Saudi Arabia's Women Plan Day of Action to Change Driving Laws

THE GUARDIAN: Government warily observes public reaction as media joins calls for ban on female drivers to be rescinded

Saudi women are gearing up for a day of action to challenge the kingdom's ban on female driving, amid signs of slowly growing readiness by the authorities to consider reform in the face ofstrong opposition by the clerical establishment.

Twitter, Facebook and other social media have been used to get women drivers on the roads on Saturday in a marathon push against this unique restriction.

Activists say they have 16,600 signatures on an online petition calling for change. Efforts to publicise the issue by the "October 26 driving for women" group have been described as the best-organised social campaign ever seen in Saudi Arabia, where Twitter has millions of users and is used to circulate information about the monarchy and official corruption.

Now the mainstream press is getting involved too, a telling indication of a thaw on this issue. "It's time to end this absurd debate about women driving," wrote Dr Thuraya al-Arid in al-Jazirah newspaper. In another paper, al-Sharq al-Awsat, Mshari Al-Zaydi said: "The time has come to turn the page on the past and discuss this issue openly." Read on and comment » | Ian Black, Middle East editor | Friday, October 25, 2013

My comment:

I'm all for Saudi women having the right to drive; in fact, it is an outrage that they cannot already. But one word of caution: Saudi men, starved as they are of female contact, can be lecherous when they come into contact with women. So I have this to ask: If Saudi women were to be allowed to drive, how safe would they be driving alone on the roads of Saudi Arabia? Many will surely become targets of starved men. – © Mark

Saudi Ban on Women Drivers May Be Eroding
THE TIMES OF INDIA: RIYADH: When Ruwaida al-Habis' father and two brothers were badly burned in a fire, she had no choice but to break Saudi Arabia's ban on women drivers to get them to a clinic.

Using the driving skills her father taught her on the family farm, al-Habis managed to reach the clinic's emergency entrance without a hitch.

"When I pulled up, a crowd of people surrounded the car and stared as if they were seeing extraterrestrial beings," the 20-year-old university student said. "Instead of focusing on the burn victims, the nurses kept repeating, 'You drove them here?'''

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans all women, Saudi and foreign, from driving. The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and women who cannot afford the $300-$400 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or the doctor.

But there are signs support for the ban is eroding. Al-Habis' story was first published in one of the biggest Saudi newspapers, Al-Riyadh, which even called her "brave." Her father, Hamad al-Habis, praised his daughter's action.

"Why should it even be an issue?" said Hamad al-Habis in his hospital bed. "My daughter took the right decision at the right time."

Al-Habis is one of several women whose driving has made headlines. It is not clear whether the reports are a sign that more women are driving or that newspapers are just more willing to report about them. But in either case, it suggests the long-unquestioned nature of the ban is eroding.

That may in part be because of signals from the top: King Abdullah, considered a reformist, has said the issue is a social one, not religious, opening the door for society to spur change. Saudi Ban on Women Drivers May Be Eroding >>> | August 22, 2008

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Saudis Fear There Will Be ‘No More Virgins’ and People Will Turn Gay If Female Drive Ban Is Lifted

MAIL ONLINE: Repealing a ban on women drivers in Saudi Arabia would result in ‘no more virgins’, the country’s religious council has warned.

A ‘scientific’ report claims relaxing the ban would also see more Saudis - both men and women - turn to homosexuality and pornography.

The startling conclusions were drawn by Muslim scholars at the Majlis al-Ifta’ al-A’ala, Saudi Arabia’s highest religious council, working in conjunction with Kamal Subhi, a former professor at the King Fahd University.

Their report assessed the possible impact of repealing the ban in Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world where women are not allowed behind the wheel.

It was delivered to all 150 members of the Shura Council, the country’s legislative body.

The report warns that allowing women to drive would ‘provoke a surge in prostitution, pornography, homosexuality and divorce’. Read on and comment » | Mail Foreign Service | Thursday, December 01, 2011

Poor Saudi Arabia! Poor benighted Saudi Arabia! The Saudis are simply incapable of lifting themselves out of the dark ages, aren’t they? I wonder why? – © Mark

Saudi Arabia Eases Laws on Solo Women
BBC: The authorities in Saudi Arabia have decided to end a ban on unaccompanied women staying in the country's hotels.

A woman can now stay in a hotel alone as long as she carries identification.

