Free Republic

Every woman in Saudi Arabia, regardless of age, has a legal male guardian, often a father or brother or son. Guardians have the power to make a range of critical decisions on a woman's behalf. Women need to get their permission to travel abroad, marry and sometimes to work or access health care. ... The guardianship system is "the most significant impediment to realizing women's rights in the country. ... Throughout the summer Saudi women began tweeting, detailing the injustices of the guardianship system -- risking the wrath of their guardians and the government in doing so. They got noticed....

only women over 30 would be allowed to drive and they would need permission from a male relative — usually a husband or father, but lacking those, a brother or son. They would be allowed to drive from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday through Wednesday and noon to 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. It wasn’t immediately clear why the restrictions would be different Thursday and Friday ... The conditions would also require that a woman driver wear conservative dress and no makeup, the official said. Within cities, they can drive without a male relative in the car,...

A campaign has been launched on Facebook calling for men to beat Saudi women who drive their cars in a planned protest next month against the ultra-conservative kingdom's ban on women taking the wheel. The call comes as activists are demanding the release of Manal al-Sharif, a Saudi woman who was jailed for defying the ban. The page, titled "The Iqal Campaign: June 17 for preventing women from driving," refers to the Arabic name for the cord used to hold on the traditional headdress worn by many men in the Gulf, advocating the cord be used to hit women who...

Year after year, the 42-year-old Saudi surgeon remains single, against her will. Her father keeps turning down marriage proposals, and her hefty salary keeps going directly to his bank account. The surgeon in the holy city of Medina knows her father, also her male guardian, is violating Islamic law by forcibly keeping her single, a practice known as "adhl."... The backlash comes as Saudi Arabia has just secured a seat on the governing board of the new United Nations Women's Rights Council — a move many activists have decried because of the desert kingdom's poor record on treatment of women....

RIYADH (Reuters) - Sitting in the reception area of a Saudi newspaper office, we do nothing more damning than talk about the weather and the local press. The security guards eye us suspiciously -- so much so that I avoid crossing my legs to escape the impression of being overly casual with my female interlocutor. In almost any other country it would be a routine exchange. In Saudi Arabia, a public meeting like this between a man and a woman could ruin her reputation and besmirch a family's honor. The young woman explains in almost a whisper that we are...

JEDDAH, 15 October 2005 — Saudi women yesterday applauded the statement by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah that they would be permitted to drive someday. Women then called for a dialogue to convince opponents of women driving to change their misconceptions. In an interview with ABC News broadcast yesterday, King Abdullah told veteran reporter Barbara Walters that the issue required patience, and he would not impose it against the will of the people, issuing a royal decree. He noted that women drive on the Kingdom’s deserts and in rural areas. “I believe strongly in the rights...

Saudi Women Must be Allowed to Vote and Run for Office On February 10, 2005 Saudi Arabia will hold its first ever municipal elections. The anticipated election is part of a drive to introduce political reforms in Saudi Arabia. You probably haven't heard as much about the upcoming elections in Saudi Arabia as you did about elections in Iraq and Palestine. However, these elections are a big deal in a kingdom where democracy is not practiced at any level of society. Even more promising than having elections, at one point the government of Saudi Arabia suggested that women may be...

Why Women Should Not Vote -And, if a single woman should win an election, that would mean the government would have to construct a separate building for her. - Then of course the problem still exists of finding women who are willing to work in village or small towns. If the women are willing then they would need male escorts to stay with them there, in addition of course to finding male drivers since women are not allowed to drive here. -Those who have been following the Arab News will know that the council of ministers had called for more...

Very few first-person accounts have emerged from behind the Saudi veil. For good reason: The rare Saudi woman not stifled into submission would risk severe punishment for speaking out. This is the importance of "Inside the Kingdom," by Carmen bin Ladin. Don't be put off by the author's last name.