May 17th, 2011

On June 17 women across Saudi Arabia will get in their car and drive, which in that country is currently against the law. A group of women who call themselves Women2Drive launched the campaign to get women to take to the streets in protest. They are utilizing social media to spread their message which has reverberated around the globe. They have set up a Facebook event page, which has over 11,000 “attending”, and a Twitter account, which has nearly 4,000 followers.

We have written before about how women are driving in the desert communities in Saudi Arabia however driving is still forbidden in the cities.

Recently, Najla al-Hariri, who has a driver’s license from Egypt and Lebanon, decided to protest the driving ban in her country by driving her car over 4 straight days, during which she was never stopped by authorities. What was al-Hairi’s reason for protesting—her daughter.  “I don’t fear being arrested because I am setting an example that my daughter and her friends are proud of.” Al-Hairi who is a mother of five children says she has the support of her children, friends and her husband. She also told reporters she would be offering driving lessons for women.

We have been writing about the driving ban in Saudi Arabia since we began over a year ago. Saudi Arabia is the last country where women cannot drive. We predict that very shortly the driving will be lifted. While the current climate in the region will create a more favorable environment for equal rights we believe the main reason women will soon be able to drive legally is because of women. Women in Saudi Arabia have staged protest after protest. They have made their voices heard. They have demanded equal rights.

Women2Drive, we support you and stand with you on June 17. We look forward to the day when all women across the globe will be able to drive a car and ultimately drive their own lives. We believe that day will be soon.