Based on a royal decree, the move marks a break from religious codes requiring women to be accompanied by a male guardian at all times.

The decree allowed the Ministry of Trade to outline new regulations simply requiring women to show photographic ID to hotel managers.

This must then be registered with local police.

The decision was reported by the local daily al-Watan newspaper, which is considered close to the Saudi government, on Monday. S Arabia eases laws on solo women >>>

THE TELEGRAPH:
Saudi Arabia to lift ban on women drivers

BBC:
Senior Saudi royal demands reform

BBC:
Campaign for release of Saudi blogger

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

A message from some Saudi dissidents

I remember well the time I could surf the Web and find Saudhouse.com. It was a very interesting website, expressing opinions of Saudis intent on reform. It was soon taken offline. The Saudi authorities couldn't stand the heat.

I am taking the liberty of publishing one of the articles I read at that time. It is too enlightening to be ignored.

Naturally, I have been unable to contact the author of this piece to ask for permission. Indeed, the author is unknown. He had to remain so for his own safety. I trust he will be happy for me to republish his work. Here it is for you to 'enjoy', unaltered (except for some minimal changes to paragraphs here and there) and unabridged:

How al-Saud view Saudis and Foreigner. Saudhouse.com. September 20, 1996

The history of al-Saud family is quite interesting. It spans three different eras with the last being the most visible and the most publicized because of the discovery of oil.

Going back to its modern founder Ibn Saud, Saudi Arabia found its place in history through secret conspiracies that initially pegged cousins against cousins and tribes against tribes. Today, it pegs nations against nations and still churns out enough secrets and conspiracies to keep it in the limelight.

Al-Saud have financed fundamentalism in neighboring countries. They have financed the Iran-Contra operations against the will of US Congress and the laws of the United States. They have financed Mujaheddin in Afghanistan. They have financed Iraq against Iran. They have started two wars in Yemen and failed in both of them. They have financed French elections using their cronies on both sides of the isle. This is what we know. What we do not know is the iceberg itself.

Armed with a keen disposition to interfere in affairs of other nations around the globe, this country of 12 million had used its money and influence to peddle everything and anything. Along the way, we have seen al-Saud's own views of the world and the people around them. A heated conversation in 1980, at the height of Saudi power and oil surplus, took place between this author and a closed associate of the royal family and considered part of their inner circle at the Fouquet cafe on the Champs Elysees in Paris. The conversation centered around Saudi role in world affairs having been thrusted [sic] onto the scene at a time when western economies were still stagnating from higher oil prices and other factors one of which the taking of hostages by Iran and the low self-esteem the US endured during that period.

I asked my esteemed acquaintance the following question : "What do you think Saudi Arabia's role will be in world affairs by the year 2000?" His answer was unequivocally strong and determined. No hesitation. "Saudi Arabia will, in 20 years, own the United States" Thoughts like these are groomed and discussed and do not land in someone's mind after a long dream. It was without a shadow of a doubt that this uttered sentence by this worldly gentleman had roots at much higher levels within the Saudi government. How else can one explain the lack of hesitation or the lack of consternation on his behalf given that al-Saud foreign policy centers around them and around them only ? I wish I could meet with this same person today in September of 1996 to remind him of his answer.

The Al-Saud clan categorizes people in four distinct categories. Since no one has scientifically studied that subject before, we feel it is appropriate to give titles to these categories based on our understanding of the family.

Masters Servants - High and Low Slaves Owned - Privileged and Unprivileged Each of these categories may have sub-categories that may explain further the inter-relationship of al-Saud within that category.

MASTERS : in this category you will find people whom al-Saud think of them as superior in economic and political power. Ibn Saud started a tradition when he met with Roosevelt at the end of World War II when he agreed to oil concessions to American companies at ridiculous prices. That historic meeting and the pursuant policy of al-Saud with the Americans truly puts the Americans as masters of al-Saud. Very few requests are refused, very few demands are questioned. A true master/slave relationship. Within that category, other sub-category exist that explain al-Saud relationship with other powerful allies or nations. Such is true of China or France where a demand is not refused but questioned and only approved if the US approves as well. This cautious dynamic relationship can be best described as two male siblings one who is powerful and one who is weak with a half-sister seeking favoritism.

