"Driving by women leads to evil"

Did I get your attention?

Well, don't blame me, blame someone named Munir al-Shahrani, who wrote that in response to a proposal by a member of Saudi Arabia's Consultative Council, Mohammad al-Zulfa, who recently proposed granting limited driving rights to women. Actually, according to the Toronto Star, all al-Zulfa proposed was "a study of the issue," suggesting that "only women over age 35 or 40 be allowed to drive -- unchaperoned on city streets but accompanied by a male guardian on highways". Hardly revolutionary...

...unless you're in Saudi Arabia, where "[t]here have been calls to kick al-Zulfa off the Consultative Council, the all-male legislative arm appointed by the king, and even to strip him of Saudi citizenship. His cellphone constantly rings with furious calls accusing him of encouraging women to commit the double sins of discarding their veils and mixing with men. A phone text message prays Allah will freeze his blood. Chat rooms bristle with accusations that al-Zulfa is 'driven by carnal instincts'." Nice, huh? Let me go on: "Conservatives, who believe women should be shielded from strange men, say women in the driver's seat will be free to leave home alone and go when and where they please; to unduly expose their eyes while driving; to interact with strange men such as traffic cops and mechanics." Oh, how awful.

Thankfully, there are liberal voices for reform even in that desert tyranny, and they're fighting the good fight (if, at present, a losing one) against such discrimination. One such voice is Nadine al-Budair, a columnist for the Al-Watan newspaper (the one that published al-Shahrani's letter to the editor), who wrote: "How long will women remain shrouded in the sad colour of black and hiding in back seats like devils, while the men are covered angel-like in happy, pure white clothes that guarantee them the front seat?"

Don't hold your breath.