Police detained two women professors from King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah on Friday for violating the country's ban on women driving. The two women, whose nationalities and names were not released, were driving to a shopping mall, north of Jeddah, when they were pulled over and detained. A police source said that the two women were excited about driving despite the ban. “But their need to be behind the wheel sped up their arrest,” the police official said. When investigated at the Salamah Police Department, the women said that they were “forced” to drive to the mall after their driver had escaped a few days earlier. They had no male relative to drive them to the mall, they said. Earlier this year, a woman, in her 20s, was arrested for driving in Makkah. The woman was turned over to the Prosecution and Investigation Commission (CIP) for investigation. It is not known how frequent such arrests are made across the Kingdom. While women are barred from driving in most of the Kingdom, the scene of women behind the wheel is an exception in many rural areas. The issue has created a nationwide controversy in recent years. While women's rights activists in the country have been openly campaigning for the right to drive, many high ranking officials maintain it is a social issue and will be resolved only when Saudis feel the time is right.
