Saudi Women Drivers Put Pedal to the Metal to Protest Ban

June 17, 2011 — -- Fueled by social media and recent uprisings in the Arab world, women in Saudi Arabia took to the capital's streets today in their cars to protest the ban on female drivers.

Areej Khan, one of thousands of women who say they've had enough, drove for 25 minutes. Her campaign "We the Women" pasted the city of Jeddah with signs calling for the right to drive: "It's Not Only for Men" and "Driving Is Not Against My Religion" and "I Don't Like the Backseat."

She said that although she was scheduled to leave the country, she stayed to participate in the effort.

"I'm still sort of in shock," she told ABC News. "We actually passed by a car with guys in it, and no one bothered us. .... They were happy to see us."

Maha Qahtani drove in Riyadh this morning -- as her husband rode in the passenger seat.

"What kind of rule is this," she said to ABC News today. "Why no for us and yes for men? It's my right. It's my right and I have to have it."

'Saudi Women, Start Your Engines!'

Other women and men shared their experiences online:

Sultan Al Quassemi, a writer and Arab affairs commentator, said the women-to-drive protest was already a success.

"It's a phenomenon that has been started by women, initiated by them [and] organized by them," Quassemi said. "This is a huge triumph."

Quassemi credited social media with helping women identify other women who were also willing to take up the driving challenge.

"It allowed women to upload proof that they have driven," Quassemi said. "It allowed women to share their stories instantaneously rather than over a period of days. It emancipated women. ... It gave them a voice that was instantaneous, that was direct, that was unfiltered."