The Saudi Arabian government is moving quickly to put down a budding protest of women claiming the right to drive. Manal al-Sharif, one of the organizers, was arrested on Sunday and is being held for up to five days. Her arrest follows two other highly publicized drives, designed to highlight social media campaigns in advance of a June 17 protest. An online petition to King Abdullah, asking him to free Sharif and give women the right to drive, has more than 600 signatures, even though Saudis are often reluctant to publicly attach their names to such a petition. Saudi Arabia is the only country that bans women from driving.
