In 1990, a group of women in Saudi Arabia did something almost completely unheard of. They got behind the wheels of their cars and they drove. Afterward, they were severely punished, and both the women and the movement fell quiet. However, last month, a single mother named Manal Al-Shafif picked up the torch. Angry and frustrated, she uploaded footage of herself driving. As with the women before her, she was severely punished. This time, however, the movement did not fall quiet.

Saudi Arabia has played a behind-the-scenes role in fighting the revolutions sweeping through the Middle East this spring, propping up unstable neighbors like the Sunni minority government in Bahrain. But King Abdullah’s government is also fragile; and after watching the U.S. government turn against former allies like Hosni Mubarak, the king is concerned that he might not have American support for long. Martin Indyk, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Director of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, believes that President Obama needs to renew his relationship with Saudi Arabia – and guide King Abdullah toward a more open government. 

As prices at the pump go up, the government is considering tapping into our strategic oil reserves. Coming up on The Takaway, oil expert Lisa Margonelli says what makes sense in the short term is not a solution for the long term.

Unless Congress puts forward an objection, the 30-day review is done; a $60 Billion arms deal between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia could be completed by midnight tonight. One of the largest ever single sales if completed, the deal would provide Saudi Arabia with advanced fighter jets and helicopters. 

Today marks the third and most important day of the Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage that has drawn as many as three million Muslims to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The four-day trip is arduous, packed with rituals and prayers. Most pilgrims begin planning for the trip up to six months in advance and set aside around $2,000 to make the journey. Some are encouraged to get in good physical shape, build their immune system, prepare a will, and go through counseling so they are mentally prepared.

The discovery of explosive devices hidden on cargo planes bound for the U.S. has become a clear reality of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula’s strong presence in Yemen, as well as the Saudi Arabian government's increasingly necessary role in counter-intelligence in that region. 

A tip from the Saudi counter-terrorism intelligence agency was the key that led to the discovery of the bombs, which were destined for addresses in the U.S.

 

The week was thrown into uncertainty with the death this morning of Sen. Robert Byrd. The New York Times' Marcus Mabry and The Takeaway's Charles Herman, look at that and the rest of the news coming up in the next seven days.

Saudi Arabia security officials said that they have arrested more than 100 militants suspected of working with al-Qaida to target oil facilities and security forces. 

Two of the men behind an al-Qaida plot to blow up a Northwest Airlines jet over Detroit on Christmas Day were well known by U.S. and Saudi officials: They had both previously been detained at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. The U.S. later sent those men to Saudi Arabia, where Saudi officials placed them in an “rehabilitation program."

That program, known colloquially as “jihad rehab,” is highly controversial, although it claims a 95% success rate at discouraging further crimes from the people in it. BBC’s Newshour host, Owen Bennett Jones, spent some time observing the program. He joins us this morning from his home in England.

It's the second day of the Hajj, the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. 2 million Muslims from around the world typically make the trip; this year Saudi Government officials are predicting a 40% drop in the number of local pilgrims to Mecca this year because of fear of H1N1. We speak to the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani, from the middle of the Hajj, about the fears, precautions and facts about the spread of the flu at this year's pilgrimage.

In 2002, Saudi King Abdullah proposed a peace plan for Israel and the Palestinian territories. In exchange for peace with the Arab world, Israel would withdraw from the occupied territories and a Palestinian state would be established. Harvard Law Professor and author of "The Rise and Fall of the Islamic State," Noah Feldman joins The Takeaway for a look at what parts of the so-called Arab Peace Initiative the Obama administration is likely to embrace.

Women are prohibited from doing many things in Saudi Arabia, among them driving and being alone with a man they are not related to. How do women there decide what freedoms are worth fighting for? Reem Asaad, a finance lecturer at Dar al-Hikma Women's College in Jeddah joins The Takeaway with the story of an unusual campaign she is leading to defend the right of women to buy their lingerie from other women, because currently only men can sell women's underwear. Ms. Asaad joins us now from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.