Saudi Arabia reinitiates #iwilldrivemyself campaign for women

Saudi Arabia reinitiates #iwilldrivemyself campaign for women
Saudi Arabia reinitiates #iwilldrivemyself campaign for women
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The News Minute | October 11, 2014 | 12:18 pm IST

Activists in Saudi Arabia are not taking no for an answer.

A country in which women are banned from getting behind the wheel, a campaign has been reinitiated to urge the Saudi government to “lift the ban” on women from driving.

Though the campaign has encouraged women to post pictures of themselves driving on Twitter, Instagram and Youtube, the campaign will hope to get as many signatures and responses by the culmination date, October 26. 

While the campaign has gathered over 2,500 signatures , the petition on oct26driving.com website where people can sign the petition reads “The issue is not that of simply a vehicle driven by a woman, but the acknowledgement and recognition of the humanity of half of society and the God-given rights of women. Since there is no single Islamic text or jurisprudential edict that prohibits women driving, and that current justification for any reluctance stems from traditions and customs that have no relation to religion.

The petition, however, goes on to take a more milder stand saying, "In the event that the government does not lift the ban on women driving, and does not provide justification for the continued refusal, we demand that it provides a mechanism to enable “society” to express what they want. We do not demand this as a means of the adopting a particular ideology or importing values from abroad. But we ask for this because we cannot find any justification for the government opposition to women driving their cars. The state is not a mother or father and citizens are not children or minors."

The website also includes an "honour wall" featuring 108 women who according to it have broken the no-driving rule in the country, said Gulf News. 

This is not the only segregation for Saudi women. Women in the country still require permission from their male guardian (for instance husband or father) to work and even marry. Even restaurants in the country are divided into two sections, one for family, and the other for single men.

Even though many Saudi Arabian women have risen through the ranks and occupy top positions there, they do not have the legal right to drive their own cars. 

A video put up by the october26driving.com website shows a Saudi Arabian women driving in Riyadh. 

On a lighter note, whether the Saudi government lifts the ban or not, one user had a different take on the issue.

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