“Saudi Arabia's Freedom Riders”
Neil MacFarquhar
Saudi Arabia
Upfront Magazine, October 24, 2011
Use the article provided to you in class or the link below to access this site. In addition to the article, several questions and writing prompts are also listed at the bottom of the article. I have also posted several addition questions from another source underneath the link.
Saudi Arabia's Freedom Riders
Why is the right to drive so important to the women who are protesting? How could it transform their lives?
Why do you think Saudi leaders have refused to grant women driver’s licenses?
Do you think granting women the right to drive would ultimately lead to the lifting of other restrictions? Why or why not?
ESSAY
The article describes many restrictions on women rights in Saudi Arabia. Which restriction do you think has the greatest impact on women lives? Why? Write an essay explaining your view.
I think that women in Saudi Arabia should be able to drive. This could eventually lead to lifting of other restriction. More women will realize that with some protesting the royal family will have to lift the restrictions. With this driving right, women will beggen to feel freedoms they haven't been able to experiance.
ReplyDeleteLifting of other restrictions? What other things are they restricted from?
DeleteI think that the Saudi Arabia leaders are afraid of what other rights women might want. I think that the King Abdullah tried to avoid giving them what they asked for because he wanted to prove that he was still in charge and could handle the situation, but at the same time wanted to give them something to try to placate them.
ReplyDeletewhat did he give them to placate them?
DeleteBeing able to drive would change so much for all of the women in Saudi Arabia. Being able to drive is a huge deal to them. Women don’t have many rights, including not being able to drive. They must be driven everywhere by a man. By allowing them to drive they will have more freedom that could lead to even more changes. This could also be a reason why they refused to give them this right. If they do more changes could occur that would in a way go against the country of Saudi Arabia and how it has been for so long.
ReplyDeleteHow would this privilege change so much for the women in Saudi Arabia? Please clarify.
DeleteThis privilege would change so much for women in Saudi Arabia because they would be able to have freedom that they didn't have before. After seeing rights that other women have by the internet they are starting to want some of those rights to.
DeleteI agree that giving women the right to drive would change things. Even though we think it might end up well, it won't because of the history of the religion. Islam is really strict and I agree that women driving will lead to an even bigger problem. It's a complex situation giving women rights.
DeleteWell Libby, I disagree. I believe that giving women the right to vote will be a step forward. I think the leaders of Saudi Arabia will start trusting women more. Therefore leading to more freedom and equality for women. Your Sex should not determine your rights. Someone should tell the leaders of Saudi Arabia that!!!!!
DeleteIf the women in Saudi Arabia were granted the right to drive then it might change how women are treated. Also making a step towards equalizing the freedom and rights of women, including a step closer to becoming a developed country.
ReplyDeleteExplain how being able to drive would cause a country to move towards a developed status.
DeleteI think women in Saudi Arabia think that driving is a big deal even though they aren't allowed to do it. The women are rebelling against this because they don't want to drive everywhere but just to be able to have the right to do it.
ReplyDeleteIt's not right to the women of the Islamic religion to have to be so submissive to men. The fact that they are not allowed to drive or basically do anything without a man's permission is degrading. Women are not allowed to be independent and do anything for themselves. They're controlled and watched by many just because of their gender. Just because they're female does not make them unequal to men.
ReplyDeleteGood job Libby! This completely makes the look of Islam "degrading". Women are just as capable of succeeding as men.
DeleteIn Saudi Arabia the men have it easy. On the other side the women are treated like animals.Women's rights are severly restricted in matters of where they can't even drive!This is just one the many restrictions they have.Women also are not allowed to date,they must wear abayas when their adults,and they eat in certain area's of a resteraunt.These restrictions are part of the country's conservative interperstion of Islam.Even though the women try to fight against it,it is just making things worse.
ReplyDeletegood use of article's info!
