Saudi Arabia has moved a step closer to lifting its unwritten ban on female drivers. 

It is reported that a committee of experts will look into "issues that have a social dimension and no legal basis [in Sharia]" that are currently dealt with by the courts. The issues they have in mind, apparently, are those that cause "uproar at home and abroad" and impact "negatively on the image of the judiciary".

Discussing this on her blog, Eman al-Nafjan says: "From the wording of the report it is clear that this committee is most likely set up to solely deal with the women driving ban issue."

Last year a number of Saudi women were arrested for defying the ban and currently two are suing the authorities for refusing them a licence.

Last week, activist Samar Badawy, filed a lawsuit against the interior ministryís traffic department for illegally preventing her from applying for a licence. Another campaigner, Manal al-Sharif, has brought a similar case General Directorate of Traffic after her application for a licence was ignored.