An insight into Saudi repression of women – the driving ban

An insight into Saudi repression of women in these past few days. The courageous Manal al-Sharif who is trying to win the unbelievably denied right to drive a car, has been locked up in the eastern city of Dammam for driving in public, twice.

Needless to say, in common with others getting behind the Arab Spring, Ms Sharif established a Facebook page securing some 12,000 supporters before the spooks that pepper Saudi society caught it and closed it down. She outwitted them on Twitter too before they moved against that too.

Now she is in jail for doing what? Yes you read it right, getting behind the wheel of a car and, as a woman, driving the thing. Neither the Prophet, not the Koran say anything about women driving, nor indeed about the suppression of women..according to my friendly North London Imam. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women from driving..of course it militates against women in many other ways too.

Ms Sharif and others decided to take to the roads in May and the Saudi media have even had a number articles about women driving their kids to school and the rest.

These are our allies. This is the Arab state that is our bulwark against Iran, for example. Is it only oil that conditions the UK’s lack of criticism of the Saudi regime, or is it the still vast defence contracts with the Saudis upon which so many thousand of British workers depend? Amid the clamour for rights and democracy in the region, is it such a great idea to be so totally dependent upon such a situation?