October 26 is an important date for women in Saudi Arabia. They are expected to drive their own cars in order to protest the country’s de facto ban on female drivers. This attempt of fighting for their rights has spread rapidly online over the past week, and gained support from prominent women activists. Since it published online, a petition on the website www.oct26driving.com has garnered more than 12,000 signatures from those asking authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to lift the ban. Nevertheless, a lot of people do not agree with it, and are willing to go to the ridiculous just to make sure women are not allowed to drive.
In an interview published on Friday on the website sabq.org, Sheikh Saleh bin Saad al-Lohaidan said women aiming to overturn the ban on driving should put "reason ahead of their hearts, emotions and passions.” “If a woman drives a car, not out of pure necessity, that could have negative physiological impacts,” he said. “As functional and physiological medical studies show that it automatically affects the ovaries and pushes the pelvis upwards…That is why we find those who regularly drive have children with clinical problems of varying degrees.”
CBS reported that a Saudi doctor went on-air over the weekend in the privately owned Rotana channel to dismiss the claims made by Al-Lohaidan, a well-known cleric. Gynecologist Mohammed Baknah said scientific studies have not proven that driving has adverse effects on women’s reproductive health.
"This is his answer to the campaign," Saudi women's rights activist Aziza Yousef told CNN. "But it is an individual opinion. The clerical establishment is not behind this. He's making a fool of himself. He shouldn't touch this field at all -- the medical field is not his field at all." Mai Al-Swayan, who was one of the first Saudi women to sign the online petition, called the comments "ridiculous: " and added, "I am really disappointed. How could somebody ever make such a statement?"
According to Reuters, the ban on women driving is not backed by a specific law, but only men are granted driving licenses. Women can be fined for driving without a license but have also been detained and put on trial in the past on charges of political protest. "There is no justification for the Saudi government to prohibit adult women citizens who are capable of driving cars from doing so," reads part of the petition. No traffic law specifically prohibits women from driving in Saudi Arabia, but religious edicts there are often interpreted to mean women are not allowed to operate a vehicle.
Besides prohibiting driving, the country's strict and compulsory guardianship system also prevents women from opening bank accounts, working, traveling and going to school without the permission of their male guardian.
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