DeleteMen in Saudi Arabia have all the power; whether it be relationships, voting, or even driving. Women in Saudi Arabia have extremely limited rights, including the right to drive, which was recently protested by forty- some odd women. It isn't even about the driving per say. Women don't necessarily want to drive, it's the principle of the thing, wanting that right and more and to not be treated as inferior to men. And what's more, they shouldn't be. Women aren't animals to be caged up at home and looked at, they're humans too, and just as capable as anyone else. (coming from the perspective of a female of course)
ReplyDeleteCouldn't say any better Mary Kate, i loved your point about we are all equal because we are all human!
DeleteI think the women are mainly protesting because they want more rights. Not because they want to drive. Instead they want to know they are allowed to drive if they want to. However the leaders most likely wont allow that. If they succeed then the women are most likely going to fight for everything else they want. Then this would cause the leaders to get even more angry. They might even become even more strict.
ReplyDeleteWomen have limited reasons, almost close to none, in Saudi Arabia. Men following the Islamic religion run practically everything. Women being lashed because they're driving? The beating at that point is just unnecessary, it's not even about driving illegally at that point, it's really just about these Women wanting to be less limited and having some kind of fare right. Women are just as capable of being successful as are men.
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about what Saudi Arabian women must go through, not having rights that men do. The women in Saudi Arabia have strict restrictions and aren't even allowed to drive, because of this they have started the Act of Defiance. Another restriction: Saudi Arabian girls aren't allowed to date, nor be friends with boys. Even worse, their marriages are arranged. The women in the middle east also have to get written permission from a male relative before they can get a job, leave the country, or even have surgery.
ReplyDeleteGood additional use of information from the article. Many of the posts are becoming repetitive.
DeleteThis article talks about what Saudi Arabian women must go through, not having rights that men do. The women in Saudi Arabia have strict restrictions and aren't even allowed to drive, because of this they have started the Act of Defiance. Another restriction: Saudi Arabian girls aren't allowed to date, nor be friends with boys. Even worse, their marriages are arranged. The women in the middle east also have to get written permission from a male relative before they can get a job, leave the country, or even have surgery.
ReplyDeleteI think the women of Saudi Arabia should by all means, be granted the right to drive! It is such a simple, easy task here in America but to the women of Saudi Arabia, it would have so much meaning and flourish the possibilities for them! Not to mention the fact that if the women could drive, they could most definitely remove themselves from a potentially life threatening situation, just by the turn of a key! The men of Saudi Arabia need to realize that women are just as important as them, and that taking advantage of them, just makes them look worse in everyone else's eyes.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you Erin! It's sad how some rights women have here and don't think twice about, are some of the same rights women in Saudi Arabia are fighting for. We can just get into a car and drive as soon as you get a license, there they have to have a male escort and go places when the males of the family feel like it. I think what the women of Saudi Arabia are doing is very brave and inspiring to women in the same condition everywhere.
DeleteIn Saudi Arabia is the worst in the laws against women I mean you can't even look at a women without some punishment. That is crazy that people are trying to control who you even talk to! Everything women do has to be watched by a male of their family, and they wear dresses that cover everything but their eyes. I mean honestly for me i would die of a heat stroke in 5 minutes of wearing that thing. Latly women in north Africa are fighting for their rights encourging others in Saudi Arabia to do the same. To get some kind of 'peace' from the women's plead for rights they give them a useless right to vote when theres nothing to really vote for. These women(about 40 some) who try to make a change so they can drive by getting behind the wheel and drive around cities and get punished, I have major respect for. I mean I'm complaining because I have not gotton my permitt yet when they can only dream of the chance to. In overall these women live with disrespect, beaten by their husbands and their families, killed for freedom, and sold as a bride at least 8.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, but then again, I have to disagree. The abuse of women is just part of their culture. I believe your opinion is true, but there were a few errors throughout your response. You are basing the rightness or wrongness of Iran's rights based on your own opinion of how you would want things to be. Not to mention the spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Besides them, I would still agree with what you are saying. Good job.
