Saudi Womens Rights Activists Press Hillary Clinton to Endorse Their Right to Drive

Several women’s rights organizations in the U.S. have penned an open letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking her to endorse Saudi women’s right to drive. The story is pasted in below, as reported in the Huffington Post. You can sign the petition here

SAUDI WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS PRESS HILLARY CLINTON TO ENDORSE THEIR RIGHT TO DRIVE - HUFFINGTON POST

A consortium of Saudi Arabian women's rights activists have written an open letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging her to publicly press the Saudi government to allow women to drive.
Penned by the organization Saudi Women for Driving, the letter has been endorsed by over 10,000 people from all 50 US states on Change.org. An almost identical letter has been addressed to Catherine Ashton, Secretary Clinton's counterpart in the E.U.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bars women from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle -– bicycles included. The movement gained traction after 32-year-old computer-security consultant Manal al-Sherif, now dubbed the "Saudi Rosa Parks," was detained after she posted a video of herself driving in the conservative kingdom, urging others women to take her lead.
Al-Sherif has since been released, on the condition that she will not participate in a Saudi protest of the driving restrictions set for June 17. The campaign, which has a 26,000 member Facebook group, does not have country-wide support. YouTube videos have circulated of a young boy making fun of the movement, and a counter-Facebook page with 6,000 fans has been created inciting men to beat women found driving. (It has since been removed for encouraging violent behavior.)
The activists write:

As Saudi women our lack of freedom of movement places an extreme burden on our lives. We lack a public transportation system and the most basic errands and medical appointments are missed due to the difficulty and expenses of arranging transportation, notwithstanding educational and work opportunities. Many from our religious establishment openly state that the reason they prohibit women from driving is to keep women at home and in need of men. Our lack of this basic right to drive our own cars has been repeatedly exploited by abusive fathers, brothers, husbands and even hired drivers. Just this week a Saudi woman reported she was raped by her driver… Secretary Clinton, you are a friend. Indeed, some of us have met you personally during your decades-long journey as a champion of women’s rights all over the world. Now, as we build the largest Saudi women's protest movement in decades, we need your help.

According to Change.org, Saudi Women for Driving promoted a similar campaign on the website calling upon al-Sherif's release from prison. Over 60,000 people in 156 countries signed the letter, making it the world's fastest growing advocacy campaign.

Shoura ready to discuss women driving; Manal al-Sharif Released

My apologies to all, I've been away in the woods where there is no internet and missed, first, that Manal al-Sharif was released on 5/31/2011. Here is the link to the story about Manal's release from the Arab News:  Manal al-Sharif Released.
Then there was a story of a woman in Medina who accused a limo driver of rape; here is the link to that story. This sparked a lot of discussion about how the law preventing women from driving actually puts them at risk. Story about Saudi woman raped by limo driver


Another big story just came out in the Arab News. The Shoura Council, a kind of appointed council of advisors to the king, says they are prepared to discuss the issue of women driving.
Below is the full text of the Arab News story about the Shoura Council:
Shoura ready to discuss women driving if requested

Published: Jun 3, 2011 00:54 Updated: Jun 3, 2011 01:35

JEDDAH: Speaker of the Shoura Council Abdullah Al-Asheikh said on Thursday the council was ready to discuss the issue of women driving if it was asked to.

