Saudi Arabian women fight for the right... to drive

On October 27, a day after dozens of Saudi women launched a campaign demanding the right to drive for women, the public was still watching to see whether the campaign would lead to an easing of restrictions on women or arrests for defiant behavior.

Supporters of the campaign for the right to drive for Saudi women say it has been a success as many women responded to the call despite increased security in the capital Riyadh.

Saudi Arabian women continue to fight for the right to drive. Photo: Corbis

In contrast to the somewhat harsh reactions of the government after two previous similar campaigns in 1990 and 2011, the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry has yet to make any official comments on the incident.

Compared to the movements in 1990 and 2011, the current movement for the right to drive has received wider support from Saudi society. Even the Saudi police are reluctant to arrest women who drive alone on the road.

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy with a long tradition of Islam. In such a society, many rights of women are prohibited. One of the prohibitions is that women are not allowed to drive on the road without male supervision.

Although Saudi Arabian law does not specifically prohibit women from driving, the government's refusal to issue driving licenses to women has indirectly prevented Saudi Arabian women from freely fulfilling their legitimate aspirations.

After videos of Saudi women driving were posted on YouTube, Ahmed Alibrahim, an adviser to the Saudi royal family and officials, commented: “If you have a family argument, you should not turn it into a public story, you should not put it on YouTube and other media outlets.”

Meanwhile, social activists calling for a response to this movement said that some women participating in this campaign on October 26 were arrested by the police and asked to sign a commitment not to re-offend.

Zaki Safar, a 29-year-old engineer who supports the women's movement, said: "Women are fired just because they want to drive. It's an insult to women, because they are not respected as much as a 16-year-old boy, just because our society values ​​men."

“What do you think when you are against the world, when you are the only country? It is a serious problem and needs to change immediately,” said Sara Haidar, 32, the daughter of a social activist.

Psychologist Madeha al Ajroush, who has participated in similar campaigns before, said she gave up the idea of ​​joining the campaign for women’s right to drive on October 26 because she could not escape the control of the men in plain clothes. Ms. Ajroush also said she had lost her job because of her previous participation in the campaign for the right to drive.

However, Ms. Ajroush said that compared to what happened before, this campaign has achieved certain successes when gaining more support. Ms. Ajroush also said that it will take more time to change society's perception and it is a long-term process.

According to VOV