Saudi Women Drive Without Arrests

A social media campaign kicked off in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, aimed at winning women the right to drive. Dozens of Saudi women have recorded and uploaded YouTube videos of themselves driving and, so far, no arrests have been made. This is a significant change from 1990 when the first such protest occurred and ended in many women being arrested and losing their jobs. One of the women who took part in that first protest, Dr. Madeha al Ajroush, posted a video of herself driving on Saturday and said, “It is now time for Saudi women to drive. I am ready. My daughter is ready. And society is ready.” Zaki Safar, a protest organizer, said activists believe that authorities are beginning to take a softer stance on the issue.