SERVANTS : This category is divided into two distinct sub-categories, the High Servant and the Low Servant. The High Servant is close to the royal family whose job is to serve their immediate needs. These immediate needs are as different and complex as the life of a human being. A High Servant is a front businessman who steals the money on behalf of the Saudi prince. A high Servant is one that takes care of the family of an al-Saud such as shopping needs or personal needs. Another one serves the Prince drugs or women, and so on... These people can make a lot of money if they play their role with total discretion. A business High Servant easily becomes a billionaire such as Rafic Hariri, the prime minister of Lebanon or the late Akram Ojjeh or Wafic Said etc... A personal High Servant such as Ali bin Mussallam can become billionaire faster because he may control personal business matters such as oil deals where the true value and true payments are never known to the King or his immediate family. The area is too complex and fraud is easy. Many High Servants are non-Saudis because al-Saud treat their own people under a different category. The Low Servant is a typical middle class manager mainly a Palestinian or Lebanese or Egyptian who in reality has built Saudi Arabia. These people are indistinguishable to al-Saud and are considered as a necessary low maintenance, low cost commodity very much to how a family man considers potatoes : low cost yet useful to keep his household happy. Once in a while a Low Servant graduates to a High Servant because he catches the eye of a family member of al-Saud. This is what happened to Rafic Hariri before he became a High Servant. He was a middle manager at the finance ministry in Saudi Arabia where he was introduced to King Fahd who fancied him.

SLAVES : In this category we find third world workers who have demenial jobs in Saudi Arabia such as maids, taxi drivers, bus boys, etc... These people have as much rights as a deer in a tiger park. They are abused, beaten, raped, and sometimes killed with no legal recourse. Al-Saud condone the way treatment is accorded to these people by the masses. Many Human Rights organizations have complained about the abuse subjected to these poor souls but with no political will on behalf of western nations to upset an exporter of oil, these peoples have mostly relied on international organizations for a merciful treatment while in Saudi Arabia. In fact, many of these organizations consider the testament of foreign workers as slavery and sometimes worse.

OWNED : Two distinct sub-categories constitute the make-up of this category. Privileged Owned and Unprivileged Owned. Owned is a term describing how al-Saud feel about their own people. The term describes correctly the fact that al-Saud "OWN" these people lock, stock, and all. To argue with them that they feel they own all of the oil in Saudi Arabia is an exercise in futility. To argue with them that they think they also own the people of Saudi Arabia is more difficult than arguing about the oil. Al-Saud reason that if they own the people then they own the land and thus the oil. The logical step is to treat people as if they own them. Decree after decree only goes to prove this point. The latest decree forbids people to name their children certain names. If that is not ownership, we do not know what is. The Privileged Owned are those merchant Saudi families and Saudi businessmen whether rich or not who must please, pay, kiss up to, and sustain any al-Saud member in order to survive in their totalitarian regime.

No Saudi businessman who has ever displeased a royalty did any considerable business in Saudi Arabia. Like the infamous black list created to punish Israel, Saudi businessmen are blacklisted if they do not abide by a certain unethical code that include almost all of the times paying off an al-Saud to get his business going. The Privileged Owned are subjected to a routine that tax them heavily in financial and moral terms. This Saudi club between an owner and an ownee has been around ever since al-Saud have been in power. Not one case exist in the history of that country where someone disagreed with the government publicly and was not punished severely for stepping out of line. Even al-Saud members are not exempt from that punishment. When Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz started an organization called Free Princes in Egypt in the early seventies that opposed the way the country was being run, it took him over twenty years to gain back the confidence of his peers and to be forgiven. His love for children landed him a job to head the UNICEF at the U.N.

The Unprivileged Owned are the rest of the Saudi populace who have no one but al-Saud to get their grievances heard and who represent the majority of Saudis made up of illiterate tribal people. These people have no power, no understanding of the rule of al-Saud, no mental capacity to fight or oppose, and no will to elevate themselves from the quagmire they find themselves in. A rumor once circulated in the ministries that al-Saud wanted that populace to remain ignorant and uneducated because they served an essential social service with their blind obedience and misunderstanding of the ill deeds practiced by al-Saud every day. They represent the majority of the population and mostly live a simple life with agriculture as a primary source of income and life cycle.Al-Saud think they also own these people and treat them sometimes with pity and sometimes with harshness depending on the level of obedience and loyalty they can inject into the corrupt system of al-Saud.

