Saudi women have tried to repeal the ban on driving in the nineties with no success, leading some people to wonder if this time is any different. People wonder if these 'conservative' Saudi women will continue to drive in the face of arrest or persecution. Although some Saudi women have already proven their commitment to the cause, many observers wonder if these women represent the minority and not the majority of Saudi women. But this time its different, Saudi women and their male relatives are much more supportive of lifting the ban than they were in the nineties.
Saudi women are set to drive on June 17, 2011, yet some women have begun to defy the ban already. One such woman is Najla Al-Hariri who has been driving for four days in Jeddah without being stopped, once again, this time its different.
The Twitter page @Women2Drive has posted an open letter to the King of Saudi Arabia asking him to lift the ban on driving for women. The government of Saudi Arabia is well aware of the wave of change spreading through the region, and they would be naive to assume that the Arab Spring will not pass through Saudi in some shape or form.
The Arab Spring broke down the wall of fear and despair that many Arabs had grown used to facing. Now that hope and courage have replaced fear and despair, Saudi women have a greater change of getting one step closer to equality, because this time its different.
Oh, finally. I've never been to Saudi but it's retarded to allow 13 year old boys to drive but not grown women. Hope they get the ban lifted.
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