DeleteThe women in Saudi Arabia's Freedom Riders are doing the right thing. They are a group of women that believe they and other women in their country should be aloud to drive. The women think that if they can convince thier governmment to allow women to drive they can also convince them to lift other restrictions on women's rights in Saudi Arabia. Some of the other restrictions on women are more servier than not being able to drive ,such as being forced into marriage at young ages, not being able to voice their own opinions, or being able to get jobs at a work place that employes men. If women of the Middle East can protest enough to be aloud to drive they can most likely be able to have their government lift the more servier restrictions on women in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, but I think you should have gave more information about what happened to women in this campaign. And you should have said what King Abdullah did, because of the women's rebellion.
DeleteI like!
DeleteSaudi Arabia's Freedom Riders
ReplyDeleteIn the article Saudi Arabia's Freedom Riders, it show how women in Saudi Arabia have many limitations and restrictions. There are even restrictions about women driving. Isn't that something?
A women named Maha al-Qahtani did something so revolutionary in Arabia! She drove her car in the capital city Riyadh. You see in Saudi Arabia it's restricted for women to drive cars, and if they get caught they can get tickets, jail time, or even lashings (whippings).
Her rebelliousness started a countrywide "Ride-to-Drive" campaign, that had mare then 40 women start to drive in Saudi Arabia, for there cause. Some women got caught and punished, but at the end it was worth it because, King Abdullah gave women the right to vote and run in municipal election's, but not to drive.
Something like this might not be that big in the U.S.A, because women drive every day in the U.S.A, and some people might just see it as how is driving revolutionary. But you see in Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, women are appressed they have so many restrictions and limitations, they're practically treated like toddlers. "Grown Women" being treated like toddlers by men and the goverment. And something like breaking a restriction like that can light a spark, then start a fire, in this case a revolution. So if your a girl and you think you got it bad, read this passage again and just see how bad you got it, including boy's.
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DeleteThe women of Saudi Arabia aren't allowed the basic rights of those here in the US. One of those is the right to drive. It's something as simple as getting from point A to point B, but even this little thing is causing a great controversy. Women have to wait until their husbands or another (male) member of their family is ready, or has time, to drive them somewhere. This controls basically every aspect of their lives. Whether or not they have fresh food for their dinners, or anything else they need for their day depends on whether or not someone has the time and wants to drive them around.
ReplyDeleteI think that Saudi leaders refuse to grant women driver's licenses because it's just another way to control where they are, when they're there, and how long they get to stay. It's keeping them below the men, inferior to them. It's also a way to assure they can't leave the country without consent from their husbands.
Do you think granting women the right to drive would ultimately lead to the lifting of other restrictions? Why or why not? I think that even if Saudi Arabian women were granted the right to drive, other restrictions wouldn't be lifted. Their culture is about the man being superior to the women. If their restrictions were to be lifted, that would make them equal to men.
Something as simple as driving around town could earn you an arrest and who knows what else. If that's not food for thought, I don't know what is.
Madison Hines
I agree with you completely, especially with the lifting restrictions would make the women equal to men. I believe that thats a huge reason there is not change because one change could make domino effect. It would change everything and the men are afraid.
Deleteright! Also, if they can learn to drive, then they could start trying to DRIVE away for an exscape instead of having to depend on others.
ReplyDeleteThe right to drive is practically an act of defiance to the women of Saudi Arabia. The right ability to drive could save their lives. The women in the Right-to-Drive movement are brave and what they're fighting for is right. What is the reason behind putting a woman in jail for driving? The women of Saudi Arabia are not alone in this. Many others around the world support them in the they're battle to become "freedom riders ".
ReplyDeleteDating, driving, and equality is something all American women take for granted. Women in Saudi Arabia have none of these rights. They can't date, heck they can't even be friends with a boy, usually they meet their husband on the day they get engaged. How you might ask, because they are arranged marriages. To keep women from mingling with men ever thing is basically segregated.There are even special "family" areas in restaurants, women-only malls, gyms, stores, even school is segregated. Even if the Women of Saudi Arabia get an education it is highly unlikely they will use it, because keeping a work area segregated is too difficult.
ReplyDeleteDriving is also something that has been denied. Women throughout the country have started a right-to-drive campaign. These women go and drive on the streets. Some are arrested, like Al Khobar who was jailed for nine days. She was caught when she had posted herself driving on youtube. This only added more flames to the fire. Social media was soon used to gain support and spread the protest.
