

In the weeks leading up to October 26, one Saudi cleric gave an interview in which he warned that Saudi women who drove risked damaging their ovaries. On October 24, the country's Interior Ministry issued a statement telling women to stay off the streets.

Despite strong opposition by conservative quarters in the Kingdom, where a puritanical strain of Islam is practiced, October 26 saw dozens of women taking to the streets and driving. The campaign's backers insist the movement is ongoing and has been a success thus far, while its critics say it has failed.

Last week, Al-Yousef had an audience with Saudi Arabia's Interior Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, via teleconference. She conveyed a message on behalf of the growing number of women and men calling for an end to the driving ban.

Al-Yousef was told the matter was now in the hands of Saudi King Abdullah, considered a cautious reformer.

"I think it might have been a good thing," said Al-Yousef. "Before the government had said the driving issue was a societal issue. But now that is not an issue anymore. The good thing is now we know clearly that society is not the decision maker."

Al-Yousef added: "We are trying to find a way to reach the King now. We have a letter signed by 3,000-plus people asking for permission to allow women to drive, and we want to find a way to get that letter to the King."

Al-Nafjan, who was detained before for the very same offense, says she will continue pushing the envelope, even if that gets her into legal hot water.

"I wouldn't mind if they prosecuted me," she says. "I think it will further the cause. It's good publicity for the cause -- to be prosecuted for being a passenger in a car driven by a woman. You can't get more medieval."