King Abdullah - The Voice of Reason

A WOMAN who was sentenced to 10 lashes with a whip for driving a car was dramatically let off last night.

Shaima Jastaina’s punishment for flouting the Saudi Arabian ban on female motorists had caused worldwide outrage.

But yesterday, King Abdullah, who has pledged to protect women’s rights in the ultra-conservative Muslim nation, stepped in to halt the flogging.

It was the first time a corporal punishment had been handed down for the offence.

Police usually pull women over and make them sign a pledge not to drive again.

Philip Luther, of Amnesty International, said yesterday: “Flogging is a cruel ­punishment in all circumstances but it beggars belief that the authorities in Saudi Arabia imposed lashes on a woman for merely driving a car.”

The draconian ban on women residents and foreigners driving is set in conservative tradition and religious doctrine but not fully covered by written law.

This week, King Abdullah promised women would be allowed to take part in elections in 2015 as he vowed to improve their rights. The row over Shaima, in her 30s, highlights the ­challenge for Abdullah in pushing for change without angering the kingdom’s powerful clergy.

Sohila Zein el-Abydeen, a prominent female member of the governmental National Society for Human Rights, said: “How come women get flogged for driving, while the maximum penalty for a traffic violation is a fine, not lashes?”

Scores of women have taken to the roads since June, in a Women2Drive campaign.

Some posted on Twitter that they ­successfully drove in Jeddah, Riyadh and Khobar. A few said they were stopped and let go by police.

The campaign’s founder, Manal al-Sherif, who posted a video of herself driving, was held for more than 10 days.

She was released after signing a pledge not to drive or speak to the media.

She said of the flogging sentence: “I am very upset. This is a message to tell women they won’t get all their demands.”

She helped get up a petition to get Shaima’s punishment overturned.

Saudi religious traditionalists believe giving freedom of movement to women makes them vulnerable to sin.

The Foreign Office last night reminded Brits in Saudi to remain vigilant after the US warned of terrorist plans to abduct Westeners in the capital Riyadh.

LWDLIK- Beggars belief = Implausible, incredible. I had to google this one. Very happy the king has done this. Can't believe in this day and age a woman could be flogged for driving.