(Source: Telegraph, UK via Reddit)

Allowing women drivers in Saudi Arabia will tempt them into sex, promote pornography and create more homosexuals, according to some conservative Muslim scholars.

Saudi women will have to languish little longer in their plush,& palatial homes and continue their wait for tasting the freedom of driving that so many women around the world take it for granted.  The following appeared in today’s Telegraph (and in many news sites on the web): “Academics at the Majlis al-Ifta’ al-A’ala, which is Saudi Arabia‘s highest religious council, said the relaxation of the rules would inevitably lead to “no more virgins”.   The academics, working in conjunction with Kamal Subhi, a former professor at the conservative King Fahd University, produced the conclusions in a report for the country’s legislative assembly, the Shura Council.”  Click here to read the full story.

Editor’s note:  So, how is the world reacting to this news? As always, the brilliant global hive of Redditors made quite a few interesting comments/remarks on this women-no-drive policy shoved down the throats of Saudi women.  Jokes apart, it brings up many serious questions.  Many Islamic nations across the globe, such as Malaysia & Bahrain, are as staunchly religious as Saudi Arabia but have understood the value of freedom and enabled their women to drive.  No Malaysian cleric will ever step up and utter such non-sense statements and get away with it easily.  Heck, at this point one can go on the limb and say even the most oppressive of regimes such as Myanmar and North Korea don’t treat their women like some 2nd class citizens.  What is up with the Saudi’s and their obsession with female virgins?

I pity the plight of the Saudi head of state. His situation is like someone caught between the devil and the deep sea.  On one side, he must be nervously watching the revolutions sweeping across the Middle East and on the other side, he has to deal with these religious zealots stoking anti-regime sentiments with such recommendations, and ordering how others should live based on their own interpretation of a religious manual.  If anything, Saudi monarchs have an ultimate decision to make here and determine if they will side with the rest of the world and treat their women as equals and not second class citizens. Let’s us sincerely hope that the women will ultimately win their freedom.

Here are a couple of related articles published over a period on Transportgooru.com:

• Adding More Sister Power – 14 Female U.S. Senators Write Letter To Saudi King Urging To Overturn Ban on Female Drivers
• “We the Women” demand right to drive in Saudi Arabia; a social dialogue for women’s rights catches fire on the web

(Source:  Mashable)

Image Courtesy: Position2.com

The women of Saudi Arabia, who are steadfastly fighting the monarchy for the right to drive, today received a shot in the arm for their ongoing campaign from their counterparts across the oceans.  Social media website Mashable.com report the on the development (excerpt):

Fourteen female United States senators have sent a letter to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, asking him to lift the ban that keeps women from driving within the kingdom.

The letter — dated July 26 — comes as a major boost for an ongoing social media campaign against the ban.

The bipartisan letter admits that the kingdom has recently taken some steps that advance women’s rights, including the appointment of its first woman deputy minister and the establishment of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, “the only university in Saudi Arabia that allows women to study alongside men and where women are allowed to drive motor vehicles on campus.”

The 14 senators  aren’t the only female politicians to throw their support behind the Women2Drive movement.  In the recent months, a number of House of Representatives members — including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.— also expressed their support for the campaign last month. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at a news conference, following a Change.org petition started by activist coalition Saudi Women for Driving, calling the women’s efforts brave.  On the other side of the Atlantic, the European Union’s Catherine Ashton, high representative and European Commission vice president, has also issued statements to show her support.

The question remains how much these external forces can sway the King and the his key decision-makers, who are fighting for their own battle against the hardcore religious zealots jockeying for control/power within the Kingdom.   Let’s hope the Women of Saudi Arabia win their freedom soon.

Click here to read the entire article.