Allowing women to drive is expected to boost Saudi Arabia's economy

BEIRUT - "This is a statement with the names of the whores who had fallen prey to vice and corruption."

So began a public list naming 47 Saudi women who, almost 27 years ago, circled around Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, in their cars. It was an act of defiance against a ban on female drivers that was no less absolute for being unofficial.

In the days that followed, the women were vilified by thousands of "Mutawaeen," the Saudi religious police tasked with applying the country's harsh interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law. Many lost their friends, jobs and even their passports. For years later, their detainment and harassment by authorities became a