Saudi Arabia arrests a woman for driving a car
Yes, a car. The only country on the face of the earth to impose such laws. Via Al Jazeera:
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to ban women, both Saudi and foreign, from driving. The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and those who cannot afford the $300 to $400 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or the doctor.
And people wonder why change is so difficult in an area with regimes as reactionary as Saudi Arabia, a country with enormous influence and clout, especially among the Gulf states. And it would be easy to dismiss this as simply the product of backwards thinking or religious intolerance, but it is more than that. Kafka himself would be impressed by the lengths they've gone to for complete and utter control.
The reports are a bit sketchy but it appears the woman arrested (Manal al Sharif) was detained yesterday for questioning, let go, rearrested and is now being being held in a women's prison, a reform facility. Her Facebook page taken down, and her YouTube account seems to have been closed in the last hour, although for now the videos are still up.
This is the 21st century, right?
Via The Guardian:
Saudi authorities have arrested an activist who launched a campaign to challenge a ban on women driving in the conservative kingdom and posted a video on the internet of her behind the wheel, activists said.
The YouTube video, posted on Thursday, has attracted more than 500,000 views and shows Manal Alsharif, who learned to drive in the US, driving her car in Khobar in the oil-producing Eastern Province.
"Police arrested her at 3am this morning," said Maha Taher, another activist who launched her own campaign for women driving four months ago to spread awareness of the issue.
An Eastern Province police spokesman declined to comment and an interior ministry spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy that does not tolerate any form of dissent and applies an austere version of Sunni Islam, in which religious police patrol the streets to ensure public segregation between men and women.
Women are not allowed to drive and must have written approval from a designated guardian - a father, husband, brother or son - to leave the country, work or travel abroad.
The campaign Alsharif launched is aimed at teaching women to drive and encouraging them to start driving from 17 June, using foreign-issued licences.
While there is no written law that specifically bans women from driving, citizens must use locally issued licences which are not issued to women, making it effectively illegal for them to drive.
religion sucks
More than anything else in the history of mankind. If there really were a God, he'd hit this planet with a comet.
Mohamed was against women driving? Maybe the Saudi's should do what they do best. Send troops to Bahrain to murder people wanting democracy. Thank god they have oil or we'd find another reason to support them. Like the Saudi's are any different than Lybia, Syria or Iran. When do we start bombing them?
is intended to be a factual statement
It's not just the obvious criminal activities like driving a car, it's the insidious, small things that are destroying the male way of life. Last week my wife took the remote control out of my hand. Right out of my hand, Where were the police? Where was the lightning? Sorry, I have to go take out the garbage. Coming dear...
it is the 21st century but if they have their laws in my opinion it is up to them to change them with no interference from us. Sometimes it's best for them to step up and fight for their rights. When are we going to step up and fight for ours?
Isn't Tennessee passing that law soon?
are considering similar laws.
They will also take the additional step of making it illegal to stop and ask for directions.
Seriously. Women can't drive.
Humpty Dumpty was pushed.
You're an asshole.
If you were joking, that was in exceedingly bad taste.
If you're serious, then I agree with the commenter above me, you're an asshole.
You probably think I can't swim.
Medival cocksuck*r.
pull that sexist bullshit out of your ass when faced with stories of how restrictions on women driving is used to oppress them. If you look up clips of the documentary Afghan Ladies' Driving School, you'll see you're not the only one who thought he was being funny or smart when really you all aren't. Just very, very stupid and very, very unoriginal.
"The greatest tyranny is censoring information in order to be better able to control people." - Cristina Saralegui
and not true:
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?c...
"In a study released by Quality Planning, an analytics company that validates policyholder information for auto insurers, women came out on top.
"The study analyzed different kinds of vehicle code violations (traffic violations) and then compared how many times men were cited versus women. The conclusion was that men break more traffic laws and drive more dangerously than women. Because they violate laws designed to make the roads safer, men cause more accidents and expensive damage."
And as a former Teamster and safety award winning 18-wheel-truck driver, who happens to be a woman, I certainly wish Manal al Sharif the best of luck, with the sincere hope that there are enough evolved and intelligent Saudi men who have her back.
Didn't coultergeist once claim that women should have their right to vote revoked because a lot of women have a tendency to vote librul?
Also, how is this different from the policies of the modern day nazi party and their fundie enablers?
Corporatocracy loves the rich Saudia Arabians, to most normal people they are barbarian cretins. It's time to join the 21st century!
generally prove to be disastrous, whether it's the "hidden hand" of the "free" market, the rantings of jim jones, "trans-substantiation", burning bushes in the desert, or the imaginings of a desert nomad.
i know that the guy who talks to his imaginary friend on the street corner is crazy, but build a mosque, temple, or church? get a couple hundred people in there prostrating themselves, mixing up a cocktail at the bar, and hey! presto, change-o, we are somehow supposed to show respect for these vain imaginings.
it is time for churches to pay their taxes, to be recognized for what they are, snake oil salesmen and con-artists, benefiting the clergy more than the congregation. right at this point in time it seems to be islam which is the most repressive, throughout history other faiths have had their turn.
what is really concerning is that our tax dollars have paid for islam to be installed in both iraq and afghanistan as the official state religions which secular statutes cannot be at variance with, don't believe me? search it, the info is out there on both governments official websites.
Until you change this particular facet of your country Saudi Arabia the rest of the world will continue to treat you like the neanderthals you remain to be. It's really sad too, you could be such a strong nation.
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