"I don't want to drive a car," she said. "I worked hard for my medical degree. Why do I need a driver's license?"
But Women 2 Drive is obviously a completely different kettle of fish. Its membership contains many professional and other working women who can not use Saudi Arabia's non-existent public transport system and so need their own cars to get to and from their work.
Commenting on other obstacles that prevent women driving in Saudi, a spokesperson for the group said, "What stops most of us that only very few know how to drive, and less than that who have driver's licenses... but those who can drive and have a valid driver's license (of course a non-Saudi license, as women here can't have one)...those women will drive" and we created a campaign and accepting names of ladies who are willing to teach the rest of us how to drive... women are not allowed to go to driving schools here... which makes the situation worse... the act will be individual. Protests and demonstrations are prohibited by religious people and banned by the government in Saudi... so we don't want to be seen as law breakers in any mean" we simply want to practice this insignificant right of us."
So it remains to be seen whether the Saudi Government will consider this velvet uprising as a totally practical and completely benign gesture, as do its sponsors.
Based on past performance, I wouldn't head to the bank just yet. But it would be a grand and very kind gesture if King Abdallah at least let the event pass in silence. Then we could see it as a baby step. Arab Spring Lite.
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