Saudi Women Defy Driving Ban

Saudi women take the wheel in defiance of the kingdom's driving ban, while men and children are seen flashing thumbs-up signs in a show of support

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As a campaign to defy Saudi Arabia’s driving ban on women heats up, one leading female blogger flouted the conservative kingdom’s restrictions and documented it on Twitter and YouTube.

The blogger, Eman al-Nafjan, who has been calling on Saudi women to upload videos of themselves driving in different parts of the kingdom, is seen filming another woman driving in Riyadh, the capital. The blogger was later stopped by police and detained.

In the video, a woman wearing a burqa is seen driving around the streets of Riyadh. The clip also shows men supporting the women’s cause, as they flash thumbs-up signs to a woman behind the wheel.

This is not the first time that female activists have tried to use YouTube clips of themselves driving to make the point that there is nothing dangerous or immoral about Saudi women sitting behind the wheel. On International Women’s Day in 2008, activist Wajeha al-Huwaider uploaded a video of herself driving.

As a campaign to defy Saudi Arabia’s driving ban on women heats up, one leading female blogger flouted the conservative kingdom’s restrictions and documented it on Twitter and YouTube.

The blogger, Eman al-Nafjan, who has been calling on Saudi women to upload videos of themselves driving in different parts of the kingdom, is seen filming another woman driving in Riyadh, the capital. The blogger was later stopped by police and detained.

In the video, a woman wearing a burqa is seen driving around the streets of Riyadh. The clip also shows men supporting the women’s cause, as they flash thumbs-up signs to a woman behind the wheel.

This is not the first time that female activists have tried to use YouTube clips of themselves driving to make the point that there is nothing dangerous or immoral about Saudi women sitting behind the wheel. On International Women’s Day in 2008, activist Wajeha al-Huwaider uploaded a video of herself driving.