To do anything women need permission from a male member of the family.
You might think this is crazy, but it is a mans world there. Even giving women the right to drive is a threat. The reason for his is that if they grant this one right women will protest for more. The Government will have to give in and give them rights. This would change the face of Saudi Arabia to look more like the U.S. The biggest thing is men would lose power, and they do not want that.
In many Middle Eastern countries, women are denied many rights, such as the rights to pick who they marry, to get a job without permission from their family, and to drive. In 2011 a little over 40 women drove in Riyadh in protest of this inequality. Usually social reform like this takes a long time, just look at how long it took for women to get rights in the United States. Hopefully however, through social media I believe that these changes will speed up. If news of protests can be spread to other opressed women, then it could start a chain reaction where they would protest and it would be seen by others who might protest and so on.
ReplyDeleteThe right to drive is a symbol of freedom. If you have to have someone take you somewhere then it seriouslsy undermines your free will to do what you want. Being able to drive would allow women to go where they want when they want without fear of the consequences. If you were on fire would you settle for a single drop of water? This is a good analogy of what would happen if they won the right to drive, it would make the women want even more freedoms, which would continue until they are legally equals of men.
In countries like Saudi Arabia, men have so many rights and so much power over the women who are treated like pets or propery. The many laws limiting their freedom are ridiculous and not to mention, sexist. I think they did this just to prove what they are really capable of and the price they are willing to get their freedom.
ReplyDeleteI think if the law of women not being able to drive is banished many other countries would follow suit and do the same Other laws against women's rights would most likely be lifted as well. It would most likely happen like a long drawn out domino efect, law by law women would gain the freedom the deserve. But the likeliness of the law of them not being able to drive getting lifted or banished is probably very unlikely.
Here in America, getting your driver's license is a very exciting thing to experience. Most teenagers are driving by the time they are 16, but Saudi Arabia's women will never be able to legally touch a steering wheel. Most women in America take that privilege for granted. Driving is an issue of freedom, and Saudi women do not have it. I think that it is extremely degrading for women to have to constantly ask men for permission to go somewhere. I hope that this is a right and a freedom that can come soon to Saudi women.
ReplyDeleteSaudi Arabia has way to many laws and restrictions on women. They can't drive, they can't date or even talk to boys, and even if they try to change it they will get beat down or killed. I just don't get it. I mean, i kind of get the driving law because the women would probably try to escape in them but not getting to date or even talk to guys, whats up with that? It says that Women are treated like minors in Saudi Arabia, thats crazy. I don't know how America could be allies with Saudi Arabia.
ReplyDeleteAlright now this is crazy! I mean it might just be the way I was raised, but i don't get that there is no freedom for any women. To me King Abdullah is just scared that so many women are going over rule his so called "Society" and make him look weak. To me this was a good way for the women of Saudi Arabia to send out a message and let the king know whats up! This is getting way out of control.
ReplyDeleteThe women of Saudi Arabia have begun to lead a revolution to gain basic rights. The "Freedom Riders" are just one of the revolutionary groups fighting for women's rights. I believe that if the Freedom Rider succeed at securing the right to drive, that more and more women will begin to rebel in various ways. Just as the Arab Spring inspired the Freedom Rider, the Freedom Riders will inspire many other rebellions for women's rights. The success of the Freedom Riders will not only affect the right to drive, but will affect many other causes as well, inspiring them to fight back and push for a better future for Saudi women.
ReplyDeleteWomen in the Middle East should be given the right to drive. I believe the reason for not letting them is becuase their affraid women might start asking for other things and that their traditions might change. Some women are starting to see that they need a change and some are stepping forward and willing to take action. I truly believe women deserve to have their own freedom.
ReplyDeleteIn Saudi Arabia women should be given the right to drive. I belive that if women were able to drive they would be more respected. I think that Saudi Arabia wont allow it because then if they are given the privallge to drive then might go on asking for more freedom. Some women are fighting for this right and wont back down until they are given the right to drive. I also belive that other restictions will be lifted such as getting the right to do things when they want.
