Driving on facebook, Saudi woman detained

Saudi Arabian authorities have arrested a woman who campaigned against the ban on driving for his nation, as reported by AP, on Saturday (05/21/2011).

Together with a group of other women, Manal Al-Sharif to make a page up called "Teach me to drive so I can protect myself." To complement it, Al-Sharif upload their pictures behind the wheel at the top and the video was learning to drive through Youtube. "This is a volunteer campaign to help children in this country learn to drive. At least we can use it in emergencies," he said in the video. According to human rights activist, Walid Abou al-Kheir, Al-Sharif was detained by the Islamic police, but released several hours later.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that forbids women to drive a car. Rules that apply both to citizens of Saudi women and foreign women. The ban makes Saudi families employ a driver. Anyone who can not afford to hire a driver must rely on male family members to drive them to school, work, shop, and went into the kitchen. Campaigns that encourage Al-Sharif and his colleagues focused on the importance of driving ability for women, especially for poor families or in an emergency. Al-Sharif to the argument that women are driving closer to the temptation because it lets them mingle with strange men, like police and mechanics.

Indeed, the company al-Sharif, to be driving, women may avoid sexual harassment of drivers, also to maintain the honor. Through too much, they encouraged women to "bulk driving" on June 17. More than 12,000 people who open an account that provides support for this movement. To encourage his people, Al-Sharif shows you how to drive, while colleague recording the scene. When driving, Al-Sharif said that not all Saudi women to be "queen" that is able to hire a driver. Emphasizing, capable of driving can save lives, even the honor of women.

Al-Sharif said that learning to drive at age 30 when he was in New Hampshire, USA. "Sometimes we're embarrassed when I could not get a taxi to take us to the office," he said. He stressed that the movement was not to challenge the government or against the law. "We just want to live as citizens as a whole, with no shame attached to the driver every day We're just. Want to get the simplest of our rights."