Sat Jun 4, 2011 2:32PM
Women are banned from driving in Saudi Arabia. (File Photo)
Saudi women rights activists have urged the US and the EU to end their double standards on human rights and endorse their right to drive.
In an open letter signed by10,000 people from all 50 US states, consortium of Saudi Arabian women's rights activists have called on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton to press the monarchy for granting driving right to women, The Huffington Post reported on Friday.
“As Saudi women our lack of freedom of movement places an extreme burden on our lives. We lack a public transportation system and the most basic errands and medical appointments are missed due to the difficulty and expenses of arranging transportation, notwithstanding educational and work opportunities,” the letter read.
The movement gained momentum following the arrest of the 32-year-old computer-security consultant, Manal al-Sharif, on May 21 for defying the country's ban on female drivers and making efforts to encourage other women to follow suit.
On their Facebook page, called “Teach me how to drive so I can protect myself,” Sherif and a group of other women launched a volunteer campaign with the aim of convincing the authorities to lift the prohibition.
Under the campaign pressure, Saudi regime released al-Sherif a few hours later.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to ban women -- both Saudi and foreign -- from driving. Women are also barred from voting, except for chamber of commerce elections in two cities in recent years. No woman is also able of becoming a cabinet member.
Protests and public displays of dissent are also forbidden in Saudi Arabia.
This is while the recent massive anti-government protests for the release of political prisoners have been widely cracked down by the Saudi government.
According to the observers, most Palestinians and Muslim populations have expressed their distrust of the US double standard policies.
While the US and its western allies which claim to be pioneers of human rights, have turned a blind eye to massive violations of human rights by their allies including Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
VM/PKH/MMN
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