Press TV)


BY JING ZHAO
 

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Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to ban women from driving.

Fourteen female U.S. senators have sent a letter to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, asking him to allow women to drive. Huffington Post excerpts part of the letter:

"As women members of the United States Senate, we write in support of the increasing number of Saudi women and men calling for the removal of the driving ban on women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. ... maintaining such a restriction stands in stark contrast with the commitments your government has made to promote the rights of Saudi women.”

The director of the Institute of Gulf Affairs, a Washington-based advocacy group, said this letter isn’t likely to have much affect. He told PressTV:

“The American policy makers have not so far in the past fifty years condemned Saudi Arabia for any violation or abuse of human rights…This is basically a very friendly letter. I think some of them have good intentions, yet this is not going to be enough… if this letter has no teeth, it will not make a difference.”

The letter comes out after a group of Saudi women launched a campaign for women to drive in defiance of the ban. Fox News reports:

“In May, authorities detained a 32-year-old Saudi woman, Manal al-Sherif, after she launched a campaign against the driving ban for women in the ultraconservative kingdom. She posted video of herself behind the wheel on Facebook and YouTube to encourage others to copy her.”

The campaign reflects some Saudi women’s view that they are too restricted and treated unfairly in Saudi society. One young Saudi woman told GlobalPost -- the ban is all about controlling women.

“My driver takes me someplace, and then my husband picks me and drives me home…I just want, for a few minutes, to be able to go somewhere that no one knows where I am. Men don’t want you to have that freedom. You can go somewhere and they don’t know where you are? It’s their worst nightmare.”

But there are voices of opposition. A writer for Arab News says comparing Saudi women to Western women ignores cultural differences. He -- yes, he -- says it’s wrong for American women to speak for Saudi women.

“They say they are respected not restricted. They feel safe and protected by law. The do not feel oppressed. They think they are properly taken care of. … What the Saudi women are saying to the world in general could be: You have no right to speak on our behalf.”


Transcript by Newsy.