I was looking through google reader and I found an article about a woman who was sentenced to ten lashing after driving through the streets of Saudi Arabia. I was surprised to find out that women aren't allowed to drive but even more surprised that ten lashings was the punishment she received. I had no idea that they used lashings as a form of punishment and it seems a little ridiculous to me. It is pretty obvious that women in Saudi Arabia do not have the rights they deserved and are treated like second class citizens to men.
There is no formal law that bans women from driving but there is a law
that requires everyone to drive with a locally issued license which the
government does not issue to women. Since these licenses are not
attainable by women it is technically illegal for them to drive. Driving is often a necessity and women should have the right to drive with the proper training.
Another aspect of Saudi Arabia that I found shocking was the fact that under their laws, women require a male guardian's permission to
work, travel abroad or even undergo certain types of surgery. Recently the Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced that women will be able to vote and run in local elections for the first time in 2015. It is nice to know that they will eventually be receiving some of the rights that they deserve, however I feel that they should have already attained them a long time ago.
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