A leading Saudi cleric warned women who drive cars could cause damage to their ovaries and pelvises and that they are at risk of having children born with `` clinical problems . '' Sheikh Saleh Al-Loheidan 's widely derided remarks have gone viral as activists claim a website urging women to defy their country 's driving ban has been blocked in Saudi Arabia . `` If a woman drives a car , '' Al-Loheidan told Saudi news website sabq.org in an interview , `` it could have a negative physiological impact ... Medical studies show that it would automatically affect a woman 's ovaries and that it pushes the pelvis upward . '' Explained Al-Loheidan , `` We find that for women who continuously drive cars , their children are born with varying degrees of clinical problems . '' The controversial comments , published Friday , were widely interpreted throughout Saudi Arabia as an attempt to discourage women in the country from joining a popular online movement urging them to stage a demonstration by driving cars on October 26 . `` This is his answer to the campaign , '' Saudi women 's rights activist Aziza Yousef told CNN . `` But it is an individual opinion . The clerical establishment is not behind this . '' Added Yousef : `` He 's making a fool of himself . He should n't touch this field at all -- the medical field is not his field at all . '' Mai Al-Swayan , who was one of the first Saudi women to sign the online petition , called the comments `` ridiculous : `` and added , `` I am really disappointed . How could somebody ever make such a statement ? '' Al-Loheidan 's words have been ridiculed mercilessly via social media since they were first reported . An Arabic Twitter hashtag called `` # WomensDrivingAffectsOvariesAndPelvises '' was quickly created to make fun of Al-Loheidan -- underscoring just how widely the call for Saudi women to defy the driving ban has resonated thus far . And while numerous conservative voices have supported Al-Loheidan , many Saudis believe this was an extremely clumsy way of trying to counter the popularity of the October 26 campaign . `` I do n't think it will harm the campaign -- on the contrary , it will make it stronger , '' said Saudi columnist and author Abdullah Al-Alami . Since it published online over a week ago , a petition on the website www.oct26driving.com has garnered more than 12,000 signatures from those asking authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to lift a de facto ban than prohibits women from driving . `` There is no justification for the Saudi government to prohibit adult women citizens who are capable of driving cars from doing so , '' reads part of the petition . No traffic law specifically prohibits women from driving in Saudi Arabia , but religious edicts there are often interpreted to mean women are not allowed to operate a vehicle . The new petition also urges the Saudi government to present `` to the citizens a valid and legal justification '' for the ban , demanding authorities should not simply blame it on `` societal consensus . '' Many supporters of the campaign expressed dismay when reporting the website could no longer be accessed throughout the Kingdom as of Saturday . A post on the Oct26driving.com website read , `` Society wanting the ban to be lifted is apparently such a threat that the page petitioning the government to lift the ban has been blocked from within Saudi . '' Al Alami wondered if the numerous conservatives opposed to women being granted the right to drive may have asked for the site to be blocked . Still , Al-Alami said he is n't too concerned . `` The message has been delivered , '' said Al-Alami . `` This is a battle we must fight . There is no U-turn . '' CNN was unable to reach various Saudi Ministries for comment . The issue of women driving in the conservative kingdom has long been a contentious one . And while such demonstrations are extremely rare , they have been staged at least twice before . In June 2011 , dozens of women across Saudi Arabia participated in the `` Women2Drive '' campaign by driving throughout the streets of their cities . In 1991 , a group of 47 women drove through the country 's capital city , Riyadh . After being arrested , many were further punished by being banned from travel and suspended from their workplaces . In addition to prohibiting driving , the country 's strict and compulsory guardianship system also prevents women from opening bank accounts , working , traveling and going to school without the express permission of their male guardian . Saudi Arabia has been moving toward change under its current ruler , King Abdullah , who is considered a cautious reformer and proponent of women 's rights . In January , he appointed 30 women to the Shura Council , the first time women had been chosen for the country 's top consultative body . In 2011 , he announced that women can run for office and vote in local elections in 2015 , and in 2009 , he appointed Saudi Arabia 's first female deputy minister .
Saudi cleric claims that driving affects `` a woman 's ovaries and that it pushes the pelvis upward '' Religious leader was responding to a campaign encouraging women to defy the driving ban . Women 's rights activists , social media take soundly reject cleric 's comments . Comment: