The kingdom's religious police arrested Manal al-Sherif on Saturday after she challenged the ban by posting a video on Facebook and YouTube showing her behind the wheel of a car in the eastern city of Khobar, the Associated Press reported.
On their Facebook page, called “Teach me how to drive so I can protect myself,” Sherif and a group of other women have launched a volunteer campaign with the aim of convincing the authorities to lift the prohibition.
Sherif was released a few hours later, according to the campaign's Twitter account, but the terms of her release were not immediately known.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to ban women -- both Saudi and foreign -- from driving. Women are also barred from voting, except for chamber of commerce elections in two cities in recent years, while no woman can become a cabinet member.
Sherif and the other campaigners have focused on the importance of women driving in times of emergencies and the high expense of hiring a driver, especially for low-income families.
The women's Facebook campaign is calling for a mass women's drive on June 17, and more than 12,000 people who viewed the page have indicated they support the call.
On their page, the group says women joining the campaign should not challenge the authorities if they are stopped and questioned and should abide by the country's dress code.
“We want to live as complete citizens, without the humiliation that we are subjected to every day because we are tied to a driver,” the Facebook message reads. “We are not here to break the law or demonstrate or challenge the authorities, we are here to claim one of our simplest rights.”
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