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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: c.hinton who wrote (243033)	9/25/2007 6:20:49 AM
From: Elroy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Saudi women petition Abdullah for right to drive By Andrew England and Heba Saleh, Financial Times Published: September 25, 2007, 00:23 gulfnews.com Cairo: A committee of Saudi women Saturday handed in a petition to King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz in an unprecedented bid to push the government to lift a ban on females driving in the kingdom. "It's a question of need. We do face problems as a result of not being able to drive. The social reasons [behind the ban] are illogical," said Haifa Osra, one of four founding members of the committee. "Society now accepts women travelling alone, working, and moving in taxis so how can it reject driving?" she asked. Women are highly segregated in Saudi Arabia and it is the only country in the world where they are prohibited from driving, for social and religious reasons. The ban - which affects foreigners as well as nationals - means women have to rely on taxis or hire drivers who can cost more than 1,000 riyals ($267) per month. The issue has been raised before, most noticeably after US troops - including female drivers - were deployed to Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf war. Then, around 50 Saudi women decided to drive their family cars but ended up jailed for a day. Sensitive issue Osra said the committee's petition had received more than 1,000 e-mailed signatures, and argued that "85 per cent" of women wanted the ban lifted. Yet it remains a highly sensitive and divisive issue in a state where modernisers struggle against the influence of traditionalists and the religious establishment. When Al Watan newspaper ran a story on the subject it received more comments on its website than ever before, said Jamal Khashoggi, the editor-in-chief. The reaction from respondents was mixed, he said, but the slight majority opposed any change. Those seeking change put their faith in the belief that King Abdullah is inclined to modernisation and has not ruled out the ban being lifted in the future. However, this year a number of people seeking political reforms have been detained and modernisers complain about the slow pace of change. The voices against reform remain strong. "Driving is a door to sedition and evil," wrote someone signing in as Shaikh Suleiman Al Duweish on an internet chat-room.

To: c.hinton who wrote (243033)	9/25/2007 4:15:48 PM
From: Noel de Leon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

I don't buy that. 6 million Jews and 24-44 million others dead because Luther is constipated? Get real. There is a direct line between Luther's anti-semitism and the European anti-semitism that lead to the Holocaust. And it doesn't have anything to do with Luther's intestinal problems. There is a connection between Medieval Christian anti-semitism and Luther's attack on Jews. Just as there is a connection between Medieval Christian anti-semitism and modern anti-semitism. And there is a connection between European guilt and the creation of Israel.