JEDDAH: Some Saudi youths have started a group on Facebook to petition King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to allow women to drive. “We aim to accomplish this goal by sending a petition to the Saudi government to give them the right to drive. We will hopefully see women drive within the next three years,” said Hilal M. Al-Harithy, the founder of the group. “I don't think we can call it a campaign yet, for now it's just an online petition. We started it because we feel that women in the Kingdom should have the right to drive, just like every other woman on the planet. Women in Saudi Arabia are not inferior to other women from across the world, so why are they being treated this way,” he said. “We also started this group because the majority of women in Saudi Arabia face transportation issues; the solution is females driving. Islam does not deny them this right. So we started a campaign that encourages people to talk about their problems and try to find solutions for them,” said Maha Tahir, a supporter of the group. The group already has 1,694 members and it is becoming more popular every day. They intend to gather at least 15,000 signatures before submitting the petition. They said that they are targeting everyone living in the Kingdom and every Saudi citizen living abroad. “We know that most people in the Kingdom feel that women should be able to drive when the conditions are right. With this petition we hope to make these conditions a reality as soon as possible,” said Al-Harithy. The petition's purpose is to show there are large numbers of people who feel it is a woman's right to drive in Saudi Arabia and that they should not be denied. The petition will contain the name, ID number, nationality, city of residence and email of each person who signs, said Tahir. “Its purpose is to show that the majority of men and women are in favor of the cause unlike media reports published a few years ago saying the majority of people are conservative and against it,” said Tahir. “Depending on a driver on a daily basis is frustrating and exhausting. I feel helpless, trapped and paralyzed when there isn't a man to take me to work, the hospital or anywhere I need to be on an urgent basis. What about the majority of ladies who can't rely on the men around them when needed? We do not have decent public transportation in Saudi Arabia, nor safe sidewalks on all streets and depriving women of the right to drive is not helping the situation either,” she explained. “I am sure if most people took a little time to persuade family, friends and co-workers to sign the petition, we would have more than enough to make a difference Inshallah,” said Tahir. The group said they want to submit the petition to representatives of the government with a comprehensive two-year plan to get women driving in a safe way. “This way they can hopefully adopt the plan, and begin implementing it right away. While we are in the process of developing this plan, we would love for people to submit their ideas on how to develop it,” said Al
