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'End of virginity' if women drive,
Saudi cleric warns
By Sebastian Usher BBC News
Saudi Arabia remains one of the few
countries in the world to prevent
women from driving A report in Saudi Arabia has warned
that if Saudi women were given the
right to drive, it would spell the end
of virginity in the country. The report was prepared for Saudi
Arabia's legislative assembly, the
Shura Council, by a well-known
conservative academic. Though there is no formal ban on
women driving in Saudi Arabia, if they
get behind the wheel, they can be
arrested. Saudi women have mounted several
campaigns to try to overturn the ban. Aside from the practical difficulties it
creates, they say it is also illogical as in
trying to keep them under family
control and away from men, it actually
puts them in daily contact with a male
driver. The issue has received huge
international attention. Some Saudi women feel it has attracted
too much interest, obscuring other
equally important issues. As part of his careful reform process,
King Abdullah has allowed
suggestions to surface that the ban
might be reviewed. This has angered the conservative
religious elite - a key power base for
any Saudi ruler. Now, one of their number - well-
known academic Kamal Subhi - has
presented a new report to the
country's legislative assembly, the
Shura. The aim was to get it to drop plans to
reconsider the ban. The report contains graphic warnings
that letting women drive would
increase prostitution, pornography,
homosexuality and divorce. A Saudi woman who has campaigned
for women drivers told the BBC that
the report was completely mad. She said the head of the Shura had
assured women campaigners that he
was still open to hearing the case for
lifting the ban BBC News - 'End of virginity' if women drive, Saudi cleric warns
Saudi cleric warns
By Sebastian Usher BBC News
Saudi Arabia remains one of the few
countries in the world to prevent
women from driving A report in Saudi Arabia has warned
that if Saudi women were given the
right to drive, it would spell the end
of virginity in the country. The report was prepared for Saudi
Arabia's legislative assembly, the
Shura Council, by a well-known
conservative academic. Though there is no formal ban on
women driving in Saudi Arabia, if they
get behind the wheel, they can be
arrested. Saudi women have mounted several
campaigns to try to overturn the ban. Aside from the practical difficulties it
creates, they say it is also illogical as in
trying to keep them under family
control and away from men, it actually
puts them in daily contact with a male
driver. The issue has received huge
international attention. Some Saudi women feel it has attracted
too much interest, obscuring other
equally important issues. As part of his careful reform process,
King Abdullah has allowed
suggestions to surface that the ban
might be reviewed. This has angered the conservative
religious elite - a key power base for
any Saudi ruler. Now, one of their number - well-
known academic Kamal Subhi - has
presented a new report to the
country's legislative assembly, the
Shura. The aim was to get it to drop plans to
reconsider the ban. The report contains graphic warnings
that letting women drive would
increase prostitution, pornography,
homosexuality and divorce. A Saudi woman who has campaigned
for women drivers told the BBC that
the report was completely mad. She said the head of the Shura had
assured women campaigners that he
was still open to hearing the case for
lifting the ban BBC News - 'End of virginity' if women drive, Saudi cleric warns
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