“The issue has not so far been tabled with the council for discussion,” he said, adding that not every issue in the public domain was discussed by the council.
Explaining the mechanism of tabling issues for discussion at the council, Al-Asheikh said a motion must either come from the government, at least one member of the council or when the council itself expressed a desire to deliberate a certain issue, reported local Arabic daily Al-Jazirah.
Saudi writer and columnist Abdullah Abdul Sattar Al-Alami said he and a group of other people formally asked the council to discuss the issue of women driving.
“We sent our request in a letter sent by express mail on Feb. 8, 2011,” he said in a statement to Arab News Thursday.
Al-Alami said the request was signed by a large number of academics, literary figures, media professionals, businessmen and women, housewives, students, government employees, a former ambassador, a former undersecretary to the UN secretary-general, a deputy CEO of a big company in the Eastern Province and a prominent member of the National Society for Human Rights.
He said the council's committee called them to discuss the issue on pleas on March 15, but the invitation was canceled the same day without any reason.
“While we appreciate the council's efforts to consider the issues of society, we urge it to review the project that we have submitted to it and contains the advantages of allowing women to drive cars and the negative effects resulting from the presence of a large number of foreign drivers socially and economically as well as from a security point of view,” he said.
The issue has become the subject of hot debate since Saudi woman Manal Al-Sharif drove her car openly in the eastern city of Alkhobar and was detained for 10 days.
A number of views for and against were expressed in local media and websites. A number of women launched an Internet campaign to allow them to drive their own cars. A number of scholars and writers were in agreement that allowing women to drive was not against Islam.
Muhammad Abdullatif Al-Sheikh, a Saudi writer, said in an article in Al-Jazirah on Thursday that the ball was now in the court of the political leadership since the issue was political rather than religious.
“Islamic teachings, which did not prevent women from mounting camels and horses, would not forbid them from driving cars,” he wrote.
Al-Sheikh expressed astonishment at why a decision had not been taken on the issue so far and said it was something society was more prepared to accept than ever.

Saudi Gazette: Al-Sharief probe extends to two others

DAMMAM: The investigation into Manal Al-Sharief, the woman held in a Dammam prison after being arrested last Saturday for driving in Al-Khobar, has widened to include two other women for their role in the incident, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported Friday.
The newspaper quoted sources as saying that an order to summon for questioning had been issued for one woman believed to have filmed Al-Sharief as she drove her car, and another said to be the supervisor of the “I’ll Drive My Car Myself” Facebook campaign on the Internet, described as a university student and friend of Al-Sharief.
When contacted by Al-Watan, the first woman denied any connection to the campaign, saying only that she was a “sympathizer; and “supporting member”.
According to the newspaper, the summons for questioning was made after Al-Khobar Police presented a list of names to the Eastern Province Emir’s Office which ordered the immediate detention of the women whose names are on the list and that their statements be taken on the aims of the campaign.
Manal Al-Sharief, meanwhile, had her detention at Dammam’s Women’s extended for 10 days from Thursday.
Saudi Gazette reported Friday that her lawyer, Waleed Abu Al-Khair, told The Associated Press that the prosecutor general had extended her detention by “another ten days while she is investigated”, a move he described as “a message that any woman who dares to drive her car will face the same fate”.
– Saudi Gazette

Hands Off the Wheel - Foreign Policy Magazine

Cameron Abadi has written a brilliant opinion piece/essay analyzing the most ridiculous arguments against Saudi women driving. What is important here is that it's Foreign Policy writing about the issue. Which means, the issue is important. We knew that all along, right? Nice they agree. Below is the link to the story.

Hands Off the Wheel - Foreign Policy

More Saudi Women Record Driving Videos

Robert Mackey of the New York Times blog The Lede updates his readers on the news of Saudi women driving, including Manal al-Sharief.
Here is a link to his story.
Robert Mackey's Blog Entry on Saudi Women in NYTimes Blog

Manal Al-Sharief's lawyer statements; petition for her release underway

In contrast to the Saudi Gazette article in my previous post, this article in the Arab News by Fatimah Sidiya gives the update on issues surrounding Manal Al-Sharief's detention. Her case has been moved to the Eastern Province governate. And a petition with more than 1,000 signatures is being organized on her behalf.
Since I printed the whole of the Saudi Gazette article yesterday; here is the Arab News story. Thank you, "Tara Um Umar" for letting me know about this story from the Arab News.

Manal Al-Sharief - Testing Time
by FATIMA SIDIYA | ARAB NEWS

Published: May 25, 2011 00:08 Updated: May 25, 2011 11:36

JEDDAH: The lawyer of Manal Al-Sharif — the 32-year-old Saudi woman who drove her car in Alkhobar on Saturday — denied that Al-Sharif burst into tears inside the women's section of the Dammam prison and asked her investigators to extend their questioning to include a number of women who led her into controversy.

