This is an excerpt from a blog I wrote for the Independent.  Click the link to read the rest:
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The women of Saudi Arabia are again challenging the ban that prevents them from obtaining driver’s license. Over the weekend approximately 50 women around the Gulf nation took to the wheel, some making videos of themselves and posting them on YouTube.

Last month seven women were arrested for driving, including Manal al-Sharif who was held for 10 days and forced to sign a pledge not to drive before being released. This time around, the Saudi police seemed to be adopting a policy of studious ignorance, though there were a few reports of tickets being issued for driving without a licence. (Since women cannot obtain driving licenses in Saudi Arabia, most were relying on foreign or international driver’s licenses if challenged.) There has been speculation that King Abdullah instructed police not to intervene.

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