Girl student takes the wheel to save driver

On May 11, 2017 the Saudi Gazette published this story about a student driving a bus when the driver fell ill. This took place in the region of Hail in north central Saudi Arabia. A link to the story is here and the text is pasted below.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HAIL – Al-Ghazzalah branch of Hail University on Tuesday honored a group of girl students who saved the life of the driver of their bus with their quick thingking and action. The driver had fainted on the wheel while driving the vehicle.

Ashwaq Al-Shamri, one of the girls, rose to the occasion and drove the bus with full presence of mind, and took him to the nearby hospital, according to a report in Anha online newspaper. The girls were on their way back home after classes in the private bus that was hired to transport them.

Dr. Hanan Al-Amir, general supervisor of the girls’ section at the university branch, commended the bravery and humanitarian spirit of the girls, saying that this helped save the life of the driver.

“The university is keen in providing intensive training to students in carrying out emergency services and first aid. The girl students won accolades from the entire university staff and students as well as the community members,” she added.

The girls said that they had simply fulfilled their humanitarian duty. The driver managed to stop the bus before fainting. The girls gave him first aid and then took him to the hospital, the newspaper reported quoting the girls.

Shoura intent on enabling women to drive

Article from Okaz and the Saudi Gazette on May 10, 2017 by Fatima Al-Dibais, that the Shoura Council postponed their discussion of the women driving issue. From reading the article, it appears that a Ministry of the Interior report must have recommended the law be changed, if the recommendations are to be incorporated into the actions of the Council.  A link to the story is: here, and the story is pasted below.

__________________________________________________________

Women members taking part in the Shoura Council deliberations in Riyadh on Tuesday. — SPA

By Fatima Al-Dibais
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
DAMMAM — A number of Shoura Council members are making preparations to come up with a solid recommendation to enable women to drive, according to informed sources.

The sources said the Council on Monday postponed the discussion on the Interior Ministry’s report so as to include in it a recommendation on the issue.

The sources said the members were notified about the postponement of the discussion only 48 hours before the start of the session.

No new date has been announced, but the discussion on the Interior Ministry’s report is expected to take place before Ramadan which starts on May 27.

The sources said the Council’s security committee was unable to draft a recommendation approving women driving to be included in the report.

They said the members late last December rejected the recommendations made by the security committee because it failed to mention anything about women driving. The sources said that a number of members at the time were determined to include a recommendation allowing women to drive in the ministry’s report which should have been discussed on Monday.

The issue of women driving was mentioned during the Council’s previous session in which about 30 women members participated.

Latifa Al-Shaalan and Haya Al-Manie, two women members, introduced the issue in 2013 but the security committee rejected it saying the recommendation was inappropriate.

In April last year, the two women members introduced the issue for the second time through a recommendation calling for the amendment of the traffic law to grant driving licenses to women also. But the Council’s consultants turned it down.

The issue of women driving was not raised in the Council’s sixth session, but it resurfaced in the current session in December when Al-Shaalan asked the security committee to take the initiative to adopt a recommendation that would enable women to drive.

Saudi Arabia's Shura Council to Debate Granting Women Driving Licenses

Report from the May 9, 2017 issue of al-Bawaba. A link to the story is here and text is below. Notice the nuance that the Shura Council may ask that licenses be issued, before women are allowed to drive. It does make sense, to get those women who want them, trained and permitted...and then to allow them to use the licenses.
______________________________

Saudi Arabia's Shura Council is expected to debate on Tuesday a motion to allow Saudi women to obtain driving licences - a significant step towards a possible end to the country's ban on women driving.

The debate in the Consultative Assembly follows recommendations submitted by council member Fahad bin Juma to allow Saudi women to obtain driving licences - even if they still cannot drive in the country.

Bin Juma said the current ban on Saudi women getting behind the wheel should not interfere with their ability to obtain a license, which he said can benefit them outside the country.