Mark Alexander

Women to Be Allowed to Drive in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia!
THE TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia is to lift its ban on women drivers in an attempt to stem a rising suffragette-style movement in the deeply conservative state.

Government officials have confirmed the landmark decision and plan to issue a decree by the end of the year.

The move is designed to forestall campaigns for greater freedom by women, which have recently included protesters driving cars through the Islamic state in defiance of a threat of detention and loss of livelihoods.

The royal family has previously balked at granting women driving permits, claiming the step did not have full public support.

The driving ban dates back to the establishment of the state in 1932, although recently the government line has weakened.

"There has been a decision to move on this by the Royal Court because it is recognised that if girls have been in schools since the 1960s, they have a capability to function behind the wheel when they grow up," a government official told The Daily Telegraph. "We will make an announcement soon." Saudi Arabia to lift ban on women drivers >>> By Damien McElroy in Riyadh

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Saudi Arabia Considers Lifting Ban on Women Drivers

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia king's advisory council recommends women over 30, wearing no make-up, should be allowed to drive between 7am and 8pm most days

Saudi Arabia is considering proposals to allow women to drive, a member of the king's advisory council has said.

The recommendations from the Shura Council to change the law would apply only to women over 30, who must be off the road by 8pm and cannot wear make-up while driving.

Nevertheless, such a move would represent a major victory for activists after years of the absolute monarchy rejecting any review of the ban – and punishing women caught driving.

Earlier this year, a woman reportedly received 150 lashes for being caught driving.

The kingdom is the only country in the world that forbids women from driving, with Muslim clerics claiming "licentiousness" will spread if women drive. » | Barney Henderson and AP | Saturday, November 08, 2014

A Drive for Freedom in Saudi Arabia

THE GUARDIAN – WOMEN’S BLOG – JANE MARTINSON: Manal al-Sharif's drive for women's rights faces a daunting barrier in Saudi Arabia

Manal al-Sharif is expected to spend the rest of this week in prison. Her crime? Driving a car in Saudi Arabia.

The arrest on Sunday puts a new and gloomy perspective on all that euphoria surrounding revolutions in the Middle East, doesn't it? Women may have taken to the streets from Egypt to Libya, Tunisia to Yemen, but in the richest and most powerful Arab state, their rights are frankly non-existent.

So great are their demands that some campaigners have criticised Sharif for diverting attention away from what really matters. Does it matter that women aren't allowed to drive if they can neither vote nor live independently in a country where men have automatic legal guardianship? The 32-year-old Sharif and other campaigners argue that without being able to drive women are entirely physically dependent on their male relatives. The issue is also a financial one – campaigners argue that women and their families need about $350 a month to hire one of the estimated 800,000 foreign drivers in the kingdom.

Sharif's stunt – she posted a YouTube clip of her driving a car which can still be seen here on al-Jazeera – was designed to garner support for a national protest on 16 June, when she hopes thousands of women will take on the authorities. Read on and comment » | Jane Martinson |Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Two Saudi Scholars Find Nothing Un-Islamic in Allowing Women to Drive
BBC: Two Saudi scholars have said there is nothing in Islamic law to prevent women from driving.

The senior religious figures said the issue depended on the context.

They say women would need to be protected from harassment and that steps would have to be taken to ensure there was no mingling of the sexes.

An opinion poll published by a leading English-language Saudi newspaper suggests that this is a view supported by most Saudi men and women.

The two scholars are Abdel-Mohsin al-Obaikan - one of Saudi Arabia's senior religious figures - and another well-known cleric, Mohsin Awaji.

Both say that, in principle, Islamic law does not prevent women driving.

Everything depends, they say, on the context.

There are road safety issues. Steps need to be taken to prevent harassment of women drivers. Saudi scholars back women drivers >>> By Roger Hardy

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Saudi Women Driving for Change
Thousands of women activists in Saudi Arabia planned to start driving on Friday in defiance of a longstanding ban that prohibits women from even getting a drivers license.

The protest action comes after a campaign launched on social media began calling for women's right to drive in the Kingdom.

Al Jazeera's Nick Toksvig reports.


