Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Saudi Woman Shaima Jastaina Sentenced to Ten Lashes for Driving a Car

Ever notice that, the closer you get to Mecca, the fewer rights you have?

CAIRO (AP) — A Saudi woman was sentenced Tuesday to be lashed 10 times with a whip for defying the kingdom's prohibition on female drivers, the first time a legal punishment has been handed down for a violation of the longtime ban in the ultraconservative Muslim nation.

Normally, police just stop female drivers, question them and let them go after they sign a pledge not to drive again. But dozens of women have continued to take to the roads since June in a campaign to break the taboo.

Making Tuesday's sentence all the more upsetting to activists is that it came just two days after King Abdullah promised to protect women's rights and decreed that women would be allowed to participate in municipal elections in 2015. Abdullah also promised to appoint women to a currently all-male advisory body known as the Shura Council.

The mixed signals highlight the challenge for Abdullah, known as a reformer, in pushing gently for change without antagonizing the powerful clergy and a conservative segment of the population.

Abdullah said he had the backing of the official clerical council. But activists saw Tuesday's sentencing as a retaliation of sorts from the hard-line Saudi religious establishment that controls the courts and oversees the intrusive religious police.

"Our king doesn't deserve that," said Sohila Zein el-Abydeen, a prominent female member of the governmental National Society for Human Rights. She burst into tears in a phone interview and said, "The verdict is shocking to me, but we were expecting this kind of reaction."

The driver, Shaima Jastaina, in her 30s, was found guilty of driving without permission, activist Samar Badawi said. The punishment is usually carried out within a month. It was not possible to reach Jastaina, but Badawi, in touch with Jastaina's family, said she appealed the verdict.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women — both Saudi and foreign — from driving. The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and those who cannot afford the $300 to $400 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or the doctor.

There are no written laws that restrict women from driving. Rather, the ban is rooted in conservative traditions and religious views that hold giving freedom of movement to women would make them vulnerable to sins. (Read more.)

GreekAsianPanda coming to defend Islam in three . . . two . . .

4 comments:

Radical Moderate said...

WOW Islam really does give Woman all their rights :) The right to be whipped for driving.

My Two Sense said...

It's almost funny (irony, not "ha ha" funny) that in "the West" we typically think the opposite about female drivers.

Insurance companies across Europe as well as in North America generally charge women much less for auto insurance than their male counterparts. Statistics show they are less risky drivers and are therefore less likely to get into an accident. The difference in pricing is particularly large for people under the age of 30, where women typically pay half of what men pay.

http://gulfstreamblues.blogspot.com/2011/03/eu-bans-separate-auto-insurance-rates.html


There are things that affect your rates that you can't control -- like gender and age. "Women's car insurance rates are lower, because they tend to have fewer accidents and tickets," says Chris Kissell, a spokesperson for Insurance.com.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/05/05/how-to-cut-your-car-insurance-costs/

mikeyh428 said...

So, My_Two_Sense, you're saying that I could save 15% or more on my car insurance by switching my gender to female? ;-)

My Two Sense said...

mikey - nice one! :)