"My recommendation is in line with human rights and eases the misrepresentation of Saudi Arabia, which has gained a reputation for banning women from driving," he said, adding that an eventual lifting of prohibitions on women driving will reduce the number of taxi drivers needed and the associated financial burden on families.

While the issue of women driving remains hotly contested among activists in the country, the Shura council remains divided between those favouring a lifting of the driving ban and others who see the ban as a low-priority matter in face of other issues in the country.

"The issue of women driving is not that important right now. What is more important is providing a dignified livelihood for Saudi citizens," Asma al-Zahrani said.

The Shura Council is the kingdom's formal advisory body. It can propose laws to the cabinet but has limited powers.

The proposed discussion in the Shura council follows reports of an incremental loosening of the country's ultra-conservative laws on women.

Earlier this month, local media reports said the country's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued orders backing the relaxation of rules on male guardianship over Saudi women.

The orders are alleged to include the provision that Saudi women can access government services - including education and healthcare - without a male's consent.

Numerous public campaigns calling for the promotion of women's rights in Saudi Arabia remain at the forefront of activists' efforts both within and beyond the Kingdom's borders.

While #StopEnslavingSaudiWomen campaign enters its 300th day, the #Women2Drive campaign is into it's sixth year after having been catalysed by the efforts of female activists who took to the roads in contravention of the country's law.

Last year, Saudi women protested the government's $3.5 billion investment in taxi service Uber, claiming the kingdom would be profiting directly from the female driving ban.

Saudi Arabia remains the only country in the world where women are banned from driving following a law introduced in 1957.

Old Video of Saudi Preacher Surfaces, Causing Outrage: Women Will Come Home Drunk if Allowed to Drive

A 2011 video of a preacher lecturing about women driving has resurfaced and is causing a kerfuffle in social media. A link to the story by Habib Toumi from al-Bawaba of May 8, 2017 is here,  and the text is below. This is not a new recording, and the fact that there is a big backlash against it shows that people are more open to the idea of women driving. This blogger takes the outrage as a good sign

 ________________________
Social-media users in Saudi Arabia have lashed out at a preacher who claimed that if women were allowed to drive they would come home late and drunk.
The outraged users said that the preacher, known as Abu Zaqm, should be put on trial and punished severely for his immoral allegations.
Abu Zaqm made his claims as he addressed young people in the Red Sea city of Jeddah in 2011. The video recording re-emerged on Sunday in Saudi Arabia and sparked the outcry.
“If allowed to drive, a woman will come home late while her husbands will be up, just waiting for her. She will be most probably drunk,” he said, trailing his remarks with sarcastic laughter. “If the husband asks her to prepare something to eat, she will argue with him and when she eventually does it, she will end up hosting him in their neighbour’s home,” he added in his imagined scenario.
The preacher warned that such situations would be a major feature of the freedom anticipated by liberals, Saudi daily Okaz reported on Monday.
Abu Zaqm claimed that Europe and the US started applying new laws to isolate women from men amid complaints about the increasing number of babies born out of wedlock.
The new laws were enacted after these countries found out the babies and the construction of foster homes to keep them cost them fortunes.
In their reactions, Saudis expressed anger and outrage.
“Such ridiculous remarks cannot be uttered in the privacy of a home, let alone in public and in front of a crowd,” one user posted.
Basma, another user, said that he should be held legally accountable for his remarks.
“His claims are a deep insult and what is terrifying is that he is making then in the name of Islam,” she said. “He should be punished for his filthy allegations.”
Sulaiman called for prompt action.
“Regardless of whether women are allowed to drive or not, this miasma has to be stopped.”
Abu Zaqm, a former car drifter, is no stranger to controversy. He was criticised on social media following the circulation of a video clip in which he made comments with sexual overtones during a conversation with another preacher.
He apologised about the conversation, but later launched scathing attacks on “liberals” for their criticism.
The latest incident is seen as a new indication of the formidable challenges faced by the Saudi authorities in their drive to change mindsets and attitudes towards several social issues.