FOX NEWS: Saudi Women Hit the Road in Driving Ban Protest: RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – A number of Saudi women drove cars Friday in response to calls for nationwide action to break a traditional ban unique to the ultra-conservative kingdom. » | Friday, June 17, 2011

The Saudis Are Engaged in a Great Gamble

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: To stave off Islamists and liberals at home, the royal family is willing to lose old allies

The inhabitants of the desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia are not renowned for their sense of humour. In a country where public executions by beheading are commonplace, and even relatively minor transgressions such as drinking alcohol can be punished by the lash, the kingdom’s all-powerful religious police do not engender an atmosphere of levity.

So the fact that a video poking fun at Saudi Arabia’s long-standing ban on women drivers has gone viral, with nearly seven million hits registered since it was uploaded a few days ago, suggests that profound changes are taking place in the world’s most conservative country.

Called No Woman, No Drive, the pastiche of Bob Marley’s reggae classic was released by a group of Saudi comedians to support a protest by women drivers. Whether or not they succeed, the fact that women have publicly dared to challenge the authority of the all-powerful mutawa, the religious police, by posting videos of themselves driving to the local store provides a rare glimpse of the mounting resentment that many Saudis feel towards the domestic policies of perhaps the world’s last absolute monarchy.

The disinclination of the younger generation of Saudis (many of whom have been educated at some of the best universities in the West) to tolerate the royal family’s autocratic style of government certainly helps to explain the dramatic changes taking place in Riyadh’s dealings with the outside world.

Faced with growing internal tension – from Islamist radicals as well as liberal reformers – the ruling family is determined to defend its interests by whatever means necessary. This is reflected by a new assertiveness on the world stage – seen most vividly in the surprise decision to reject a seat on the UN Security Council earlier this month. The Saudis turned down this prestigious opportunity – greatly offending their US allies – in protest at the Obama administration’s failure to take military action against Bashar al‑Assad and its recent overtures to Iran, a sworn enemy of the House of Saud. Read on and comment » | Con Coughlin | Thursday, October 31, 2013

Saudi Girl Band Challenges the Rules Limiting Women
Photo of the Saudi band Accolade courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: A Saudi girl band is defying the strict Islamic regime's taboos on female expression of emotion and identity.

The band, called the Accolade, has written an underground hit called Pinocchio, that has been downloaded from their MySpace page. While they cannot perform in public, the four students have been able to stage gigs in private compounds and make studio recordings of their material.

Saudi Arabia maintains a strict code of control over women, based on Islamic precepts. The rules prohibit women from appearing in public alone or without an enshrouding veil. Women officially cannot make independent travel, education or medical choices without permission from a senior male relative.

There is even an injunction against women drivers.

One of member of the band told the New York Times that its formation was a demonstration of generational change. "The upcoming generation is different from the one before," said Dina, 21, a founder member and guitarist. "Everything is changing. Maybe in 10 years it's going to be OK to have a band with live performances."

But there are considerable risks in the limited exposure the women have sought. >>> By Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | November 25, 2008

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‘Shariah Does Not Bar Women from Driving’
SAUDI GAZETTE: HAIL – Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, a professor of Comparative Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) and a former judge at Hail court, has called for women to be allowed to drive, saying that there are no objections to it in Shariah and that “customs and traditions in our society must not rule us absolutely.”

Al-Mutlaq, speaking to Okaz newspaper, said that the study he was currently carrying out on the issue was motivated by a wish to tackle problems associated with foreign drivers being responsible for transporting Saudi females.

Al-Mutlaq said the move would serve to “prevent corruption” and noted “many negative observations concerning drivers.”

Al-Mutlaq said women should be allowed to drive, and cited the fact that many already do in rural areas with no resultant problems.

“They have earned respect with their abidance of traffic laws,” he said.

Al-Mutlaq called upon youth to respect women driving and expressed a wish for the issue to be treated as “normal”.

Al-Mutlaq’s comments support those expressed by Islamic thinker and former Minister of Information Dr. Mohammed Abdo Yamani, who told Al-Watan newspaper on Wednesday that women should be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.

Yamani appealed in an interview with Al-Watan to “the Grand Mufti, the Board of Senior Ulema’ and the Shoura Council to resolve the issue and relieve Saudi women of this injustice”.

“How can a person stop his wife and daughters driving a car without a Shariah text to support him, and then go and permit them to get in a car with a foreign man?” Yamani asked.

