Passive resistance and civil disobedience in Saudi Arabia

Wajeha al-Huwaider, a women's rights activist in Saudi Arabia, has taken to challenge the Kingdom's strict system of guardianship through an interesting act of passive resistance. The system of guardianship mandates that women must obtain permission from a male guardian (typically a close relative) for many decisions: working away from home, opening a bank account or leaving the country. It is that last item in a long list that al-Huwaider has been targeting  by driving to the border with Bahrain, knowing full well she did not have her guardian's permission, only to be turned down each time. She is now appealing to other Saudi women to do the same. This is not quite civil disobedience, since no violation of the law is involved (she is sent back), but it is clearly a challenged to the law. However, Miss al-Huwaider is no stranger to disobedience proper, having spearheaded a campaign to allow Saudi women to drive by engaging in an illegal act of driving - broadcast on Youtube.
ne can see how it has a tremendous potential to attract attention on women's plight, and how it could seriously embarras the regime which is lately trying to portray itself under a more reformist light (Miss al-Huwaider is apt to point the contradictions between the regime's statements before the UN's Human Rights Council on the status of women and the reality on the ground). The potential disobedience aspect is reinforced by a veiled threat (no bad pun intended) that if the country does not allow women to leave at will, then it should allow them to leave for good.