Saudi Women Explore Freedom To Drive In Bahrain

Washington, D.C. (THE MEDIA LINE) - While Saudi Arabian woman are not allowed to obtain a drivers license in their native country many are enjoying the freedom of driving in neighboring Bahrain, the Saudi newspaper ArabNews reports.

According to the paper, a growing number of Saudi women are now studying, working or living in Bahrain and an increasing number of them are now getting a drivers license. Some 1,354 Saudi women acquired driving licenses in 2008 after passing the test.

Women are not allowed to drive by law for religious reasons, on the grounds that it would expose them to unfamiliar men on the roads and endanger the strict separation between men and women in the kingdom.

The struggle for women to drive started in 1990 when 47 women challenged the authorities by taking their families' cars out for a drive, which resulted in them, being jailed for one day and their passports confiscated, and many lost their jobs.

In more recent years some women have chosen to post videos of them driving on video-sharing sites on the Internet.

In addition to the individual protests, there is a growing movement in Saudi Arabia pushing for the right for women to drive, for example the Society for Protecting Women's Rights, which also aims to improve conditions for women in Saudi Arabia.

Apart from the driving campaign, the organization is also fighting for women to be given more freedom, especially in matters concerning marriage, divorce and custody over children.