( CNN ) -- A leader of a high-profile campaign pushing for women to drive in Saudi Arabia says she 's suing traffic police in order to get a driver 's license . Manal al Sharif told CNN Sunday that she filed an objection with the General Directorate of Traffic in Riyadh , the country 's capital , when officials rejected her license application . After waiting 90 days and receiving no response , she filed her suit against them in November . `` It 's just creating positive pressure on the officials to get back to us -- and it will encourage more women to apply for licenses and file lawsuits , '' she said . There are no specific traffic laws that make it illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia . However , religious edicts are often interpreted as a prohibition of female drivers . Such edicts also prevent women from opening bank accounts , obtaining passports or even going to school without the presence of a male guardian . Al Sharif said her case had been transferred to Saudi Arabia 's Interior Ministry . Officials there could not be reached for comment . Al Sharif said she first applied for a license after being stopped by the authorities for driving a car last May . She was detained , spent nine days in jail and quickly became an icon of the `` Women2Drive '' campaign , an initiative demanding the right for women to drive and travel freely in Saudi Arabia . A Facebook page organizing a campaign for women to drive last June included a banner that read , `` We are all Manal Sharif , '' and a quote from King Abdullah stating that `` the day will come when women will be able to drive . '' The single mother and information technology specialist 's name first became a rallying cry for Saudi women last year after she uploaded a YouTube video of herself driving . Through the lawsuit , al Sharif said she is continuing her fight . `` There is no law forbidding women from driving , '' she said .
Manal al Sharif says she hopes the lawsuit will spark change . She has been an icon of a campaign pushing for women 's rights to drive . Al Sharif says she filed the lawsuit after her license application was denied . Religious edicts are often interpreted as a prohibition of female drivers in Saudi Arabia .