Saudi Arabian woman filmed driving car on day of protest against ban

A Saudi woman said she got behind the wheel in Riyadh without being stopped or harassed by police, as part of a campaign protesting against the ban on women driving in the kingdom.

Despite warnings by police and ultraconservatives in Saudi Arabia against defying the ban, at least four women have successfully driven, May al-Sawyan said.

A clip of her protest was uploaded on the YouTube channel of the October 26 driving for women group, along with several other videos of women purportedly driving in defiance of the ban in Riyadh, al-Ahsa and Jeddah on Saturday. It was not possible to verify when they were filmed.

"I am very happy and proud that there was no reaction against me," she told the Associated Press. "There were some cars that drove by. They were surprised, but it was just a glance. It is fine. They are not used to seeing women driving here."

Sawyan said she had obtained a driver's licence from abroad. She said she was prepared for the risk of detention if caught but added that she was far enough from a police car that she was not spotted.

"I just took a small loop. I didn't drive for a long way, but it was fine. I went to the grocery store," she said.

Her husband and family waited at home and called her when she arrived at the shop to check on her, she said. She drove with a local female television reporter in the car. They were both without male relatives in the vehicle.

"I know of several women who drove earlier today. We will post videos later," one of the campaign organisers told Reuters.

Others stayed at home, put off by phone calls from men who said they were from the interior ministry, according to organisers of the demonstration.

Police put up checkpoints in some parts of Riyadh, Reuters reported, and there appeared to be more traffic patrols than usual on the streets of the capital.

Twitter, Facebook and other social media were used to get women drivers on the roads in a marathon push against the ban.

Activists said they have 16,600 signatures on an online petition calling for change. Efforts to publicise the issue have been described as the best-organised social campaign ever seen in Saudi Arabia, where Twitter has millions of users and is used to circulate information about the monarchy and official corruption.

Previous attempts to promote change fizzled out in arrests for public order offences and demoralisation. In 2011, the activist Manal al-Sharif made a YouTube video urging women to drive their own cars, and was imprisoned for more than a week. But the signs are far more positive now.

Three female members of the shura (advisory) council - among 30 appointed by the 90-year-old King Abdullah - recommended this month that the ban be rescinded, though no debate has yet taken place.

Latifa al-Shaalan, Haya al-Mani and Muna al-Mashit urged the council to "recognise the rights of women to drive a car in accordance with the principles of sharia and traffic laws".

The three - praised by supporters for "stirring the stagnant water" - framed their argument with careful references to religious edicts banning women from being in the company of an unrelated male driver. Other ideas designed to reassure critics are appointing female traffic police and driving instructors. Cost is another big factor, with families having to employ chauffeurs, as is convenience.