Saudi women fight government for right to drive

Dubai, Sep 18 (UNI) A newly-formed women's right group is to take on the Saudi Government on the issue of right to drive.

'The Society for Protecting and Defending Women's Rights' would present the petition the government on the anniversary of the Kingdom's unification, Saudi daily Arab News reported.

The petition stated,''We demand that the right of women to drive is given back to us,'' quoted the newspaper, adding that this right, of utilising the means of transport, was enjoyed by the earlier generations in complete freedom.

The group posted the petition on numerous websites and circulated it via email, and was asking people from across the world to sign it.

The petition is the first action taken by the group, founded by human rights activist Fawzeyah Al-Oyouni, along with poet and human rights activist Wajeha Al-Huwaidar, social worker Haifa Osrah and others.

''Women are in urgent need of driving, which has become a daily need,'' Ms Oyouni said, quoted Arab News.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah had earlier termed the issue as apolitical and social, saying that the government did not object to women driving.

Last year, the government had said the decision to ban women from driving was societal and not based on any law.

The ban comes from a strict interpretation of a woman's need to be with a legal guardian in public.

UNI