Manal al-Sharif's DARING TO DRIVE Tour Announced

DARING TO DRIVE, the landmark memoir by Manal al-Sharif, Saudi woman's rights activist and proponent of women driving, will be released next month (June 13, 2017) in the U.S. You can pre-order the book now on amazon here: Pre order book here.

In conjunction with the book release, the author will be appearing at venues around the U.S. in major cities, below are the dates scheduled so far.

You can keep up to date with book news at this facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/daring2drive/

Saudi women no longer need guardian's consent to receive services

This article by Lulwa Shalhoub from the May 5, 2017 English daily the Arab News reports on a new royal communication that is extremely important in advancing women's rights. The issue of women driving is not mentioned in the decree, but the article notes that on May 9th the Shoura Council is going to debate the issue as it relates to the Interior Ministry. A link to the full story is here and the full article is pasted in below.

JEDDAH: Women are not required to obtain consent from their guardians for services provided to them, “unless there is a legal basis for this request in accordance with the provisions of the Islamic Shariah,” according to a royal degree issued by King Salman and reported by Okaz local daily on Thursday.
“This came in a royal directive to all concerned government agencies, after approval of proposals raised by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to resolve issues related to human rights,” according to the royal decree.
In a statement on their website confirming Okaz report, Human Rights Commission President Bandar bin Mohammed Al-Aiban said he welcomed the gesture saying that it reflects King Salman’s care of his people and embodies his concern to simplify procedures for women who constitute half of Saudi society and who are a major partner in the development of the society.
Many advocates of the empowerment of Saudi women hailed the announcement, as needing a male guardian’s consent can pose significant obstacle for women.
“This (male guardianship) has always been an obstacle to women and demeaning because unfortunately some guardians abused their authority over women and took advantage,” Maha Akeel, director of the public information and communication for the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), told Arab News.
It finally recognizes the right of a woman “to be her own guardian and take care of her official matters… without the need for the approval of the guardian,” she added.
According to the Human Rights Commission, the Supreme Court has demanded concerned agencies to review procedures in force, Okaz reported.
It also demanded to list all procedures that require the approval of the woman’s guardian to complete a service and to provide an explanation of their statutory basis for the service within three months of the order’s issuance date.
“This means male guardianship has been lifted,” Suhaila Zain Al-Abideen, senior member at the Saudi-based National Society for Human Rights told Arab News. She added it means “the legislations that demand a male guardian have been amended.”
She added that she believes the services would include women’s ability to independently represent themselves in court as well as to issue and renew passports and to travel abroad without needing a guardian’s permit.
“Shariah law does not necessitate male guardianship of women because we are perfectly competent,” Al-Abideen said.
The new order is not clear yet and does not state under what circumstances a woman should or should not obtain the consent of her guardian for services provided to her, said Saudi writer and women rights advocate Abdullah Al-Alami.
Al-Alami told Arab News that he believes the law was introduced “to satisfy the Human Rights Commission, in relation to the international conventions to which the Kingdom has acceded.”
On April 19, United Nations (UN) member states elected Saudi Arabia to serve on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, which is dedicated to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women.
“We’ve come a long way,” said Lina Almaeena, Shoura Council member. She said the move is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 to increase the number of women in the workforce and reduce unemployment.
“I think it’s a fantastic step,” Almaeena said. “Everyday we hear of an improvement. A lot of things are changing. Not only at a women’s level but at so many levels.”
Almaeena told Arab News she is sure this will include “work permit,” pointing to the present law that requires women to get a consent from their guardians to work.
The right to drive has not yet been granted to women in Saudi Arabia, although Al-Abideen said she believes it is “coming up next.”
Yet, as Al-Alami noted, the order demanded the Ministry of Labor and Social Development to provide means of transportation for women workers in accordance with the provisions of the labor law.
“In other words, no news yet on women driving, although I think it would be approved soon,” Al-Alami said, adding that there is still a need to resolve problems with respect to women’s rights.
The Shoura Council is scheduled May 9 to discuss and consider a recommendation that demands the Interior Ministry support women driving.
The OIC’s Akeel said she looks forward to more decisions for empowering women. She commended that “the decision included educating and raising women’s awareness of their rights.”
In the past five years, Saudi Arabia has been appointing more women in decision-making positions. In 2011, the late King Abdullah gave women the right to join the Shoura Council and the right to run and vote in the municipal elections, which came a reality in 2015.
In 2013, women were appointed to the Shoura Council for the first time and 30 had become members. Today, the representation of Saudi women on the Shoura Council stands at 20 percent.
Three months ago, three women — Sarah Al-Suhaimi, Rania Nashar and Latifa Al-Shabhan — were appointed in the male-dominant financial sector to the positions of the chair of the Saudi stock exchange, Tadawul, CEO of Samba Financial Group and chief financial officer of Arab National Bank (ANB), respectively.
Increasing the participation of women in the workforce from 22 percent to 30 percent is one of the main goals in Saudi Vision 2030.

