Al-Sharif
Saudi activist Manal al-Sharif wrote an open letter to King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz imploring him to soften the nationwide ban on women drivers. Reuters

Saudi activist Manal al-Sharif wrote an open letter to King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz imploring him to soften the nationwide ban on women drivers.

Sharif has been active in the Women2Drive campaign and was jailed for her efforts in May 2011 when she posted a video of herself behind the wheel of a car on the Internet. Women2Drive celebrated its one-year anniversary on Friday with a petition to establish driving schools for women and [begin] issuing licenses.

“It is our hope that you take into consideration our campaign 'I Will Drive My Own Car' to encourage women who have obtained driving licenses from neighboring countries to forego their male drivers and start driving themselves when they need to, Sharif said on Friday. A statement from Women2Drive said that women should apply for licenses en masse.