Women in Saudi Arabia would just like to be able to drive any car.
Today two women journalist submitted a petition signed by 102 men and women in support of that right to the Saudi National Association for Human Rights. According to Arab News, one of the journalists said the impetus for the petition was the raising of the issue for discussion within the Shoura Council. The matter was raised by Mohammad al Zulfa, a member of the Majlis-i-Shura Council, who submitted a resolution to the body's secretariat calling for a debate on the issue. The secretariat turned down the request.
The journalist also said, “The petition was signed by housewives, businessmen and businesswomen, men and women teachers, men and women government and private sector employees and even all members of some Saudi families.” She also told Arab News that while Recommendation 13 of the Third National Forum for Dialogue held in Madinah to discuss women’s issues was: “Specialized bodies are to be authorized to study public transportation that is suitable for women and to suggest suitable means of transportation to enable women to travel or commute with ease,” nothing has been done to implement it.
The petition points out that many Saudi women who ask for the right to drive or who support women driving feel humiliated because they feel they are not trusted. This, it says, violates what Islam teaches about sexual equality and the responsibilities of both sexes.
It also says that in order to carry out their normal lives, women often have no choice but to rely upon foreign men to transport them. Making a none too progressive argument the petition tells, “…those who are against women driving that they should fear God and look at the consequences of letting foreign drivers into our homes, consequences they are responsible for and will be asked about on the Day of Judgment.”
Whatever the case may be with those “foreign” drivers, the possibility of women driving in the Kingdom any time soon does not look great.
Over the weekend, Interior Minister Prince Naif questioned why a member of the Shura Council had raised the issue at all. Prince Naif said, “We consider (the question) to be secondary, not a priority." The Prince babbled on, "These matters are decided according to the general good and what is dictated by women's honor, but I urge everybody to put a stop to this and not make an issue out of it that pits one group against another.”
Speaking of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, did you notice that on her recent middle east swing, our glorious Secretary of State, didn’t!
Why didn’t Ms. Rice bring up the lack of women’s rights in the Kingdom? Well, the Times of London reports, she offered this explanation to reporters traveling on the plane with her from Riyadh to Brussels, 'It's just a line I've not wanted to cross ...The United States has to recognize that even after democratic processes have taken place, places are not going to look like the United States ... I think it's important that we do have some boundaries about what we're trying to achieve.”
Boundaries? Fundamental human rights, Condi, ought not to be outside the "boundaries.” But then I forget this is Saudi Arabia we’re talking about here.
The Secretary’s comments were sharply criticized by Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian feminist who won the 2003 Nobel Peace prize. Ebadi accused Rice and the Bush Administration of absolute hypocrisy. “Given the longstanding willingness of the American government to overlook abuses of human rights, particularly women’s rights, by close allies in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia, it is hard not to see the Bush administration’s focus on human rights violations in Iran as a cloak for its larger strategic interests,” Ebadi said.
And finally, this.
Asharq Al-Awsat reports the startling (to the Saudi Royal Family anyway) news that the first Saudi female rally driver has successfully completed a three-day training session in preparation for the BMW Formula race. The training took place in Bahrain and was sponsored by the BMW Center for Professional Drivers.The driver is the first Arab woman to join the driving school. She received a certificate for her participation and her excellent skills. She says she hopes to become a role model for other Arab women who are interested in taking part in rally driving.
And so it goes…Sources: Arab News (Saudi Arabia), AKI (Italy), Capital Hill Blue, Times of London, Asharq Al-Awsat
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