A local Arabic daily on Tuesday claimed it had the names of the women, some of them living outside the country, who incited Al-Sharif to go out to the street, drive her car and film the move.
The daily also reported Al-Sharif as saying that the instigators assured her that there was no punishment under Saudi Arabia’s traffic laws for women drivers.
According to the newspaper, Al-Sharif appeared not to believe what was happening to her.
Adnan Al-Saleh, Al-Sharif’s lawyer, denied the report and quoted Al-Sharif as saying, “I did not cry and will not break down as long as King Abdullah is there.”
Al-Sharif was accused of violating the general rules by pushing other women to drive cars and stirring up public opinion.
Sources told Arab News that Al-Sharif’s case had been transferred to the governorate in the Eastern Province and that there was no exact time for her release.
Up to 1,000 citizens of both genders, meanwhile, signed a petition for Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in which they asked for the immediate release of Al-Sharif.
The petitioners included activists, bloggers, academics and students.
The letter stated that she was “accompanied by her brother and with his consent and license to drive, recognized in accordance with the traffic system and contained in Article II, paragraph 34.”
It added: “We also believe that the time has come to clearly resolve the issue of women driving cars. It is unjust to say it is a social issue and that our religion does not prevent ladies from driving, while simultaneously arresting a woman driving her car. We are in need of a clear system, either to prevent women from driving, or, in case female driving is allowed, a clear indication that ladies are permitted to drive cars in Saudi Arabia.”

Link to the story: Manal Al-Sharief - Testing Time

Manal al-Sharief reportedly has change of heart

The Saudi Gazette is reporting that Manal al-Sharief has changed her mind about encouraging Saudi women to drive. She is being held in the Dammam women's prison. Efforts are continuing to get her released.
Here is the link to the story: Saudi Gazette Story on Manal al-Sharief

Here is the entire text.

I made a mistake: Al-Sharief

KHALID AL-BALAHIDI

DAMMAM: Manal Al-Sharief admits she made a mistake by driving a car in the Kingdom and promises never to do it again. This is according to Dr. Ghazi Al-Shammari, Chairman of the Family Solidarity Committee in the Eastern Province Emirate, who told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that this is what Al-Sharief told him when he visited her at the Women’s Prison in Dammam.
Al-Sharief is the 32-year-old Saudi woman who was detained Saturday for driving a car in Al-Khobar.
Al-Shammari had visited her accompanied by Brig. Gen. Abdullah Al-Boushi, Director of the Eastern Province Prisons.
He said he spoke to her and quoted her as saying, “I made a mistake and I’m a daughter of this nation. I have nobody but my family and the sons and daughters of my nation. I advise girls of my generation to rally behind our leadership and Ulema. They know better than us about our condition. I’m confident about what I’m saying after sitting alone and contemplating.”She added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is special because it has the Two Holy Mosques, is a refuge for Muslim hearts and is quite different from other countries in the world.
Al-Sharief said she was well cared for and only wanted to return to her family and her work. She had repeated she made a mistake and confirmed she would not repeat the action again, according to Al-Shammari, who was quoting a conversation Al-Boushi had with her about her needs in prison.
A source in the General Administration for Prisons said the administration in Dammam wrote a letter Wednesday to enquire about her situation. The letter also enquires about the possibility of detaining her in Al-Khobar Police Station or whether her detention should continue in the Women’s Prison in Dammam. She is expected to be released Thursday.
Other sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that great efforts are being made to get her released and that her remorse would be sufficient to ensure her freedom.
Okaz/Saudi Gazette reported earlier that Al-Sharief also plans to withdraw from the campaign for women to drive, according to a source at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR). The source said members of the NSHR met with Al-Sharief at the prison for 90 minutes on Tuesday and described her condition and treatment as good.
“Manal wants to be released,” the source said. “She said the investigation had been carried out and she will withdraw from the campaign calling for women to drive cars.”
– Okaz/Saudi Gazette