A SAUDI Arabian woman who was jailed for driving a car has been released after nine days, having pledged to take no further part in a campaign to persuade the Saudi authorities to allow women to drive.
Manal al-Sharif (32) was freed from the women’s prison in Dammam on Monday. She was arrested after posting a video of herself driving around the eastern city of Khobar as part of the Women2Drive campaign, of which she was a key organiser.
Her case attracted international attention after her lawyer said she had been charged with driving without a licence, prompting other women to do the same and provoking public debate in Saudi Arabia.
Two other women associated with the campaign were also questioned by police and warned off further campaigning. One Muslim cleric even called for Ms Sharif to be lashed.
“She wrote a pledge that she will not drive a car and after what has happened she has decided to give up the campaign and not be part of the protests,” said her lawyer, Adnan al-Salah.
Yesterday Ms Sharif expressed "profound gratitude" to King Abdullah for ordering her release and appeared to abandon her call for women to be allowed to drive, according to a statement published by the al-Hayatnewspaper.
"Concerning the topic of women's driving, I will leave it up to our leader in whose discretion I entirely trust, to weigh the pros and cons and reach a decision that will take into consideration the best interests of the people, while also being pleasing to Allah, and in line with divine law," she said, according to a translation of her statement. – ( Guardianservice)