Saturday, June 18, 2011

Saudi women defy ban - Washington Post driving

Translate Request has too much data
Parameter name: request
Translate Request has too much data
Parameter name: request
Saudi women defy driving ban - The Washington PostTWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' js/head.jpt - start');TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' js/head.jpt - after wpost load');TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' js/head.jpt - after eidos load');TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' js/head.jpt - after ad load');var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime(); $(document).ready(function(){TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' document.ready fired'); }); $(window).load(function(){TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' window.load fired'); });TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' js/head.jpt - end');TWP = ( typeof TWP == 'undefined' ) ? {} : TWP ;TWP.Data = ( typeof TWP.Data == 'undefined' ) ? {} : TWP.Data ;TWP.Data.NN = {init: function(){this.pageType="article_story";this.canonicalURL="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/saudi-women-defy-driving-ban/2011/06/17/AGNQDNZH_story.html";this.shortURL="";this.section="/world/middle-east";this.destinations="google_news";this.homepage=false;}}TWP.Data.NN.init(); SubscribeMobileConversationsToday's PaperGoing Out GuideJobsCarsReal EstateRentalsClassifiedsHomePoliticsCampaign 2012CongressCourts &LawThe Fed PageHealth CarePollingWhite HouseWho Runs GovBlogs & ColumnsTop Blogs

The Fix | Chris Cillizza2chambers | Felicia SonmezFederal Eye | Ed O’KeefeFact Checker | Glenn KesslerOpinionsAll OpinionsPostPartisanLeft-LeaningRight-LeaningTolesCartoonsTelnaesAnimationsLocalColumnist IndexLocalCrimeDC EducationMarylandObituariesTraffic & CommutingVirginiaWeatherBlogs & ColumnsSpecial ReportsTop Blogs

The State of NoVa | Tysons Corner: Now in D.C.?The Answer Sheet | 12 great teaching qualitiesThe Reliable Source | Weiner’s demise foretoldThe Buzz | Help us assign the internsSportsRedskins/NFLCapitals/NHLWizards/NBANationals/MLBDC United/SoccerCollegesAllMetSportsOther SportsBlogs & ColumnsTop Blogs

Capitals Insider| Katie CarreraNationals Journal| Adam KilgoreSoccer Insider| Steven GoffThe Insider| Mike JonesNationalCorrectionsEnergy & EnvironmentHealth & ScienceHigher EducationNational SecurityOn FaithOn LeadershipInnovationsBlogs & ColumnsTop Blogs

@innovationsPost LeadershipUnder GodWorldAfricaTheAmericasAsia &PacificEuropeMiddle EastNational SecurityWar ZonesSpecial ReportsBusinessEconomyIndustriesLocal BusinessMarketsPolicy&RegulationTechnologyWorldBusinessBlogs & ColumnsInnovationsSpecial ReportsTop Blogs

Ezra KleinPost Tech | Cecilia KangFaster ForwardPolitical EconomyInvestigationsLifestyleAdviceCarolyn HaxFoodHome & GardenStyleTravelWeddingsWellnessBlogs & ColumnsKidsPostTop Blogs

On Parenting | Janice D’ArcyArts Post | Jacqueline TrescottThe Checkup | Jennifer LaRue Huget & Rob SteinAll We Can Eat | Food sectionEntertainmentBooksCelebritiesComicsGoing Out GuideHoroscopesMoviesMuseumsPuzzlesTheater & DanceTVTop Blogs

Reliable Source | Roxanne Roberts & Amy ArgetsingerTV Column | Lisa de MoraesCelebritology | Jen ChaneyClick Track | Chris Richards & David MalitzMultimediaInnovationsPhotosVideosThe Washington PostForeign PolicyThe Washington PostAfricaTheAmericasAsia &PacificEuropeMiddle EastNational SecurityWar ZonesSpecial ReportsIn the NewsRory McIlroy LeBron James NSA ‘Harry Potter’ trailer Capital Fringe Festival Krauthammer TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' skeleton - start');Saudi women defy driving banSmaller TextLarger TextText SizePrintE-mailReprints By Abeer Allam,

SANAA, Yemen — At least 29 women in Saudi Arabia drove their cars Friday, after Internet campaigns inspired by the uprisings across the Arab world urged them to flout the country’s de facto ban on female drivers.

At least one of the women is believed to have been arrested in Riyadh, the kingdom’s capital and one of its most conservative cities, online activists said. She was later released.

Loading...

Comments

Weigh InCorrections?Tweet

Video

Activists campaign to defy the ban on women drivers in Saudi Arabia.Activists campaign to defy the ban on women drivers in Saudi Arabia.

Maha al-Qahtani, 39, drove for 35 minutes in Riyadh with her husband in the passenger seat. “This is my basic right. It should not be a big deal. There is nothing wrong or illegal about driving,” Qahtani, a state employee, said. “The decision to ban driving proves how backward the regime is.”

In the past month, Saudi women have posted on the Internet videos and images of themselves driving.

On Friday, a woman covered in black abaya and face veil, posted a video of herself on YouTube driving to the grocery store in Riyadh. Her iPhone showed the time as 12:40, June 17. She wrote: “All I want is to do my errands or go to work whenever I want.”

Online activists had called on women to drive their cars Friday but not to demonstrate, amid fears of a crackdown in a country where protests are outlawed. Activists say thousands joined online campaigns to allow women drivers, but few actually drove Friday, fearing reprisals.

Manal al-Sharif, a 32-year-old IT consultant who last month set up a Facebook campaign called women2drive, was arrested May 21.

She was released the following day, only to be detained again after she posted videos of herself driving in al-Khobar, in the country’s Eastern Province. She was later re-released after spending a week in prison accused of “inciting public opinion and harming the country’s reputation.”

