Special Dispatch | No. 1875 | March 18, 2008
Saudi Arabia/Reform Project
Saudi Shura Council Recommends Allowing Saudi
Women to Drive With Limitations
SUBSCRIBE | UNSUBSCRIBE | DONATE | CONTACT US
MEMRI | MEMRI TV | THE MEMRI BLOG | MEMRI ECONOMIC BLOG | ISLAMIST WEBSITE MONITOR PROJECT
TURKISH MEDIA PROJECT | IRAN BLOG | ARAB MOVIES BLOG | ARAB MUSIC BLOG | ARAB LITERATURE BLOG
On March 17, 2008, Alarabiya.net reported that the Saudi Shura Council has recommended allowing women
to drive. The recommendation follows recent efforts by Saudi women rights activists headed by Wajeha AlHuwaidar and Fawziya Al-Uyuni. Ten days ago Al-Huwaidar marked the International Women’s Day, March 8,
2008 by driving her car in Saudi Arabia appealing to the minister of interior, Prince Nayef to allow women to
drive. Her driving was posted on Youtube and received international attention.(1) [To view the clip translated
into English see MEMRI TV clip No. 1712, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1712.htm ]
The following is a summary of the Saudi Shura Council recommendation.
The Recommendations
A source in Saudi Arabia's Shura Council reports that the council has submitted a recommendation to senior
elements in the country to permit women to drive vehicles, with the following stipulations:
* The woman driver must be under 30.
* The woman's driving is conditional upon the permission of a relative [father, husband, brother, or son].
* The woman driver must obtain a driver's license from the center for teaching women to drive.
* The woman driver must be modestly dressed.
* The woman driver will be permitted to drive alone in the cities, but outside the cities she must be
accompanied by a relative.
* The woman driver will be permitted to drive Saturday through Wednesday between 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM.
* The woman driver must have a cell phone with her, so she can call for help in an emergency.
* The woman driver must pay a certain sum when her license is issued; this sum will be set aside for car
repairs.
The Shura Council also
* The establishment of
* The establishment of
* The establishment of
supervision.
ordered the following:
a special women's transportation department; this department will collect the fees.
a telephone emergency center.
transportation centers for women in the cities, which will be under religious
The council stipulated that a woman driver who violates these rules will have her license revoked.
In the framework of this recommendation, the Shura Council is required to impose a one-month prison
sentence and a fine on anyone talking with a woman driver from another car, and an eight-month prison
sentence and a fine on anyone who sexually harasses a woman driver.
A transportation administration source reports that the Shura Council has as yet issued no guidelines for
establishing a women's transportation department.
Endnote:
(1) For CNN’s coverage, visit
http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2008/03/10/nasr.saudi.women.drivers.cnn (for video) and
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/11/saudi.women.drivers/index.html (for the article). For ABC
News coverage, visit http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4422278 (for video) and
http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=4420162&page=1 (for the article). See also
http://politiken.dk/udland/article481878.ece.
DONATION INFORMATION
MEMRI is Bridging the Language Gap Between the West and the Middle East and we need your support to continue
funding new and innovative projects.
MEMRI IS A 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION, YOUR DONATION IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE
8 EASY WAYS TO DONATE – Donating online is FAST, EASY, & SECURE!
Just complete the form here and select either Authorize.net or PayPal to complete your donation transaction