The Saudi Arabian ban on female drivers is not enforced due to any written law, but religious rulings by clerics have prevented women — Saudi and foreign, alike — from driving throughout the country. According to the Saudi coalition’s petition, “King Abdullah… declared in 2007 that the issue of women driving cars is a social issue, not a religious matter, and therefore subject to the rule of the state, which means that in theory if the community wanted to lift the ban on women driving there would be no obstacle.”

But while the Women2Drive movement does have Saudi and international support, it has met some opposition within its own country — even prior to the Jeddah arrests. Twitter was buzzing at the end of last week, as Saudi users said mosques were putting up posters decrying women drivers.

Activists: 5 Saudi Women Arrested for Driving

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