Ansamed

(ANSAmed)- ROME, JUNE 15 - Are you ready? Put on your veil, wave a Saudi flag, bring a cell phone, an international driver's licence and above all a man to protect you in case of need. Now get behind the wheel, fasten your seatbelt and go, ready to break the law that prevents you from driving a car. You could be pulled over by the police and be forced to sign a statement where you state that you repent for the crime just committed and promise that you will never do it again. But you will do it again, because on June 17, the first day of civil disobedience when women in Saudi Arabia will challenge the driving ban (imposed on women by the ultraconservative Islamic tradition of their kingdom) is only the beginning of the female uprising.

This, in short, is the guidebook published by the Saudi group named 'Women2drive' on its Facebook page for Saudi women who will participate in the first day of the fight to extend the right to drive to the female population in the kingdom. It includes 14 pieces of advice, starting from the veil and ending with an invitation to abide by the highway code. There are recommendations to 'drive in the city and not in isolated areas', to 'warn parents and friends about what you are doing' and to 'stay in touch, via twitter or facebook, with the sponsor group''. Those who want to 'can film their venture and post in on YouTube'. The sponsors do not think that participation will be massive, but warn that June 17 is the day when the struggle begins. They stated ''Take the car to run errands or take the children to school. Do not stray far and do not group up''. To date the reaction by Saudi authorities to demands for equal rights for women has been firm but moderate (compared to the standards of the region). The police arrested for some ten days Manal al Sharif, one of the sponsors of the protest who posted on Youtube a video showing her at the wheel. The woman was released after apologising and begging for a pardon. In recent days another six women have been stopped, while an ultraconservative Islamic website invited men to hunt down female drivers and give them a beating. Pragmatically, ''Women2drive'' recommends the protesters to ''be accompanied by male relatives'': this will help to counter attacks by troublemakers or even police interventions. In case of being pulled over, the advice is to avoid making a stand, and ''sign everything the authorities ask you to''. In light of June 17, a human rights group wrote a letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking for her support: the letter reads ''in the context of the Arab Spring and the US commitment to support non-violent pro-democracy movements, the time has come for the Obama administration to prove its support for the rights of Saudi women''. The region's instability is left in the background and the matter of the women's right to drive can lead to much wider results in the context of the Saudi absolute monarchy. That is why, observers say, it will be interesting to see how the authorities and women themselves will react to the protest on June 17. (ANSAmed).