Saudi Arabia, which follows a strict interpretation of Islamic law and tribal traditions, is the only country that restricts driving by women. There is no law expressly forbidding female drivers, but women cannot get a locally issued driving licence, which is required to operate a vehicle in cities. Women in rural and desert areas drive pickup trucks but cannot drive in urban areas.

The royal family, including King Abdullah, who is considered an advocate of women’s rights, has said there is no religious reason for the ban but that the conservative society is not ready for such change.

The online campaign has already prompted a conservative backlash. An anti-driving group on Facebook has called on “real men” to beat up women who drive. On Twitter, activists were called “westernised whores.”

— Financial Times

EmailTumblrRedditStumbleuponDiggDeliciousLinkedInTweet

???initialComments:true! pubdate:06/17/2011 18:03 EDT! commentPeriod:3! commentEndDate:6/20/11 6:3 EDT! currentDate:6/17/11 8:25 EDT! allowComments:true! displayComments:false!Weigh InDiscussion PolicyAbout Discussions, Badges  

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badgesGet a badge Newest firstOldest firstMost Recommended first SuperFan

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

If your comments or those of another user measure up, please let Post editors know.

Get a badgeNominate someone for a badge Fact Checker

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

If your comments or those of another user measure up, please let Post editors know.

Get a badgeNominate someone for a badge Washingtologist

Washingtologists consistently post thought provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

If your comments or those of another user measure up, please let Post editors know.

Get a badgeNominate someone for a badge Post Writer

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum

Post Forum members consistently offer thought provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

If your comments or those of another user measure up, please let Post editors know.

Get a badgeNominate someone for a badge Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Sign in here

You must be logged in to recommend a comment.

Sign in here
Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers. + SHARE THIS DEBATEForeign PolicyNo Savior - By Nathan J. BrownTrouble in Khartoum - By Rebecca HamiltonThis Week at War: Moral Hazard at NATO - By Robert Haddick TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' right_rail_shell.jpt - start'); Network News Hide this

Most Popular Friends' Activity Most Popular Most Tweeted Twitter Activity

Most Popular Right Now

Your Friends’ Most Recent Activity

Follow The Post: Facebook Twitter View More Activity

Connect with the Post

facebook Icontwitter Iconrss Iconexcpoint Iconmobile Iconapple IconFacebook: Become a fan of Washington Post World

Facebook: Become a fan of Washington Post World

Twitter: Follow us on Twitter

RSS: Subscribe to our RSS feeds

Alerts: Sign up for news alerts

Mobile: Washington Post on the go

App Store: View our iPhone applications

The Post Most: WorldMost-viewed stories, videos and galleries int he past two hours

Most PopularAPNewsBreak: Britain bars UPS from screening air cargo at some centers due to securIn Yemen, a vice president in the hot seatIsrael warns it will stop Gaza aid flotillaVietnam works to detect unexploded ordnance, first phase of Agent Orange cleanup wiJapan struggles to attract touristsTop VideosAustralian newsman's Dalai Lama joke falls flatWomen in Saudi Arabia campaign for right to driveAngelina Jolie visits Syrian refugeesPolice blame Nigeria suicide bomb on Muslim sectNew finance man says Greece must be savedTop GalleriesJapan: After the quake and three months after the quakeConflict and chaos in LibyaRuins of Leptis MagnaOsama bin Laden killed in CIA operationIceland volcano activity upsets travel, global tradeTrove link goes herePost Newsletters & Alerts

Sign-up for e-mail newsletters and alerts and get the news you need delivered directly to your inbox.

 Politics News & AnalysisThe MostToday's Headlines & ColumnistsToday's OpinionsSee all Washington Post Newsletters

The Post's Foreign Bureaus

Mexico City

Bogota

London

Paris

Nairobi

Cairo

Baghdad

Jerusalem

Moscow

Kabul

Tehran

Islamabad

New Delhi

Beijing

Shanghai

Hong Kong

Tokyo

View all correspondents by bureau

Featured Advertiser LinksOil Spill, Mesothelioma Class Action, Femur Fracture, Navy Veterans, Asbestos News Center, Dross, Mesothelioma Symptoms>>Gas Drilling, Metal on Metal Hip, Mesothelioma Treatment, Yaz, Asbestos cancer, Knee loosening>>Join Pres. Obama. It's time to do it again.>>Are you in? Join Barack Obama's campaign now.>>Help Pres. Obama keep moving America forward.>>Join the 2012 campaign at BarackObama.com>>Looking to buy a home? Visit TWP Real Estate section for the latest open houses.>>Make Your Vanguard Investing More Profitable - Free Research Report Reveals Best & Worst Funds>>TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' right_rail_shell.jpt - end');TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' skeleton - end'); World Links

AfricaTheAmericasAsia &PacificEuropeMiddle EastNational Security War ZonesSpecial Reports Ways you can get us

Mobile Apps Newsletter & alerts RSS Post Store Facebook Photo Store Twitter Washington Post Live The Washington Post

About Us Work for us Community Relations PostPoints Corrections/Suggestions Archive Contact the Ombudsman Report a problem Web site

Make us your homepage Newspaper

Subscribe Home delivery service e-Replica Advertise

In the newspaper On the web site Mobile Events The Washington Post Company

Post Company web sites Partners Slate Who Runs Gov Express Night Out Captial Business El Tiempo Latino The Root Foreign Policy Trove Post Tickets Capitol Deal Service Alley Post Master Class WP Live ? 1996- The Washington Post User Agreement and Privacy Policy Rights and Permissions Help Contact Us Ad Choices TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' js/footer.jpt - footer start');TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' js/footer.jpt - footer done');TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' frameset - end');

View the original article here

No comments:

Post a Comment