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From: khan@remus.rutgers.edu (Farrukh Shah Khan)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan,soc.culture.arabic,soc.religion.islam
Subject: Saudi Women took a giant step towards freedom
Keywords: women drivers, saudia arabia and demonstration
Message-ID: <1990Nov8.013441.29030@wpi.WPI.EDU>
Date: 8 Nov 90 01:34:41 GMT
Sender: shari@wpi.WPI.EDU (Shari Deiana VanderSpek)
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Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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Just read today's NY times. There was a demonstration in Riyadh by
some ladies who protested the lack of driving priviliges in Saudia
Arab for women. Most of the women were educated and rich (the cheapest
car was Lincoln Continental ;-) Most of them educated in the *West*.
It was a peaceful demonstration. 70 ladies got togather in front of
Safeway (I forgot the district, sorry). Then they took thier cars from
their drivers (sorry don't know how to spell that French word). They
went out onto King Abdul Aziz street in the form of a procession of 40
cars. They were arrested but later released afterr promising nevere to
demonstrate again. The event was not published in Saudi news media but
the news got out anyway.

Well any comments. Is it the influence of Western armies there? (BTW
the organizers refused any linking of demonstration to the Gulf
situation). I have lived in Saudia Arab for 20 years and for me it was
a major step for women of Saudia Arab. There is also the age old
steriotype of whether women can drive as good as men. I have seen the
driving of Saudi men and *some* of them drive like they are riding a
camal (no offence intended but you will agree with me when you see
*some* of them driving).
-- 

      
					Farrukh Shah Khan.
					khan@topaz.rutgers.edu



"MEN MUST CHANGE BEFORE THE KINGDOMS"
                              (Jesus)


"Peace is as much an art to learn as war"
                   Sen. Matsunaga (Hawaii)