Saudi princess speaks out over kingdom’s driving ban

Thursday, 23 June 2011 4:08 PM

The wife of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has spoken out about in support of women lobbying to overturn the kingdom’s ban on female drivers.

Speaking to the Today Show, HH Princess Ameerah Al Taweel said allowing women to drive is one in a list of reforms that must be addressed in Saudi Arabia.

“We’re fighting for our rights and we are getting them. If we were not getting them, you would not see me talking to you now,” she said.

Asked if she wants to be the first woman to drive legally in the kingdom, Princess Ameerah said “Yes. [But] for me, I don’t care if I am the first or the 60th, as long as we drive. It’s a social need but looking at the other side, there are priorities for us women here in Saudi other than driving. We care about laws for women, women in the workforce – basic rights.”

Her comments cap a series of developments that began in May, when Saudi women used the Facebook and Twitter social-networking websites to call for females with international driver’s licenses to use their cars June 17. They said their plan wasn’t a protest.

Saudi Arabia, holder of the world’s biggest oil reserves, has avoided the anti-government demonstrations that have rocked the Arab world this year.

Manal Al Sharif was held for ten days and faced charges of “besmirching the kingdom’s reputation abroad and stirring up public opinion,” after she posted a YouTube video of herself driving. The video attracted more than 500,000 viewers before it was pulled from the video sharing website.

There were no reported arrests among the more than 50 women who drove on June 17.

The campaign group, Human Rights Watch, condemned the move to detain Al Sharif.

“Arresting a woman who drove her family around in a car and then showed it online opens Saudi Arabia to condemnation - and, in fact, to mockery - around the world,” Christoph Wilcke, senior Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement in May.

While there is no written law that specifically bans women from driving in Saudi Arabia, senior government clerics have issued several religious edicts that prohibit women from driving.

Arab uprisings

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Posted by: saeed abdulkhalig Monday, 27 June 2011 10:25 AM[UAE] - saudi arabia

In all democracies of the civiliazed world Majority lead Minority. People in saudi arabia oppose driving because they see it as a tool of destraction from civil rights, elections and fighting corruptions and because its the demand of minority against the majority.

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Posted by: Saudi Arabia visitor Saturday, 25 June 2011 2:38 PM[UAE] - USA

Maybe they should let the women drive for a change and forbid all Saudi male to sit behind the wheel since they can't drive straight for few yards.

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Posted by: Ben Jones Friday, 24 June 2011 3:10 PM[UAE] - UAE

OK lets put it this was then, let the women in Saudi earn the PRIVILEGE of taking driving lessons and tests so that can have the PRIVILEGE of driving.

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Posted by: Red Snappa Friday, 24 June 2011 2:55 PM[UAE] - Ireland

Well if you have no way of earning that privilege then that diminishes your human rights. Everybody has the right to improve themselves in terms of skills both academic and physical as well as gain greater control over their own daily destiny.

Freedom of thought and self improvement is equally as important as throwing money at ripples of social unrest. The Princess is fortunate that she has an open minded husband and is able to spend time abroad in and among more open societies.

The majority of the Saudi population are under 30 and much more familiar with global culture through the media and travel, therefore the pressure for change builds.

Posted by: Telcoguy Saturday, 25 June 2011 11:00 AM[UAE] - UAE

I am not yet clear how the males in KSA earned that privilege... I would appreciate if someone could explain that to me.

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Posted by: Basel A-Shaban Friday, 24 June 2011 10:50 AM[UAE] - USA

Just so we all are clear on one thing, driving is not a right, it is a privilege. That's way courts revoke or re-install Driving Privileges. It is never a right to driver (for men or women) it just a privilege that need to be respected in order to be maintained.

Posted by: Driving wife Saturday, 25 June 2011 7:10 PM[UAE] - USA

No Basel, it is a right, because it is something to which one has a just claim. Courts, religious or not, or even parents can revoke that right if you mismanage it, mishandle it, etc. or in many places people can just revoke it ignorantly or because of power abuse. Privilege though is something you can't claim as due. I can't claim that I have the right to play in the English premiership or the NBA. I can claim my passport as due.

But it seems that in the Kingdom driving is a right for male Saudis and privilege for female Saudis and that is the moral of the article. It shouldn't be that way.

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Saudi princess speaks out over kingdom’s driving ban

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