Yamani was quoted by the newspaper as calling for “some adaptation to the requirements of the age, as has happened in other cases.” – Okaz/SG [Source: Saudi Gazette] By Metib Al-Awwad | Friday, June 05, 2009

Bin Laden: Obama Planted 'Hatred Seeds'
YNET NEWS: Al-Qaeda leader says US president continuing in steps of his predecessor Bush, tells Americans to be prepared for consequences of White House's policies

Bin Laden spoiling celebration. Photo courtesy of YnetNews
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden said US President Barack Obama had planted seeds for "revenge and hatred" towards the United States in the Muslim world.

"Obama and his administration have planted seeds for hatred and revenge against America," the militant leader said in a recording aired by al-Jazeera television on Wednesday.

Bin Laden said Obama was continuing in the steps of his predecessor George W. Bush and told Americans to be prepared for the consequences of the White House's policies.

The Qatar-based station did not give further details in a news flash. Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia at a start of a tour that will also take him to Egypt where he will deliver a speech to Muslims.

On Tuesday, al-Qaeda's deputy leader criticized the upcoming speech, saying it will not change the "bloody messages" the US military is sending Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His bloody messages were received and are still being received by Muslims, and they will not be concealed by public relations campaigns or by farcical visits or elegant words," said Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaeda's No. 2, in a new audio message posted on militant Web sites.

Al-Zawahri said the Egyptian officials who will welcome Obama are US "slaves" and have turned the country into an "international station of torture in America's war on Islam." He was likely referring to suspected Islamic militants who have been captured by the US and sent to Egypt for interrogation, a process known as rendition. >>> News agencies | Wednesday, June 03, 2009

YNET OPINION: Obama-style Orientalism

US administration’s approach sure to lead to another Mideastern clash

If Barack Obama, the “world’s policeman,” is unfamiliar with the Israeli film The Policeman, his Israeli advisor Rahm Emanuel would do well to tell him about one unforgettable scene from Ephraim Kishon’s Oscar-nominated movie: Officer Azoulay “fighting” pedestrians who fail to cross the street at crosswalks and moped drivers who park illegally – he reports to police headquarters that “everything is under control,” while terrible robberies take place right behind his back.

And now, to the moral of the story: North Korea is challenging America on the nuclear front, while Pakistan’s nukes are about to fall into hostile hands. Iran’s Ahmadinejad constantly provokes the West and threatens to eliminate Israel. Obama’s PR team is looking for a way to market the withdrawal from the divided and bleeding Iraq as an achievement of creating a new democracy, and the Taliban in Afghanistan – which was ostensibly “defeated” by the US – is suddenly alive and kicking again.

Yet despite all this, policeman Azoulay-Obama is preoccupied with the “obstacle for peace in the Middle East,” demanding that Netanyahu curb settlement activity and remove illegal outposts. In exchange for this, Obama demands that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas put an end to Palestinian incitement… If this is the innovative and creative approach promised to dwellers of the Middle East by Obama’s advisors and Mideast experts, we shall soon be longing for the bad old times.

Only four months after being sworn in, the Free World’s leader is again embarking on a predetermined American collision course. Obama chooses to walk the same path as his predecessors in the White House, while using the same terms and statements and adopting the same static and dull way of thinking.

The US, and only the US, is responsible for the fact that initiatives to advance peace in our region have reached a dead-end. For years now, various American leaders have endorsed a patronizing approach, premised on assessments which Palestinian Academician Edward Said dubbed “Orientalism” in the 1970s. Today, this approach is summed up by the statement: “Be quiet, we know what’s good for you.”

Moreover, for years now, several US secretaries of state have been held captive by several “moderate” Arab states such as Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, which have been demanding an American price tag for their “moderation.” This comes in the form of heavy pressure on Israel to grant gestures and concession to the Palestinians, based on the false expectation that the Palestinian will also “moderate” later on. >>> Moshe Elad | Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Col. (res.) Moshe Elad is a lecturer at the Western Galilee Academic College

THE TELEGRAPH: Osama bin Laden Tape Overshadows Barack Obama's Attempts to Engage Middle East

President Barack Obama's arrival in the Middle East to build a better US relationship with the Muslim world has been overshadowed by the release of a new tape from Osama bin Laden.

The recording emerged just as Mr Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia at the start of a Middle East tour aimed at improving ties with Middle East countries.

The al-Qaeda leader claimed United States policy had led to a campaign of "killing, fighting, bombing and destruction" in the Swat area of north-west Pakistan and Americans would "reap what the White House leaders have sown".

he release of the audio tape appeared to be timed to undermine Mr Obama's attempts to restart the Arab-Israeli peace process.