Saudi lobbyist in US optimistic about women driving

The English language daily, the Arab News, published this article on 4/29/17.  You can link to the story here.   The text is pasted in below.

Salman Al-Ansari

JEDDAH: A Saudi lobbyist in the US has expressed optimism that women will get the right to drive in the Kingdom.
In an opinion piece published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on Friday, Salman Al-Ansari, president of the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (SAPRAC), referred to the transformative changes put forward by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“He explicitly hinted that an end to the ban on women’s driving is in the pipeline,” said Al-Ansari.
“Despite the many challenges, the deputy crown prince is attempting to undertake LBJ-like social reforms and Thatcher-like economic reforms in a country that is infamously resistant to change.”
Former US President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) was known for supporting path-breaking reforms, especially regarding civil rights. The late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher changed the UK with her economic reforms.
Granting women the right to drive “would arguably be the most symbolic change toward women’s rights in the Kingdom,” said Al-Ansari.
Prince Mohammed has taken bold decisions, such as issuing “a transformative order that barred the religious police from making arrests, which they previously did to young men and women for even attempting to mix with the opposite sex,” said Al-Ansari.
He added that Prince Mohammed was keen on putting Saudi women in positions of power and influence.
Al-Ansari cited the appointment of Princess Reem bint Bandar as vice president of women’s affairs at the General Authority of Sports, and Sarah Al-Suhaimi as chair of the Saudi stock exchange (Tadawul).
He said the deputy crown prince “is strident in his pragmatic efforts toward reforming the traditionally conservative Kingdom (and) he recognizes that the key ingredient to any resilient and diverse economy is the unbridled empowerment of women.”
Delving into the Kingdom’s recent history, Al-Ansari said it was “on the cusp of full legal gender equality” in the 1970s, but two factors stopped the march toward full rights for women.
“Saudi Arabia’s collaboration with the US in the expulsion of the Soviets from Afghanistan could not have been done without giving hardline religious voices more space to influence Saudi society,” said Al-Ansari.
“The second factor was the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Makkah in 1979. Saudi Arabia made some concessions to the religious establishment as a guarantee to preserve social cohesion.”
He said the primary beneficiaries of not giving women the right to drive were a few influential religious parties.
“They have shamelessly used women as a socio-political tool to gain socio-political influence,” said Al-Ansari.
Whenever there is talk of granting women more rights, he said, Saudi intellectuals raise two critical points.
“First, they must be small, slow, and gradual, so that no overwhelming cultural upheaval will be imposed on the Saudi people. The second point is that this openness must come from within, rather than from external forces.”
Al-Ansari said he agreed only with the second point. “I vehemently disagree with the first (because) the harsh reality is that the ‘gradual-change’ approach would take a needlessly long time to fully implement.”
He said the Kingdom had gone through a number of cultural shifts since it was established in 1932.
“Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly a conservative country, since it revolves around the sacredness of the Two Holy Mosques. It still, however, possesses a capacity for opening up,” he added.