Aug 12 2008
Saudi Arabia’s Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was a brave black woman who refused an order by a bus driver to give her seat up to a white woman. No longer would she tolerate being treated as a second class citizen. This was one of many pivotal acts in the civil rights movement.
In Saudi Arabia, an unnamed 47 year old woman, has been arrested for driving a vehicle in the region of Qatif. The Saudi Religious Police (Yes, that is correct. The Religious Police) picked her up after agents from the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice saw her behind the wheel. She was later released on bail, and will stand trial at a later date.
It is argued that if women are permitted to drive it will lead to women mixing freely with men. This will lead to corruption and the destruction of family values.
On September 23, 2008, a group of civil rights activists will demand a woman’s right to drive be reinstated. This comes with great risks to them. The last protest held was in 1991. Those women were arrested by the Religious Police, and though later released, many were suspended for two years from their University Teaching Positions.
Will feminist around the world support them, or will they continue to ignore the horrid plight of these defenseless women?
