Interior minister Prince Nayef concluded in an interview that women may be given the right to vote, but will most likely be denied the right to drive.
"Women have the right to own a car or anything else. But driving a car in our desert regions, where distances are large between one district and another, would expose women's lives to danger, and this we cannot accept," he said.Powerful religious scholars fear driving would encourage women to mix with men outside their family. The ban is enforced in cities and on main roads, where women rely on non-Saudi chauffeurs, but reports say it is sometimes flouted.
"We need to secure more important rights for Saudi women, such as the right to vote ... We will look into the possibility of women participating in next municipal elections," Prince Nayef said. Saudi Arabia last year held elections for half the seats in local councils after calls for political reform at home and abroad. Women were barred from voting or standing for office but officials have said they could take part in future polls.
"Need to look into the possiblity", doesn't sound very hopeful. Funny the state most closely aligned with the United States, is also one of the MOST fucked up. Prince Nayef's approval is needed to pass any of these laws. Now perhaps, it is dangerous is some places for women to be on the road, but I don't think keeping women off the road is going to solve that. Maybe asking Saudi women what rights they think are important might not hurt.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Saudi women may get the vote, but will not be driving to the election..
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/4320
Oh jeebus. If they're so concerned about women's safety, how about locking up the domestic abusers, hmm? Or how about gun control for men? I'd love to see a law that gives women the right to carry but makes men jump through hoops, all in the name of "women's safety" -- see how they like it if that means *their* rights are diminished for this greater good.
I'm suprised Saudi Arabia has any voting, actually--I was under the impression that they were still an absolute monarchy.
But the sole reason we're at war is to make sure Afghan girls can go to school.
I wish I knew where to look on the internet for them, but I have seen interviews with Saudi women where they talk about not understanding American women. Why wouldn't we want to be treated like princesses and be driven and taken care of???
BRAINWASHING. Scary shit.
I'll take my chances on driving myself to class...
My grandfather used to be a chauffeur in Saudi Arabia, and he drove this one woman around who would take off her burka and tell him to get out of the driver's seat when they crossed the border into Bahrain. I'd like to think there's a shitload of Saudi women like that.
While Suaid women should oviously have the right to both vote and drive, I must say if I had to pick one for them to work on first it would be the former. After all, that's the bast way to "ask" women what they think - give them the power to put their will into law, just like everyone else.
I am curious, however, how long they expect the drving ban to last once Saudi women can vote - especially if it's not widely adherred to.