ReplyDeleteSaudi Arabia's women have many restrictions in their lives that many women all over the world just take for granted. From dating to driving yet all of these rules have to do with their religion and culture. the Islamic believe that women do not hold as many rights as men. Women are not allowed to date and drive a car! Many women are fighting back through the influence of social media. They see women in Egypt rebelling and they feel that they can change in Saudi Arabia too. I agree with the women fighting back everyone should have rights and that it shouldn't matter what gender you are.
ReplyDeleteThe right to drive isn't just about getting from place to place to these Saudi Arabian women. It's more about freedom, which most of them haven't experienced. Being able to get in a car and go without having to ask your husband or father for permission would greatly impact their lives. The leaders in Saudi Arabia have denied this right for so long because giving women the right to drive will lead to even more women's rights, and in the Islamic religion, the men are supposed to make decisions and be the boss, and women are expected to submit. Granting this right could ultimately lead to the end of male dominance, and the Saudi leaders just won't let that happen. Out of all the meaningless and unnecessary restrictions on women, I thing the right to drive impacts women's lives the most because being able to travel leads to independence.
ReplyDeleteSpot on. Allowing women one small right could easily cause a domino effect in their society, eventually giving women something close to equality, which Muslim males don't want.
DeleteThe "Freedom RIders" are rebelling against the strict laws that they believe aren't fair. By doing this they are proving to other women that it is possible for them to have some freedoms. If they keep rebelling, then the government and religious leaders may be forced to give women basic rights. This will hopefully give future generations a chance for more freedoms, like being able to fall in love without being persecuted.
ReplyDeleteThere are few cars in Saudi Arabia, but to the women its like having no cars because they have to ask permission to go anywhere and most of the time the husbands say no because they feel that there wife might try to escape. Other than trying to please there husbands 99% of women want to escape because they are being beat by there husbands. I know if I were treated that way than all i would want to do is escape.
ReplyDeleteI'm really getting annoyed of all these senseless laws. Women can not drive!? Why? what is the reason behind this? I really, can not think of one reason behind all this! The reason "Freedom Riders" are doing this in the first place, is to prove that rights in Saudi Arabia are absolutely insane, and that they should be treated as equal as men! Maybe if Saudi Arabia didn't have all these unfair and crazy laws against women, they wouldn't have near as many women revolting against the laws! Thats all the women want, is to be able to prove, that they should be, treated equal.
ReplyDeleteThe women in Saudi Arabia are very restriced from doing things. They don't have any rights and they are not treated equally to men. Women are not allowed to drive and if they are caught they could be arrested or ticketed. Arrests have encouraged more women to get behind the wheel just to stand up against this ridiculous ban on driving. Maha al-Quahtani started a campaign that included more than 40 women that are protesting against not being able to drive. I think its brave what they are doing. I hope that soon the ban will be eliminated.
ReplyDeleteImagine if almost everything you did you had to get written permission for! That is what these Saudi Women have to go through! "They need written permission from a male relative before they can get a job, leave the country, travel within the country, or even undergo a medical procedure." These women do not have rights! But, yet they still fight for even the most basic rights! These women risk jail, arrest, flogging, and more all for the basic right to drive a car. These Saudi Women truly are brave and deserve the World's support so they can get even there most basic rights.
ReplyDeleteWhat the Heck!!! The women in Saudi Arabia are not even allowed to drive?! If i was a woman there I would make my husband sign a permission slip for me to drive or something like that! Or if i was a man there i would let my wife drive because thats bull crap! Everyone no matter the sex should have the same rights by law! But thats not the case in Saudi Arabia! The women there feel like they should be able to drive so they can get around easier and feel like they have some control over there own lives instead of there husbands telling them what they can or cannot do! For these reasons the women in Saudi Arabia have been protesting the right by driving without permission through out the country. That is awesome for those women and i respect them very much!
ReplyDeleteThis here is another example of how people of the middle east put down women. These women work so hard to try to achieve their goals, in my opinion the women here would probably work twice as hard as the men if they were allowed to have real jobs and have all the privileges the men do. I admire how these women push the limit with the government risking their lives just to drive, something us Americans get to do easily. All these women want to do is to be able to do something like the men do. If they allowed them to drive it'd be way easier for them to get around and not have to be under their husband's nose the whole day and not have to worry about them beating them for driving or even having the desire to.