Bin Laden said: "Elderly people, children and women fled their homes and lived in tents as refugees after they have lived in dignity in their homes. Let the American people be ready to reap what the White House leaders have sown.

"Obama and his administration have sown new seeds to increase hatred and revenge on America. The number of these seeds is equal to the number of displaced people from Swat Valley." >>> By Richard Spencer in Cairo and Toby Harnden in Washington | Wednesday, June 03, 2009

ZEIT ONLINE: Al-Qaida ruft zum Widerstand gegen Obama auf

Die Islamisten warnen vor der Kairoer Rede des US-Präsidenten an die islamische Welt mit drastischen Worten: Obama sende "blutige Botschaften"

Der Vizechef der Extremisten-Organisation al-Qaida hat die ägyptische Bevölkerung dazu aufgerufen, nicht auf die "geschliffenen Worte" von US-Präsident Barack Obama bei seiner Rede in Kairo hereinzufallen. "Ägyptens freies, gerechtes und ehrenvolles Volk: Stehe vereint vor diesem Kriminellen", sagte der gebürtige Ägypter Ajman al-Sawahri in einer Audio-Botschaft. Obamas blutige Botschaften würden nicht verdeckt durch Kampagnen in der Öffentlichkeit, theatralische Besuche oder geschliffene Worte. >>> © ZEIT ONLINE, kg, dpa, Reuters | Mittwoch, 03. Juni 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Osama bin Laden Emerges to Attack Barack Obama for ‘Antagonising Muslims’

Osama bin Laden emerged from the shadows yesterday to deliver a scathing attack on President Obama minutes after the US leader landed in Saudi Arabia to begin his landmark visit to the Middle East.

In advance of Mr Obama’s keenly awaited speech to the Islamic world in Cairo today, bin Laden accused him of “antagonising Muslims” and inflaming hatred against America by backing Pakistan’s recent crackdown on militants in the Swat Valley.

Bin Laden’s message came a day after his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, surfaced to attack the White House’s new incumbent. Middle East analysts say the two tapes indicate growing concern in al-Qaeda’s leadership about Mr Obama’s arrival on the world stage when their influence over the increasingly splintered terror network is waning.

As Mr Obama held talks with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, after landing in Riyadh, the al-Qaeda leader’s audiotape was being broadcast on news channels globally. It is his third public message this year but the first time he has used such murderous and threatening language against Mr Obama. >>> Tim Reid in Washington | Thursday, June 04, 2009

Dozens of Saudi Arabian Women Drive Cars on Day of Protest against Ban

THE GUARDIAN: Activists say at least 60 joined call to allow female drivers – making it country's biggest ever demonstration against the ban


More than 60 Saudi women got behind the wheels of their cars as part of a protest against a ban on women driving in the kingdom, activists have claimed.

A Saudi professor and campaigner, Aziza Youssef, said the activists have received 13 videos and another 50 phone messages from women showing or claiming they had driven, the Associated Press reported.

She said it had not been not possible to verify all of the messages. But, if the numbers are accurate, they would make Saturday's demonstration the biggest the country has ever seen against the ban.

Despite warnings by police and ultraconservatives in Saudi Arabia, there have been no reports from those who claimed to have driven of being arrested or ticketed by police. » | Staff and agencies | Saturday, October 26, 2013

Kuwaiti Woman Arrested in Saudi Arabia for Driving Her Diabetic Father to Hospital

THE INDEPENDENT: Arrest comes a week after Saudi women staged a protest against the country’s female driving ban

A Kuwaiti woman was arrested in Saudi Arabia for driving her diabetic father to hospital, a local newspaper reported on Sunday.

The arrest came a week after a number of Saudi women protested against the country's ban on female drivers by taking to the wheel and posting pictures and videos of themselves in the act online.

The woman was driving in an area just over the border from Kuwait with her father in the passenger seat, when she was stopped by police, the English language Kuwait Times said.

Kuwaitis and Saudi locals regularly cross between the countries and communities living along the border are often a mix of both nationalities.

Citing police, the paper reported that the woman, who said her diabetic father could not drive and needed to be taken to hospital for treatment, is being held in custody pending an investigation. » | Tomas Jivanda | Monday, October 04, 2013

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