Religious cops told to keep off women drivers

Saudi Arabia’s feared religious police have told their members not to chase women driving cars on the grounds this is not within their powers.

The Saudi Arabic language daily Al Hayat said the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has warned all its members they would be punished if they try to stop or chase women driving cars in the conservative Gulf Kingdom.

“The Commission made clear that stopping women driving cars is not within its powers and that this should be left to the competent authorities,” the London-based paper said, quoting what it described as a senior sources in the Commission.

Women are banned from driving cars in Saudi Arabia but there have been increasing reports over the past two years about many of them defying the ban.

Saudi authorities have said there is no law formally preventing women from driving cars and that the ban is only part of social barriers in the world’s top oil exporter.

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