ReplyDeleteThis is CRAZY! Women or men, we should all be treated equal. Women in Saudi Arabia should be able to drive just like the men. They should be able to go out in public and get whatever kind of job they want!! If I was a women in Afghanistan I would always be mad and grumpy. Women in Afghanistan are protesting, trying to get the right to drive. Maybe if they get the right to drive, then it will open up opportunities for them to get other equal rights. GO AFGHANISTAN WOMEN!!!
ReplyDeleteThe driving ban comes from anxiety over women’s restrained mobility. In Afghanistan the streets — and the right to enter and leave them — belong to men. A woman who trespasses is thought of as sinful. Women are allowed to get around town only in a taxi or a chauffeur with a man related to her by marriage or blood related.There are no records for exclusion of women in the Koran. However, women were a vital presence in Muslim communities. What reasons do they have to exclude women? Their protest for rights as citizens is an act of moral courage. Personally, I believe women have a right to equality. Without women men would eventually cease to exist. If anything, women should be treated with higher respect than men. Women in Afghanistan that are participating will always receive my praise and support for the Freedom Riders across the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteJust think if you could not drive to go get something to eat. Imagine how dependent these Saudi Arabia women must feel. I know if i could not date and meet new people, life's woldn't be worth living for. I believe these women should have the right to drive, so they can gain that self-dependence. I think the Saudi leaders have refused to grant women driving is because they do not want to believe that most women are better than men at everything. They have never even let them try.
ReplyDeleteSaudi Arabia's Freedom Riders
ReplyDeleteWomen have no equal rights and they are trying to be able to have the same rights as men. They are not aloud to date, drive or talk to the other sex in public. Its not fair that women are treated like this they are being killed everyday trying to win their freedom.
The women in these passages just want some rights. From where they are from they have no rights whats so ever and that must be really hard. They have to do whatever their husbands say and the goverment. How come the men can do whatever they want but the women cant? This doesn't seem right women are just as good as men. If the women there do end up getting the right to drive it will lead to more opportunities for the women. I feel like it will let them know now that if they stand up for what they believe in then it could be granted to them and they dont have much so the protesting would go on for a while. I think the government should give these women the right to drive, in fact they should have most of the right that the men are granted.
ReplyDeleteI think women in this country fight for this right because they are tired of depending on their husband or men. This is important to them also because they want to have this right of driving and being able to drive a car without getting arrested. I say that leaders have granted women in this country the right to drive because that's what their religion tells them to do. But I think is just an excuse, because in this country men have all power, and they don't want to give women rights because then women and men would be equal.
ReplyDeleteThe men in Saudi Arabia have more rights then the women. Women has very little freedom. Because of the women having very little freedom they can not drive. Due to the restriction's 40 women has stepped up to recieve the right to drive. There campaign is inspired by the uprisings this year in Egypt and elswhere in the Arab world known as the Arab Spring. Some women have been arrested, or stoped and givin a ticket. One female was sentenced a woman to 10 lashes after she was found guilty of driving in jidda. The women driving right has became the largest women rights movement in Saudi Arabia's history.
ReplyDeleteAcross the Middle East, women are being unfairly treated. They may not drive, date, or go anywhere without written permission from a man. In America, this is seen as unimaginable and unjust while in the Middle Eastern regions, it's a way of life and anything different would feel wrong and absurd. Also, many do not want to give women any more rights than they have because they fear that it will create a chain reaction, allowing women near-equality to men, which is unwanted in Islamic societies.
ReplyDeleteWell these women in the Middle East are terrified and want justice for there being they are being treated like they are nobody's and that is not fare! women are very important in life and they should be treated with respect and should be aloud to do what they want to do, women are treated like perceptual legal minors in saudi arabia. Women should have the same amount of freedom as men do and have the same rights what makes us better than them? We should let them have a little freedom and drive and have rights.
ReplyDelete