King's female advisers query Saudi Arabia's driving ban for women

Female members of the Shura Council, which advises King Abdullah, have proposed allowing women to drive, challenging a tradition upheld by the deeply conservative clerical establishment.

The council is the nearest the kingdom has to a parliament, though its members are not elected but appointed by the King.

Hanan al-Ahmadi, one of 30 women appointed in January, said: “Men and women members were discussing the obstacle of women’s transportation and how it’s a burden for women working with families and the lack of other options like public transport,” she said.

Reuters