Petition for Saudi Women's Grand Prix

Dear Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Bin Abdulrahman Bin Faisal Bin Turki Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud:

During your June 29th, 2010 meeting in the White House, President Obama thanked you for your “friendship” and “good counsel.”  Secretary of State Clinton also recently praised you for “leadership on key regional and global challenges.”  She said you “extended the hand of friendship to people of other faiths…provided leadership in developing and strengthening the Kingdom’s institutions, working to diversify the economy, support knowledge-based education, and expand opportunity for women…[and] established a powerful dialogue that seeks to promote the principles of moderation, tolerance, and mutual respect - core values that we all share."

Women in Saudi Arabia are forbidden from voting, traveling without a man’s permission and driving.  

We would like to extend the opportunity to you to co-sponsor the First Annual Saudi Women’s Grand Prix.  Many Saudi Internet activists have voiced their desire for equal rights between men and women and this initiative is a direct response to their pleas.  Saudi women from all walks of life will be invited to partake in the joys of race-car driving.  We will live-stream video of this event on the Internet throughout the Middle East.   

Hosting the First Annual Saudi Women’s Grand Prix in Riyadh would be a fitting symbol of Islamic tolerance and equality.  Allowing women to drive in this Grand Prix will not undermine the fabric of Saudi society, but rather will be a small, incremental reform toward empowering females.

The Grand Prix can be held on March 10th to commemorate the fifteen Saudi girls who died on that day in 2002 as the Kingdom’s religious police blocked them from fleeing their burning school because they were not fully covered.

We look forward to your reply.

Principle Signatories:

Peter Deutsch
Former U.S. Congressman

Leilani Munter
Professional race-car driver, named by Sports Illustrated as one of the top ten female race-car drivers in the world 

Janet Guthrie
First female driver in Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500, International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame

David Keyes
CyberDissidents.org, Director

Robert “Bud” McFarlane
Former U.S. National Security Advisor

Fiamma Nirenstein
Vice President of Committee on Foreign Affairs, Italian Chamber of Deputies

Massimo Polledri
Member of Italian Chamber of Deputies

Harold Rhode
Former Advisor, Office of U.S. Secretary of Defense

Kristen Silverberg
Former U.S. Ambassador to European Union

R. James Woolsey
Former CIA Director

saudiwomensgrandprix@cyberdissidents.org

فييما نيرنيستاين
نائبة رئيس لجنة العلاقات الخارجية في البرلمان الايطالي

ماسيمو بوليدري
عضو في مجلس البرلمان الإيطالي

هارولد روود
مستشار سابق في وزارة الدفاع الأمريكية

كريستن سيلفربيرغ
سفيرة امريكية  سابقة للإتحاد الأوروبي