The video is a shaky, homemade effort, obviously shot from the rear passenger seat of a car as it carefully drives around the streets of Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia. At the wheel is a woman in large, dark sunglasses, her head tightly covered by a black scarf, talking animatedly with a friend next to her while she navigates the streets like a pro.

Except that for this act of defiance, Manal al-Sharif was thrown in jail for nine days, released on May 30 only after agreeing not to participate in a national protest against the ban on women drivers on June 17. Oh, and her cell phone was turned off.

That this abhorrent restriction exists in a supposedly civilized country defies reason. In the video, al-Sharif and her companion detail the consequences of the ban on ordinary Saudi women. A friend pays one-third of her salary just for a driver. Another was driven by her 10-year-old son, and unsafely at that. Al-Sharif was harassed by her own driver, as are other women. Many simply remain imprisoned in their homes, without the means to pay for what are effectively chaperons.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

There’s nothing Islamic or even traditionally Saudi about this ban, instituted in 1990 after a peaceful but audacious demonstration by prominent women on the streets of Riyadh. The world should carefully monitor the Women2Drive protest June 17 and support the dignity and purpose of Saudi women who merely want the right to navigate their lives on their own.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount