Sweet. Jared can drive in SA now!

picture and great article from NY Times


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-women-drive.html?mcubz=3

Anonymous wrote:I applaud this progress. Lets recognize it for what it is.

+1 The men there finally think women should be able to drive.

Why Not
Break All barriers

I applaud this progress. Lets recognize it for what it is.

Also, women won't be allowed to drive till next June, and let's all wait till we see the actual ruling - this will be worked out by a "commission". I personally won't be surprised if it reads "only married women over 50 with notarized permissions driving one of these three approved car models."

It's completely relevant to illustrate the hypocrisy of the U.S. foreign policy, which berates some countries for lack of attention to human rights, but continues to kiss the rings of Gulf royal families who oppress their populace with backwards, medieval regimes. Compared to Riyadh, Russia and China are veritable kingdoms of freedom, yet did the Al-Saud ever get lectured on human rights? Did it have to go through the farcical sanctions? Did it get as much as a slap on the wrist when it invaded the neighboring Bahrain to brutally suppress the peaceful uprising of people asking to participate in ruling themselves?

This is not a dig against Trump. ALL administrations, including Obama's, have fellated Al-Saud, Al-Khalifa, Al-Thani ruling families with wild abandon. Think about this next time you want to say something stupid like "we don't like country X because they don't have human rights."

Saudia Arabia is not on the travel ban. Yet the majority of terrorists from 9/11 were from there.

Wow...about time women can drive there. But I bet a lot of the men will still try to stop them.

Just what the world needs. More Saudi drivers. On the plus side, they have to be better than the men.

Anonymous wrote:It is but a small step, but I bet it feels momentous to the women of Saudi Arabia.

I worked in another Gulf country in the early 90s. Never thought I'd see the day. I'm an American, and it feels pretty momentous to me.

The main reason I heard cited was that more women were working and needed to drive to work. Men like to let women work more so that they can work less. Same thing happened in the States post 1960. Can't wait to see the SAHDs in Saudi Arabia !

It is but a small step, but I bet it feels momentous to the women of Saudi Arabia.

Small progress in this regressive, authoritarian theocracy. But it will be a long time before there is anything approaching gender equality for women in SA.....according to Human Rights Watch, that system "treats them as legal minors, who cannot conduct official government business, travel abroad, marry, pursue higher education, or undergo certain medical procedures without permission from men."

I recall a thread a while back where the PC watchdogs accused posters of being Islamaphobic for having the temerity to point out fundamental human right inequities in predominantly muslim countries. Apparently even the leaders of these countries agree that there are inequities and kudos to them for having the political will to advance this cause against (I would imagine) intense pressure from the religious establishment.