Any Schwarzenegger fans out there will hopefully by chuckling right now.
Anyway,
As discussed in this article, there is a ban in Saudi Arabia prohibiting the women from driving/operating a motor vehicle. Failure to observe this can lead to arrest, and in some cases, public whipping. Pretty rough. The logic is that giving women the freedom to drive would give them greater freedom outside the home, and could very likely lead to them engaging in unladylike behavior.
However, it has also been argued that preventing women from driving would force them to rely on a male driver, anyway. Which somewhat nullifies the point of trying to keep them from socializing too much with other men outside the home.
A report prepared by "A well known conservative academic" has been prepared for the Saudi Shura Council, stating that if women are allowed to drive, then it will be the end of virgins in Saudi Arabia. This information is given in spite of the fact that Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world in which women are not allowed to operate cars, but not the only one in the world with virgins.
Shocking, no?
In protest of this law, many Saudi women have recorded video footage of themselves driving, in an effort to spur others to resist the rule. And King Abdullah has stated that the ban could perhaps be re-examined.
Until then...
