Saudi Women Arrested for Driving |
|---|
|
Laura Hartson
Articlesbase
July 8, 2011
Author: Laura Hartson
In the UK we women take it for granted that we are allowed the freedom of being able to drive, but in the Middle East this is something that we would not be able to do. It is not only illegal, but it is strictly imposed. We are used to getting in our car to be able to go to the office, to go to the pub and to go shopping, without even considering that we are making the most of a relative privilege compared to women in other countries.
At least five women have been taken into custody this week in Dubai as they have defied the rule that states that only men are able to drive in the Arab kingdom. Saudi women are challenging these regulations by driving through Saudi cities such as Riyadh, and these arrests are the government striking back against these actions.
It seems that Saudi Arabia has no law against women driving, only religious edicts, called fatwa's, by strict Muslims of a brand of Islam called Wahabism. The US secretary of state has offered her support to the women challenging this, as she feels that it is an ancient rule that should be abolished to allow women their civil liberty.
Saudi based human rights activist Eman al-Nafjan said that the police had detailed a woman driving in Jiddah, which is a city on the red sea coast, and this was followed by the arrest of four more women in the city. One of the women was surrounded by police officers, and she and her passenger were arrested. The arrest of a woman is seen as a shame on the family, and for this reason the authorities rarely give details, and the press are hardly ever involved. This means that a lot of these protests go unreported.
If you are driving in the UK then make sure that you have Car Insurance to cover you against any accidents. Policies are readily available online and here you can compare prices to make sure that you are getting the best deal and saving yourself money to be spent elsewhere.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/cars-articles/saudi-women-arrested-for-driving-5002353.html
About the Author