Saudi women take to their cars hoping for change

[woo me with science]

Update on the driving protests scheduled for later this month, with comments from both sides.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/09/us-saudi-women-driving-idUSTRE7581EF20110609

Saudi women take to their cars hoping for change


By Asma Alsharif and Jason Benham
JEDDAH/RIYADH | Thu Jun 9, 2011 4:24am EDT

(Reuters) - Fed up with having no driver to ferry her to hospital, Shaima Osama decided to take matters into her own hands and drive there herself, an act of defiance in a country where women are banned from sitting behind the wheel.

Emboldened by the winds of change sweeping the Arab world, which has toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, women in the conservative kingdom see no better time to seek greater freedoms by demanding the right to drive, something they would not have dreamed of doing a year ago.

"I learned that there is no law banning women driving. I took the keys, took a deep breath and started the car," Osama described how she drove in Jeddah last month.

Saudi Arabia has no written ban on women driving but Saudi law requires citizens to use a locally issued license while in the country. Such licenses are not issued to women, making it effectively illegal for them to drive....

(more at link)