Saudi Shoura council unsure on women driving cars issue
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 2/14/2006

The Saudi Shoura council announced on Sunday that it is not specialized to discuss the issue of women's right to drive a car, noting that there is a Fatwa banning it. A Fatwa is an Islamic religious call made by a religious cleric, by himself or in consultation, or by an Islamic institution, about what they think about the proper interpretation of a particular subject.

Senior Saudi Muslim scholars in 1990 issued a Fatwa which prohibits woman from driving a car in the kingdom. However, the Saudi minister of information Eyad Madani said before Jeddah economic forum on Saturday that "there is nothing in the Saudi laws that prohibits women from applying to get a driving license."

The secretary general of the Shoura council Saleh Bin Abdullah al-Malik said that the council approved the draft traffic new system in Saudi Arabia and submitted it for the Cabinet for approval, noting that the council refused to discuss a proposal proposed by member in the council Muhammad Abdullah al-al-Zalfah to permit woman to drive a car.

Al-Malik explained that woman's driving of a car "has Sharia (religious) dimension, as a Fatwa was issued from an official side from the senior Scholar commission." He also explained that "matters assigned by the King to be considered by certain sides should be left to these sides (to deal with)."

Previous Stories:
  Madani: nothing in Saudi law bans women from driving   (2/13/2006)
  Saudi King is Pakistan agree on fighting terrorism, cheap oil   (2/3/2006)
  Ahmadinejad and King Abdullah Telephone Contact   (2/3/2006)

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